Sep 23, 2020
The 2020-2021 Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) season is going to look a bit different this year, especially for USPA intercollegiate programs. Due to COVID-19 several programs were forced to shut down at the end of the spring season. Even though many schools are back in session, some colleges and universities aren’t allowing club sports or organizations to be active, bringing some teams’ fall polo plans to a screeching halt. Although college programs are eligible to receive assistance through the USPA COVID-19 Equine Welfare Relief Program (ERP), without polo being played, some clubs are not receiving student dues to support their programs. The USPA has been very impressed by some clever fundraising ideas, so please take a peek at this week’s I/I Team Spotlight and consider supporting their fundraiser!
ABOUT THE POLO CLUB AT VIRGINIA TECH: The Polo Club at Virginia Tech was established in 2011 with the goal to promote the sport of polo both on and off campus. The Virginia Tech team travel to participate in skill-building clinics and compete against other intercollegiate teams in tournaments and individual matches. The Polo Club at Virginia Tech is a strong advocate that, given the large variety of equestrian disciplines already offered by the university, polo should also be represented and serves to make the equestrian program even more well-rounded and complete. The Polo Club at Virginia Tech is one-hundred percent student run, meaning they do not receive help from the university in financing their string. Currently, the club has five polo ponies on site.
PONY PEN PAL FUNDRAISER: The Polo Club at Virginia Tech Introduces “Pen Pal Polo Ponies,” a one-of-a-kind personal letter writing fundraiser for horse lovers of all ages! Having a relationship with a horse can be a magical experience and subscribers can help the Virginia Tech ponies at the same time! Each pony pal is $30.00. The objective of the campaign is to raise $2,200.00 to cover at least one of the club’s amazing polo ponies this semester (of course covering more would be fantastic!). The polo ponies, on average, cost the club about $2,200.00 per horse per year. This amount ensures that the horses receive proper health care to stay happy and healthy. If you would like to help, sign up below to become a pen pal with one of the wonderful Virginia Tech polo ponies!
How it works:
1. Look through the photos and descriptions of their wonderful string of polo ponies.
2. Pick the one that pulls at your heart strings.
3. Click the “Become My Pen Pal” Tab under the horse’s bio.
4. Subscribe to favorite polo pony.
5. Subscribers will receive monthly personalized letters for a semester.
6. Every electronic letter will include his/her own unique stories and photographs!
7. Subscribers are encouraged to write back!
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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