Chambord Vodka Classic 2014 Recap

Sunday, June 29th was another beautiful day here at the San Diego Polo Club– a bright, breezy polo-filled afternoon.  With our fantastic sponsor Chambord Vodka in attendance, we had a festive purple and pink theme to the tents to match their blackberry flavored liqueur and vodka.  Patrons enjoyed tastes of Chambord Vodka & Liqueur while watching the action on the field.

The PEERS Network & Challenged Athletes Foundation were also in attendance as proud supporters of Sunday Polo.

The first match at 1pm between Starmeadow/MonteVerde and Twin Palms/San Judas, started of with a bang when Jennifer Alexy scored the first goal for her team, Twin Palms/San Judas.  Colton Bancroft also scored for Starmeadow/MonteVerde.  The match ended with at Twin Palms/San Judas at 9 and Starmeadow/MonteVerde with 10, taking the win.

 

 

 

Guests of all ages attended the Sunday Polo event, from tailgating to the VIP tent!

At intermission we had a fun and informative polo demonstration by Diego Velarde and Diego Larrreglia.  They showed us all some great moves and demonstrated the basic hitting positions and rules, while announcer, Steve Lewandowski broke down the line of the ball and a bit about strategy.

Anthony Ballard, a long time polo fan and a San Diego resident with 20 plus years of singing, locally and abroad, sang our national anthem beautifully.

 

 

 

A representative of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, Jeffrey Odom, did the honor of throwing in the first ball. Jeffrey is a former F-16 Crew Chief for the United States Air Force and Captain of Team USA Wheelchair Rugby. The Challenged Athletes Foundation also have a space at the event that showcased how they help those with physical disabilities.

It is the mission of the Challenged Athletes Foundation® (CAF) to provide opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. CAF believes that involvement in sports at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence and enhances quality of life.

The second match of the day at 3pm was an exciting one with San Fernando vs Team Chambord.  San Fernando dominated, scoring the first 3 goals of the match in the first chukker. The talented John Eicher scored 4 of the 9 goals for his team, Team Chambord.

 

However, San Fernando was still able to capture the win. The match ended with San Fernando at 11 and Team Chambord at 9.

 

 

Welcome Letter from Marketing Director

Good afternoon! I hope this email finds you well and that your year is off to a great start!All is well at the San Diego Polo Club. I’m happy to report that 2013 was a great year for us and that we had a very successful summer. We welcomed over 13,000 spectators throughout the season, with close to 3,000 on Opening Day alone. In addition, more than half of our events supported a non-profit organization and we are hoping to partner with even more charities this season.

We are going through some exciting new changes at the San Diego Polo Club! We have officially welcomed founding member and board member, Chris Collins as the 2014 San Diego Polo Club President. If you read last year’s article, “A Family Legacy” in the San Diego Polo Magazine, you’ll know how influential the Collins Family has been in the history and development of the polo club. We are excited to have him as our President this season!We have also created a Steering Committee this season which will help make important decisions regarding the Club’s direction. I’d like to introduce the members of this group: Julia Samaniego, Joy Bancroft, Chris Maloney, Ellen Greenhill and Krista Bonaguidi. Thank you for all your hard work so far this pre-season. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think a few of you will be quite pleased to see Heather Chronert back around the San Diego Polo Club this year, acting as Interim General Manager.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New to the team this year, is Event Director, Krista Morrison. I will help Krista get acquainted with our Sunday Polo Events, Social Activities and Members! If you see Krista on Sunday, please introduce yourself.

Our favorite New Zealander and Polo Manager, Graham Bray will be returning this season and has plans to bring in new teams for the summer.  He’s actively working with our field managers on improving our fields to make sure our grass is in perfect condition and ready for play come June! Also, be sure to watch for him on Field 1, as he’ll be returning to team StarMeadow again this summer!

We are happy to welcome back Vanessa Shapiro as our Advertising Sales Director for the 2014 San Diego Polo Magazine. Sales are off to a great start and we are hoping to have an even bigger and better publication this year. I cannot wait for all of your to see our beautiful magazine. If you are interested in advertising, send an email to vanessa@sandiegopolo.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am returning this year as the Marketing Director and will continue to maximize our marketing efforts by developing relationships with community leaders, charities, sponsors, media outlets and valuable partners, as well as manage our graphic design and social media marketing. I will also be training our new Event Manager throughout the season and look forward to introducing you to our new team.

You may have noticed that we are starting our summer season one week earlier this year. We will have 15 weekends of polo, so please mark your calendar for the following events:

28th Annual San Diego Polo Season Kick-Off Party on Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 5pm

Opening Day presented by Land Rover of San Diego on Sunday, June 1, 2014 at 1pm

In addition to our 15 Sunday Polo events, we will host a handful of fun social events, including an end-of-the-year Spreckels Party. If you are interested in joining as a Social Member, please reach out to me with any questions.

If you know of a charity that we should partner with, someone that wants to start playing polo, or a business owner that has interest in advertising, please feel free to pass along my contact information. I’ll do whatever it takes to make our 2014 a huge success!

I look forward to seeing each of you on Opening Day!

Lindsey

Thursday is the new Friday.

This Thursday, many of our friends in the Polo Community are having events that may be worth your while.  See below for more details!

Tip for Tots: Paradise Grille, Flowerhill Shopping Center, Del Mar 6pm

It’s a great opportunity to meet up with old friends, meet new ones and learn about Hospital Infantil De Las Californias….and the best part, 100% of your cash tips will benefit the children in need at the Hospital.  Hospital Infantil, is a pediatric hospital in the border region that provides care to kids regardless of their ability to pay.

Taste of Linda Vista: Bayside Community Center, Linda Vista- $20

Purchase Tickets here!

5:30-6:30: savory bites and tasting of local beer and wine
6:30-7:30: awards for honorees, opportunity drawings & raffles, art show & sale
7:30-9:30 Professional Tango dancing and a Big Band Orchestra

Deck the Halls: Fairbanks Interior, Solana Beach- 5:30pm

Every Thursday: Club M at the Grand Del Mar DJ, drinks & dancing until 1:30am

Marshall Marshall Marshall!

We are busy with all types of events, but we’re hardly complaining!  We shot down to San Diego State University  on Friday night to attend the 3rd Annual Aztec For Life Homecoming Celebration presented by the Marshall Faulk Foundation.

We were introduced to the event by one of our arena polo members and retired SDSU mascot, Carlos Gutierrez.  Here is Carlos making an appearance at the Homecoming Game in 2010.

We tasted appetizers from some of San Diego’s best restaurants, including our neighbors Pamplemousse and Tommy V’s!  Our favorite was JSix’s yellowtail sashimi tartar with tastes of currant, olive tapenade, and pine nuts coated in a citrus vinaigrette.  It was heavenly!  You can order it off their dinner/ happy hour menu!

The silent auction ended and Marshall Faulk spoke on stage about the importance of the event and how lucky he’s been to be a part of SDSU’s Alumni.  The event raised over $50,000 for YMCA and SDSU Scholarships for young athletes.

Here is our Creative Director, Lindsey Chronert, her boyfriend and Marshall Faulk.

More information: http://www.marshallfaulk.com