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Basics of Polo History of Polo Glossary of Polo How to watch a polo match Hawaii
Polo 2003 Located
on the North shore, and about as far as one can go in Hawaii without one's hat
floating, this polo field, which parallels the pacific, is in a class by itself.
Polo at Mokuleia is the shining star and centerpiece of the magnificent
Dillingham Estate. This Gatsby era ranch is comprised of 2600 acres, all having
mountains on one side and the breath taking Pacific Ocean at its front door. Up
a mile long driveway is a 1917 Mansion, private airfield, and virtually every
type of equestrian activity including a breeding program. All this is under the
direction of Michael Dailey who also operates the Hawaii Polo Inn & Tower in
Waikiki. (www.HawaiiPolo.com)
Murph Dailey presented the 1913 historic Bourn silver trophy to the Oahu Blues, captained by her son Michael Dailey. The Governor of the Hawaiian circuit Bob Miller, Argentina's Santiago Uruburu, Becca Dailey and P. T. Brent comprised the winning team effort. (Score 6 to 3) Hawaii Polo was well Captained by New Zealand's Hal Hargrave (three goaler) with Greg Davies, Gordon Smith, Mark Becker, and introducing Jana Mailow.
Best
playing pony honors went to an Argentine mare appropriately named "Evita"
(of LEB fame) This
Bourn Cup's history goes back to 1913 and was officially reopened in 1965 by a
California Team composed of David Moore, Todd Helsor, Captain Willis Allen
(still playing at age 90) and Mack Jason (three goaler) who scored the winning
goal in a close 10 to 9 victory. Against Fred Dailey (Captain), Peter Baldwin,
Freddie Rice, and Bim Wilson as Team Hawaii. Hawaii
polo is rich in special traditions. A warm Mahalo nui loa goes to the Dailey
Family, and all the other kama'aina's who have so unstintingly given to this
great sport in America's beautiful islands. HOW
TO WATCH A POLO MATCH Captivating,
heart-stopping, thrilling, enthralling – the list of superlatives used to
describe the game of kings is almost endless.
And yet there is nothing that completely captures the essence of it, the
fascination that begins the moment you first glimpse the vast imposing green of
a prime polo field, and that builds as eight riders thunder in your direction,
hooves drumming on the turf. You don’t have to
play to love the game. If you
admire excellence, if the pursuit of perfection gives you a special tingle, polo
is right up your alley. You’ll be
a perfect fan. Here’s how. The basics are
elegantly simple. The game is
played between two teams of four mounted men on a field that measures 300 by 160
yards (as big as nine football fields) with goalposts at either end. The object is to move a ball downfield and through the goal
in six periods of play known as “chukkers”.
Each chukker is seven minutes long. There are no
time-outs except for injuries, penalties or unsafe situations. And no replacement of players is allowed except for injuries. Each of the four
players is given an area of responsibility designated by a jersey number that
indicates that area. The forward is
designated Number 1, the most defensive player is called the Number 4, or the
Back. (There is no goalie.)
The mid-action players are designated Number 2 and Number 3, with the
latter controlling the attack and coordinating the defense.
He’s usually the highest rated player on the team and the de facto
captain. This alignment is designed
to be fluid, however, and to change quickly under game situations. The players have
assignments on defense as Control of the game
rests in the hands of the two mounted umpires and a third man, the referee,
stationed at midfield. The rules are based
on something known as “the line of the ball”.
Each time the ball is moved, a line of travel is created that extends
forward and backward from the ball. Players
use that line to plan their approach to the ball, keeping it on their right (or
off) side, where they have the right-of-way.
Crossing the line close to an oncoming player who has the right-of-way
may be dramatic, but it’s often dangerous and thus is a foul.
Cutting that line as close as possible is common in high goal polo. A swing at the ball
can be blocked by a hook from another player’s mallet or interfered with
indirectly by a ride-off. Distantly
related to a block in football, but with the added emphasis of a ton of horse
and player, a ride-off is more like a body check in hockey – every bit as
hard, fast and effective. A ball that goes over
the backline as a result of a missed goal is knocked back in by the defending
team without stopping the clock. But
a ball hit over the backline by a defending team gives the attackers a safety.
The clock is stopped and the ball is placed sixty yards out from the goal
with a free hit awarded to the attackers. If a foul is called,
the fouled team is awarded a penalty shot – a free hit from a predetermined
distance into a guarded or unguarded goal.
Most high goalers can convert penalty shots into goals with a regularity
that exceeds free-throw percentages in basketball, which makes drawing the
opposition into a foul a good tactic. The penalty shot has
much more in common with a free throw in basketball; the clock is stopped and
the players wait for the hit from their positions around the goal.
A dramatic pause in provides some of the most suspenseful moments in the
game. When the game starts, you
will juicily learn there’s no such thing as the right player to watch, and no
one place to look. Take it all in. It’s
sort of a Zen theory of polo spectating, but it’s a good place to start. Do watch the area
around the ball, however; the coordination between horse, rider and mallet is
often dazzling. The game begins when
the ball is thrown in by one of the umpires, who tosses it between the two
lined-up teams at midfield. From
there on, the action usually explodes to the accompaniment of shoving players
and horses, clacking mallets and shouted orders.
One or two quick shifts in momentum follow in the first millisecond.
And then they’re off. As the chukker
unfolds, most of what goes on is action and reaction.
There are few fixed plays, as in football. The team that is better able to anticipate and place its
members in strategic positions will be the one to dominate. Watch the action
ahead of the hitter as he gains control of the ball.
His downfield teammates will shake free of their cover and clear a lane
for him, or go farther downfield to receive a pass. As in football, some of the best plays are often made by
players who only rarely touch the ball. As a spectator, you
do have one responsibility during the intermission (halftime) that comes between
the third and fourth chukkers; divot stomping!
Fans surrounding the polo field are asked to make their way out onto the
field to search out the clumps of grass that have been unearthed by the quick
stops and starts of the ponies and then toe these clumps, known as divots, back
into the ground, grass side up, of course.
Don’t forget to take part in this tradition of polo; it’s a great
chance to stretch your legs, meet other polo aficionados and be a real part of
the game. Finally, be ready to
set all explanations aside and see the game for what it is: a feast for the
senses, a glimpse into an endeavor that honors the disappearing virtues of
daring, risk, danger and action. It’s
polo, the ultimate sport. |
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well as a zone to play on offense.