Stars in the East

Maureen Brennan, right, hooks Sebastian Merlos

Taking my team, Goose Creek, to compete in the USPA East Coast Open for the first time this season was a big step. We wanted to get ready for the 2017 Florida season, and this seemed like a good way to start.

I had high-goal experience playing as a sub in the 2010 US Open Polo Championship for Pony Express and in filling in for Orchard Hill, Crab Orchard, Equuleus, Faraway and others in the Wellington high-goal season. I get great opportunities in Florida, but this was going to be different. As the date got closer and closer, it started to sink in: this is the East Coast Open – a really important tournament.

I came to the Open this season at the invitation of the Del Rio family. The Del Rios asked me to play because Louis Bacon couldn’t participate in the entire Greenwich season this year. I had already played with Mariano Gonzalez, Tomas Garcia del Rio and Marcos Garcia del Rio in the past, so I thought, why not – this could be a fun team.

When I put a team together, I always look for teammates who try the whole game. I surround myself with people of integrity, people I respect and know I can rely on, both on and off the field. The chemistry between us and the blend of personalities were important factors in us making it to the semi-finals of the East Coast Open.

Mariano is the most outgoing of the group. I’m overly serious, so he’s good for me. He’s the perfect combination of intensity with levity: serious at the right moments and light at the right moments. His perspective and outlook off the field is important because the season becomes intense for a period of time, and the team spends a lot of time together. He and I first played together in the 2006 Gold Cup in Aiken, South Carolina, and have done so ever since. We know each other really well. Tomas is a bit more reserved than Mariano. He is extremely serious in the game. Marcos is super-quiet pre-game. We all lean toward being serious. As a result, our tent tends to be quiet, although there is a vibe of positive anticipation.

Our loss to White Birch, which came early in the tournament, taught me the most. I hadn’t played tournament polo in two months, and it helped me get my game on. It made it clear to me that I’d have to play as hard and as well as I could every moment of the game and show no mercy.

I applaud Greenwich Polo Club for making such a great effort to create interaction between the players and the spectators. It’s important to promote polo and expose non-horse people to the sport – someone might see a game for the first time and become interested. After the Sunday games at Greenwich, it was wonderful to see little girls line up to get a polo ball signed by their favourite player.

WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO COACH ADAM SNOW