Myopia Polo Magazine

Myopia Polo 2011

Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.

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cecilia steele Star Search There is hope on the horizon for polo in America, as the United States Polo As- sociation has begun to take an active role in growing and cultivating talented young American players. The USPA established the Team USPA program in 2009 to grow and sustain the sport of polo by identify- ing talented young American players and providing opportunities to enhance their abilities. Step brothers Will Tankard, son of Cissie Snow, and Nick Snow, son of Crocker, were both selected to the program last year and have strong connections here at Myopia. Tankard, originally from Tennessee, is rated at three goals and will be playing in July and August with the Colloredo- Mansfeld family on their Black Oak team. Nick, a four-goal player, is no stranger here at Myopia, having honed his polo skills on Winthrop and Gibney field and returning often to play during the sum- 32 Myopia polo 2011 mers. Both players were selected to play for their country for the World Cham- pionship Federation of International Polo tournament to be held in San Luis, Argentina. In the first two years of the program, more than 150 applications were submit- ted from American polo players aged 18 to 25. After an extensive selection process, the USPA announced the first 24 players chosen for Team USPA and introduced them to the program at a four-day clinic in Wellington, Florida. In February 2011, 12 new members were welcomed to the program in the same initiation clinic in Wellington. The introductory clinic in Florida fo- cuses on familiarizing all of the kids with each other and also gives them a chance to show their skills on the field. An impor- tant aspect of polo is camaraderie, and clinic facilitators believe that the relation- teaM Uspa offers talented aMateUrs the opportUnity of a lifetiMe in the polo world. By Amanda Hersey ships between these young players will help them grow and last a lifetime. The players are also introduced to high-goal professionals, sponsors, and team manag- ers, which can lead to numerous job and mentor opportunities, as it has done for past participants. Over the course of the four-day clinic, the new Team USPA mem- bers attend lectures by top industry pro- fessionals on topics ranging from polo 101 to sports psychology to mallet craftsman- ship. In addition, the players participate in coached practices and games, where their talent is scouted from the sidelines by team managers and pros. This past season in Florida, six Team USPA players trained to compete on the USA National Team in the Federation of International Polo (FIP) Championship Tournament. Team USPA members Nick Snow, Mason Wroe, Calixto Garcia-Velez, Chris Collins, Steve Krueger, and Carlitos

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