Grand Champions

This page Coach Robin Sanchez (far right) instructs polo students Opposite Alura Potamkin on Chipmunk

The Grand Champions Polo Club has been an integral part of the Florida polo community for the last five years, opening medium-goal competition in 2007. Charity matches, youth polo and Sunny Hale’s WCT women’s competition have all enjoyed the hospitality of the Grand Champions Polo Club.

In 2010 the Grand Champions Polo Club hosted the first of three annual Gay Polo League tournaments, and in 2011 the Wellington club was awarded the honour of hosting the USPA National Twenty Goal Championship and the 20-goal USPA North America Cup.

Fielding teams at the International Polo Club in the 20-goal and 26-goal tournaments, Grand Champions continued offering clinics and mini-schools, with 2012 being the turning point in the club’s development.

‘I’m very excited for our organisation to have a new focus,’ said Grand Champions’ Melissa Ganzi. ‘We have been providing horses for all kids for several years,’ she added, ‘and now we are setting up a mechanism to execute a structure to those efforts.’ A week-long polo summer camp, The Polo School at Grand Champions Polo Club, was offered from 17 July to 24 July with the primary focus of assisting in building the next generation of polo players.

‘In order to secure the future of polo,’ said Melissa, ‘the next generation needs to understand and appreciate the importance of the equine athlete, this means learning barn management and horsemanship.’ And it is that very foundation that The Polo School at Grand Champions Polo Club emphasises.

‘In addition to polo,’ said Robin Sanchez, a veteran of the Polo Training Foundation’s (PTF) Brushy Creek training facility in Fort Worth, Texas, ‘horsemanship and barn management skills are a central focus of our efforts.’

The Grand Champions fields were flooded with 18 kids ranging in age from eight to 17 years old, and riding skills were completed in conjunction with polo drills, followed up by instructional polo practices. There were a number of highlights of the school, including an afternoon at the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame with an informative tour given by Brenda DuPont. Additionally, students were able to take part in a scavenger hunt that was created by Robin Sanchez. Meanwhile, at Palm Beach Equine Clinic, Dr Darren Templin (vet for the Audi and Piaget polo teams) gave an insight into the essentials of a veterinary practice.

There were a number of barn management lessons based on the Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) manual offered. Elements included Robin Sanchez demonstrating how to do a polo wrap; Johnny Lavine explaining the safety knot and Gavin Guinan displaying how to tack up properly and the emergency dismount. Grant Ganzi explained horse rules and reasoning; Riley Ganzi demonstrated ask/tell commands; while Juancito Bollini showed the proper mounting technique; and brother Santos Bollini introduced the four natural aids. Melissa Ganzi added to the lessons by showing the proper English riding position.

‘In terms of the kids’ teaching,’ said Melissa, ‘we had a clinic with the CHA a week prior to our polo school camp. As part of the clinic, all of the

members had to teach lessons. We used the lessons the kids taught in the clinic in our school.’

Added Melissa: ‘The CHA has a wonderful programme for teaching and we adapted it for our polo camp. We were lucky enough to have one of the CHA instructors stay to participate in our camp. It was a great help.’ ‘We structured The Polo School to offer a multidisciplinary approach to polo, thus many instructors and the inclusion of the participants,’ said Melissa. The key ingredient, she added, ‘is the pure love of the horses and the sport.’

Melissa credited the success of the effort to Robin Sanchez, Juan Bollini, Dr Darren Templin and the Audi and Piaget team grooms and staff.

If the resounding success of the debut of The Polo School at Grand Champions Polo Club is any indication, polo’s future looks to be secure for another generation.

‘Through her prior work with the PTF,’ continued Melissa, ‘Robin Sanchez had been working with the CHA for a few years. After she started working for Grand Champions over a year ago, I encouraged her to continue to help the PTF coordinate services with the CHA. The result was a hybrid polo training effort, The Polo School at Grand Champions Polo Club.’ The added bonus of having the availability and participation of veteran high-goal stars such as Jason Crowder and Juan Bollini combined with the result that the youthful participants left as very enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable young polo players, evidence of Grand Champions’ contribution towards securing the future of polo.

‘It was a great learning experience for the kids,’ said polo veteran Joey Casey. ‘Melissa flew in a couple of teaching professionals that worked with the Grand Champions staff for a unique experience. I think it was a great success,’ he added.