Brush up for the Harvest Cup
The 2,500-year-old game of polo is one of the fastest, roughest, and most dangerous sports played today. It is gaining increasing popularity as a premier spectator sport and can be an easy game for the first-time spectator to enjoy. Imagine the excitement of seeing players on thoroughbred horses bumping and jostling with each other, racing at top speeds down the field while striking a small ball with the precision of an experienced golfer.
Polo is played on a 10-acre grass field, 300 yards in length by 160 yards, which is the approximate area of ten football fields. Goal posts are set eight yards apart on either end of the field. The object of the game is to move the ball down-field, hitting the ball through the goal for a score. The team with the most scores at the end of the match is deemed the winner. Teams change direction after each goal. Two teams, made of four players each, are designated by shirt color. The mallet, made of a bamboo shaft with a hardwood head, is the instrument used to hit the polo ball. Formerly wood, now plastic, the ball is about three inches in diameter and three to four ounces in weight. The English word “polo” is derived from the Tibetan word, “pulu” meaning ball.
The surface of a polo field requires careful and constant grounds maintenance to keep it in good playing condition. During half-time of a match, spectators are invited to go onto the field to participate in a polo tradition called “divot stomping,” which developed not only to help replace the mounds of earth (divots) that are torn up by the horse’s hooves, but to afford the spectators the opportunity to walk about and socialize.
There are six periods, or chukkers, in a match, each seven minutes long. Play begins with a throw-in of the ball by the umpire at the opening of each chukker and after each goal. Only penalties or injuries may stop play, as there are no time-outs or substitutions allowed, except for tack repair.
The four basic shots in polo are distinguished by the side of the pony on which strokes or shots are made: “near side,” left side of the mount and “off-side,” right side. This creates the near-side forward and back shots and the off-side forward and back shots. Shots can also be made under the pony’s neck, across his tail, or the difficult under-the-belly shots, all variations of the basic shots.
A team is made up of four players, each wearing a jersey with numbers 1 to 4, which correspond to their assigned positions. Number 1 is the most offensive, concentrating on opportunities for scoring. Number 4 is the defensive player, primarily responsible for defending his/her team’s goal. Usually, the most experienced and highest-rated players are at positions 2 and 3, with the pivotal player being number 3, who must serve as an effective field captain, or quarterback. Number 3 coordinates the offense and passing the ball up-field to his teammates as they press toward the enemy goal. Each player is also assigned an opponent to cover on defense, and must be prepared to shift offensive and defensive modes to make any play that will benefit his team.
Although there are many rules for the game of polo, the primary concept to which all rules are dedicated is safety, for the player and his mount. The right-of-way is defined in accordance with a player’s position relative to the direction of travel of the ball. This is the imaginary line that extends forward which, if followed, will create traffic patterns that then enable the participants to not only play at top speed, but to also avoid dangerous collisions. In general, play will flow backward and forward, parallel to an imaginary line extended ahead of, and behind, the ball. The line of the ball may not be crossed except under special circumstances, and only in such a way as to legitimately gain control of the ball. When a player has the line of the ball on his right, he has the right-of-way. This can only be taken away by “riding off” and moving the player off the line of the ball by making shoulder to shoulder contact.
Strategy and anticipation are two of the most important elements in polo, and usually come with experience. For the spectator, keep an eye on the horses. The speed and athletic abilities of both the horse and the rider are spectacular. All of these elements combine to make the fast-paced action of polo one of the most exciting and demanding sports in the world.
Based on information from the United States Polo Association Web Site. Courtesy of the Junior League of Greater Covington.
Now that you’re up to speed, its time to order your tickets for the Harvest Cup Polo Classic to be held on Sunday, October 24. For more information, call the Junior League of Greater Covington, 727-4038.
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