Tag Archives: USPA Kay Colee Memorial Tournament

Casablanca Captures USPA Kay Colee Memorial Cup at Grand Champions Polo Club

October 14, 2013 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Casablanca’s Grant Ganzi (1) and his horse defy gravity stretching to gain possession of the ball. Photos by Scott Fisher.

WELLINGTON, FL – Oct. 13, 2013 — Casablanca won its first tournament of the fall season with a thrilling 10-7 victory over ELG Sunday in the championship final of the USPA Kay Colee Memorial Tournament presented by The Tackeria at Grand Champions Polo Club.

Casablanca, making its first appearance in a final, broke open a close game (7-6) after five chukkers with three goals in the final chukker against a more experienced team.

Casablanca, one of the youngest teams in Grand Champions history to win a tournament, featured three up-and-coming teenagers Grant Ganzi, 15, Juancito Bollini, 17, and Wes Finlayson, 18, who teamed with one of the game’s all-time greats, Mike Azzaro.

“I rate this win as a really good win because it’s the start of our Casablanca team at Grand Champions and the beginning of us winning a lot this year,” Grant Ganzi said. “It’s a big step up in our game and hopefully, we can start winning more.”

Azzaro, 47, an 8-goaler and Hall of Famer, was named Most Valuable Player after scoring seven goals in two games including a team-leading four in the final. Bollini had three goals, Ganzi added two goals, and one goal was picked up on handicap.

“It takes a great team to get this MVP trophy,” said Azzaro, who worked well with his young teammates throughout the game that pitted mother against son (Melissa and Grant Ganzi) and father against son (Juan and Juancito Bollini).

“These kids are really talented,” Azzaro said. “They are fun, nice kids with three individually different talents. It’s fun playing with them.

Casablanca's Mike Azzaro (3) shows his MVP form with a big hit as ELG's Kris Kampsen (2) defends — *Casablanca’s Mike Azzaro (3) shows his MVP form with a big hit as ELG’s Kris Kampsen (2) defends*

“I never really played with these kind of talented kids on the same team when I was growing up in polo,” Azzaro said. “When I was 16 I learned a lot from Memo Gracida, Joe Barry, Carlos Gracida and all those guys. But as far as playing with a high goal player at this level, I never got a chance to do that until I was 5 or 6 goals.”

Defending champion ELG (Equine Law Group) featured Melissa Ganzi, Kris Kampsen, Juan Bollini and Avery Chapman. Kampsen scored six goals, four on penalty shots, and Chapman, who played well on defense, added another.

“It was a great game. I was really proud of the way Casablanca played as a team. I absolutely don’t mind losing to them; it was wonderful that they won,” Melissa Ganzi said. “They made good choices on the field and that was nice to see. Mike is playing really well and been a good coach to them.”

Best Playing Pony was awarded to Tampa Glitter, a chestnut thoroughbred owned and ridden by Melissa Ganzi in the fifth chukker.

Bollini, Ganzi and Finlayson, members of the winning Florida Zone 3 All-Star team at the USPA National Youth Series Championship and President’s Cup, have played together in various junior tournaments and the chemistry was never more evident on Sunday.

“I’ve played with Juan and Grant a lot and playing with a veteran like Mike is great,” Finlayson said. “This is the third tournament we have played together and it’s a lot of fun.”

Azzaro turned pro at 16, by age 25 was rated 10 goals, and held the perfect ranking for 13 years. He was recently raised to 8 goals in June and shows no signs of letting up.

“It’s really awesome playing on this team,” said Ganzi, a sophomore at St. Andrew’s. “It’s just a bunch of buddies and Mike who is our big veteran guy giving us advice and organizing us. This is like playing with (former All-Pro quarterback) Brett Favre, one of the all-time greats.

“The three of us have been playing so much together that we have the chemistry,” Ganzi said. “It’s almost so good that if one of us hits it or is running, we know where to go; we don’t have to communicate; it’s just natural. We just know where we are.”

ELG's Melissa Ganzi (1) defends against Casablanca's Mike Azzaro (3) as he goes for the ball — *ELG’s Melissa Ganzi (1) defends against Casablanca’s Mike Azzaro (3) as he goes for the ball*

Added Bollini, who scored the final goal of the game with 49 seconds left on a nice 200-yard run, “Mike is always teaching us in the field and is really good to play with. I was really excited to play today. I woke up three hours ago and thought we had a chance.

“I would love to play with Grant and Wes on a pro team,” Bollini said. “We’re a good team and with Mike it’s even better; he is one of the best players in the world. Our chemistry really helps us improve because we are more comfortable with each other.”

Beluga (Misha Rodzianko, Leo Mandelbaum, Brandon Phillips and Guille “Gigi” Aguerro) won the consolation round robin tournament with an 8-5 victory over Newport (Gene Goldstein, Michael Dorignac, Luis Escobar, Kaisser Maakar) in the third and final game.

Rodzianko, 25, of Beluga was named Most Valuable Player after playing well on both ends of the field and scoring five goals including three in the last game.

In the other two round robin games, Beluga and Palm House (Marc Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Glenn Straub, Carlitos Gracida) tied, 3-3, and Newport defeated Palm House, 7-5.

One of the state’s oldest tournaments is named after player-coach Joey Casey’s grandfather, a teammate and friend of polo legend John T. Oxley.

Started in 1964, the tournament was played at the former Royal Palm Polo Sports Club in Boca Raton for more than 20 years. Jacqi Casey, Colee’s great granddaughter and her mother, Lorraine Casey, presented the tournament awards to Casablanca and ELG.

This was the third of seven medium-goal tournaments of the fall season, the most competitive in Grand Champion’s seven-year history. Two additional 20-goal tournaments are scheduled for November.

The remaining fall tournaments are the Oct. 18-20 US Trust Cup; Oct. 25-27 USPA Fall Plates; and Nov.1-3 Pedro Morrison Memorial and Nov. 8-10 Palm Restaurant Invitational.

The two 20-goal tournaments are the Oct. 30 – Nov. 9 USPA North America Cup and Nov.13-24 The National 20-Goal Championship. All tournaments are USPA-sanctioned and have grown in stature since their start in the mid-1990s.

Casablanca, one of Grand Champions’ fall season’s main sponsors, has been a pioneer in polo, recognized as the world’s foremost producer of cutting-edge polo equipment and apparel, used and worn by polo players and followers of the sport.

The Tackeria in Wellington is the local distributor of Casablanca merchandise which can also be found online at www.casablancapolo.com.

The Tackeria, located at 13501 South Shore Boulevard in Wellington, is a complete equestrian shop catering to all horse sports including polo.

The store carries a full range of polo gear, saddles and apparel. Store hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

GRAND CHAMPIONS FALL SCHEDULE

Oct. 18-20, US Trust Cup
Oct. 25-27, USPA Fall Plates
Oct. 30 – Nov. 9, USPA North America Cup
Nov. 1-3, Pedro Morrison Memorial
Nov. 8-10, Palm Restaurant Invitational
Nov. 13-24, The National 20-Goal Championship

GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB

WHERE: 13444 Southfields Road, on the corner of South Shore Boulevard and Lake Worth Road, Wellington, 561-644-5050.

INFORMATION: There are great field side views for tournament action at the home base of pro teams Audi and Piaget. Everyone is welcome to watch high and medium goal polo in a relaxed atmosphere during the spring and fall tournament season and other special events including the International Cup in November, Buzz Welker Memorial Junior Tournament in March, Women’s Championship Tournament and Gay Polo League International Tournament, both in April.

Sharon Robb for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International

MEDIA CONTACT:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12012 South Shore Blvd #105
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
PhelpsMediaGroup.com

Phelps Media Group, Polo

Casablanca, ELG Play Sunday for USPA Kay Colee Memorial Trophy at Grand Champions Polo Club

October 12, 2013 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Newport’s Luis Escobar (3) and Kaisser Maakar (4) closely defend Beluga’s Leo Mandelbaum (2). Photos by Scott Fisher.

WELLINGTON, FL – Oct. 11, 2013 — After a full day of polo at Palm City and Grand Champions Polo Clubs, Casablanca and ELG emerged the finalists for Sunday’s USPA Kay Colee Memorial Tournament presented by The Tackeria.

The championship final is at 10 a.m. followed by the consolation at noon. The games will be held at Grand Champions Polo Club.

Casablanca, featuring three up-and-coming teenagers, advanced with a thrilling 11-9 victory over Palm House Friday afternoon at Grand Champions.

Juancito Bollini, 17, Grant Ganzi, 15, and Wes Finlayson, 18, three members of the winning Florida Zone 3 All-Star team at the inaugural USPA National Youth Series Championship, will join Hall of Famer Mike Azzaro in their first championship appearance of the fall season.

ELG (Equine Law Group), defending tournament champion, survived round-robin play at Palm City Polo Club Friday morning with a 5-4 victory over Newport and 6-3 win over Beluga.

In the opening three-chukker round robin game, ELG (Melissa Ganzi, Kris Kampsen, Juan Bollini, Avery Chapman) led from start to finish. After picking up a goal on handicap, all four players each scored one goal. ELG had a 3-1 lead after the opening chukker and held on for the win.

Newport (Gene Goldstein, Michael Dorignac, Luis Escobar, Kaisser Maakar) was coming off two consecutive championship final appearances. Dorignac, 27, making his Grand Champions fall season debut after competing in the recent Super Nations Cup for Argentina, led his team in scoring with three goals, all on penalty shots. Maakar scored one goal.

In the second round robin game, Beluga jumped out to a 4-1 lead after two chukkers to defeat Newport, 4-2. Beluga (Misha Rodzianko, Leo Mandelbaum, Joey Casey, Brandon Phillips) had balanced scoring, with each player scoring one goal. Escobar and Dorignac each scored one goal for Newport.

In the third and final round robin game, ELG jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the opening chukker and led 4-2 in the second chukker and controlled most of the game.

Beluga's Brandon Phillips (3) fights for possession against ELG's Kris Kampsen (2) and Avery Chapman (4) — *Beluga’s Brandon Phillips (3) fights for possession against ELG’s Kris Kampsen (2) and Avery Chapman (4)*

Beluga’s Joey Casey escaped serious injury with 3:35 left in the second chukker when an opposing player collided with him as he attempted a neck shot. Casey and his horse tumbled onto the field. Casey sustained a swollen right eye and abrasions around his eye and nose. He was replaced by Carlos Diaz for the remainder of the game.

Bollini and Kampsen each scored two goals, Chapman scored another and one goal was picked up on handicap. Phillips, Mandelbaum and Rodzianko each scored one goal for Beluga.

“The field was really fast,” Kampsen said. “The key was we all know each other well. I’ve spent a lifetime playing with Avery. It was fun.”

It was the fall season tournament debut for both Ganzi and Chapman, recently elected to the USPA Board of Governors. The chemistry between the ELG foursome was evident from the opening game.

“It’s fun playing with your friends; having that chemistry makes it easier,” Chapman said. “We have played together for a long time and that makes a difference. I think every chukker got better and better across both games for us. We feel real good about being in the finals.”

Added Bollini, “I think the team played hard and smart. Kris and I have been playing a long time. Avery was good at back and Melissa played very good today for her first day and scored a nice goal on a beautiful run.”

The fourth and final game proved to be one of the most competitive and exciting of the season.

The fast-paced, physical game saw Palm House (Marc Ganzi, Jonny Lavine, Carlitos Gracida, Nic Roldan) come from behind to tie the game twice, 5-5 on Roldan’s goal with 1:39 left in the third chukker and 6-6 on Gracida’s goal with 7:10 left in the fourth chukker.

Behind a tremendous defensive effort sparked by Finlayson and Azzaro’s leadership, Casablanca kept its composure to regain the lead for good on Finlayson’s big hit goal in the fourth chukker for a 7-6 lead. Casablanca never trailed after that.

Midway through the fourth chukker, Bollini avoided injury when his horse lost its footing. Bollini hit the field but quickly recovered and walked his horse off the field.

Azzaro, Ganzi and Finlayson each scored three goals and added two on handicap. Roldan led Palm House with six goals, Gracida had two and Lavine added one goal.

ELG's Melissa Ganzi and teammates Avery Chapman (4) and Juan Bollini (3) in hot pursuit of the ball defended by Newport's Luis Escobar (3) — *ELG’s Melissa Ganzi and teammates Avery Chapman (4) and Juan Bollini (3) in hot pursuit of the ball defended by Newport’s Luis Escobar (3)*

Sunday’s final will pit mother against son (Melissa and Grant Ganzi) and father against son (Juan and Juancito Bollini).

“Good news we are in the finals; bad news is it’s going to be against Marc or Grant,” Ganzi said. “I was so happy to play together with this team. I had a nice practice yesterday but have been out of town so I am out of the swing of things.”

One of the state’s oldest tournaments is named after Joey Casey’s grandfather, Kay Colee, a teammate and friend of polo legend John T. Oxley. Started in 1964, it was played at the former Royal Palm Polo Sports Club in Boca Raton for more than 20 years.

In last year’s Kay Colee Memorial, Flat Out/Equine Law Group won the title with an 11-9 victory over Newport Polo. Audi won the round robin consolation.

This is the third of seven medium-goal tournaments of the fall season which looks to be the most competitive in Grand Champion’s seven-year history. Two additional 20-goal tournaments are scheduled for November.

The remaining fall tournaments are the Oct. 18-20 US Trust Cup, Oct. 25-27 USPA Fall Plates; and Nov.1-3 Pedro Morrison Memorial and Nov. 8-10 Palm Restaurant Invitational.

The two 20-goal tournaments are the Oct. 30 – Nov. 9 USPA North America Cup and Nov.13-24 The National 20-Goal Championship.

The fall season is both fun and competitive. Rosters and lineups change from tournament to tournament. Evenly-matched teams are put together to help build players skills and performance.

All tournaments are USPA-sanctioned and have grown in stature since their start in the mid-1990s.