Tag Archives: United States Polo Association

USPA and IPC Collaborate to Keep High-Goal Polo in Wellington

Spectators watch ride-off between Orchard Hill and Valiente on Field 1 during 2016 high-goal season at International Polo Club Palm Beach. ©Rob Bowman.

Wellington, FL – December 1, 2016 – The International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) and the United States Polo Association (USPA) have entered a collaborative effort to ensure that high-goal polo will remain long-term in Wellington, Florida. Representatives of the entities convened last week to develop a plan and expect to release details in early December.

“This wonderful partnership between our club and the USPA will preserve the health, growth and longevity of polo at IPC,” said Mark Bellissimo, CEO of Wellington Equestrian Partners, which purchased the club in April. “We are fully invested in the sport and are excited about working together with the USPA. High-goal polo is here to stay.”

USPA Chairman Joseph Meyer underscored the association’s commitment to furthering its longstanding relationship with IPC, current home to the annual United States Open Polo Championship® and other prestigious high-goal tournaments. “The USPA looks to work with IPC to make a mutually beneficial series of high-goal tournaments and to grow the sport,” said Meyer.

The USPA has a contract to hold the U.S. Open at IPC through 2018. Meyer confirmed that discussions are under way regarding an extension of the agreement.

Bellissimo stated that all seven fields, including the stadium venue at field 1, will remain in use solely for polo in 2017. “We are totally committed to providing the very best conditions for high-goal, not only in 2017 but for many years to come,” he said.

For more information on the International Polo Club, please visit www.internationalpoloclub.com and to learn more about the United States Polo Association, please visit www.uspolo.org.

Media Contact:
Darlene Ricker
Media Relations/Publications
Phone: 561.204.5687
Cell: 310.210.4004
Email: dricker@internationalpoloclub.com

Gay Polo League to Donate 50 Percent of General Admission Ticket Sales to Palm Beach County Human Rights Council

Wellington, FL – December 13, 2010 – The Gay Polo League (GPL), the world’s only polo league for Gay, Lesbian Bisexual or Transgendered (GLBT) players, will return to Wellington in April of 2011 to host their second International Gay Polo Tournament.  The event will be held on Saturday April 2, 2011 at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, FL.  This year, half of the money raised from general admission tickets sold will go to support the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council.

The GPL is a United States Polo Association (USPA) official club and consists of all levels of polo players, from beginners to professionals. The USPA rates polo players based upon athletic abilities, playing skills, and tournament play time. Beginning at the lowest level “C”, players move up as they acquire knowledge and refine techniques, eventually getting to “B”, “A”, and then 0- 10, respectively. “A 10” is that coveted rating, and is only held by a few players in the world. Those players who established themselves as the best in the world are awarded with the “A 10” rating. Members of all different levels are seen throughout the GPL, as the only skill required for club members is to have a passion for the sport of polo.

After last year’s Gay Polo Tournament, The Village of Wellington (pop. 55,584) amended its Equal Employment Opportunity policy to prohibit discrimination based on both “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” in Village employment. The policy covers the Village’s 258 employees.

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US Polo Association Announces the 2010 National Interscholastic Championship

The Cornell University Oxley Equestrian Center hosts 41st annual Championships

April 21, 2010 (Ithaca, NY) – The Cornell University Oxley Equestrian Center in Ithaca, NY will host the 41st annual USPA National Interscholastic Championship from April 21 – 24, 2010.  The annual polo competition is organized by the United States Polo Association (USPA).  Teams scheduled to compete include Culver Military Academy, Eldorado, Poway, Toronto, and Virginia Junior Polo Clubs and Cowtown Work to Ride (WTR). The Cowtown WTR program is part of a 501 c3, non-profit community-based prevention program that aids disadvantaged urban youth though constructive activities centered on horsemanship, equine sports and education located in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.

The National Interscholastic Championship is part of the USPA’s Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) program.  One hundred and twenty-six teams participated in the program during the 2009/2010 season. The teams compete in regular games throughout the season to qualify for tournament play.  Fourteen interscholastic Girls’, 25 Interscholastic Open, 28 Intercollegiate Women’s and 16 Intercollegiate Men’s teams played in seventeen preliminary and regional tournaments throughout the country, all culminating in the national championships.

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