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.

 

 

American Heart Association Painted the SD Polo Club RED for the Inaugural Go Red Campaign

Sunday’s finals of the Pacific Coast Polo Tournament also celebrated the inaugural American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Campaign.  Emceed by ABC’s Bachelorette runner up, Kiptyn Locke, the American Heart Association had their first ever San Diego STRUT to promote heart health in women, along with a silent and live auction.  The Polo Club was decked out in red and all guests sported red flair in support of the organization.  According to the CDC, heart disease is the number one killer in women, which is more than all types of cancer combined!

Porsche of San Diego had their gorgeous automobiles on display, including the all new 2014 Porsche Cayman.

The first match was a consolation game played between Twin Palms/San Fernando and Adeptus.  Colleen Wilson, owner of Adeptus had a spectacular afternoon, scoring 5 goals for her team.  Roberto Estudillo of Twin Palms/San Fernando also had a fantastic game, scoring 3 for his team.  Twin Palms/San Fernando was slow to start, but caught up by half-time, making the score 5 to 5.  Adeptus shined in the 5th chukker, bringing their team up 3 more point and winning the match 8 to 7.

During intermission, the local community participated in the Go Red STRUT, a community-based, one-of-a kind fashion show.  Led by the San Diego Polo School students and Uakea Huddleston, the STRUT included two heart disease victims, one being a 4 year old boy.  Celebrity judges AJ Machado, Chris Cantore, Natasha Stenbock, Lisa Murphy, Mia Stefanko and Kiptyn Locke, judged the “strutters” and gave out prizes to various winners.

Just after the American Heart Association’s Go Red STRUT, our announcer and auctioneer, Steven Lewandowski raffled off items for charity!

The national anthem was sung by two American Heart Association volunteers, one of which is a heart disease survivor.

The feature match and finals of the Pacific Coast Polo Tournament consisted of Hanalei Bay (Krista Bonaguidi -1, Ashton Wolf 3, Mariano Fassetta 6, David Samaniego 0) and Starmeadow/Monteverde (Ellen Greenhill -1, Colton Bancroft 0, Martin Ravina 5, Graham Bray 4).  Hanalei Bay kicked off things in the first chukker with 3 goals but letting Starmeadow/Monteverde sneak up in the 3^rd chukker.  Krista Bonaguidi scored 3 in the feature match, making her one of the high scorers on her team.  The game was all tied up in the 4^th chukker, 7 to 7, but Martin Ravina scored 4 goals in the final chukkers to lead his team to victory.  Starmeadow/Monteverde beat Hanaeli Bay 10 to 8.

Guests enjoyed the Korbel California Champagne Divot Stomp during half time and the Paul Cannon Band after the matches.

When guests sampled Black Stallion Winery‘s Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, they received a fun Black Stallion branded Go Vino glass!  Black Stallion’s chardonnay is one of our biggest sellers at Sunday Polo!

Thank you to Ranch & Coast for being our media sponsor and Kiptyn Locke for emcee-ing the event!

Chukkers for Charity to benefit Prince Harry’s Sentebale

We had the pleasure of hosting Chukkers for Charity to benefit Sentebale on Sunday, June 24.  Sentebale was founded by Prince Harry and Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso to help the forgotten victims of poverty and of the HIV/Aids epidemic.  Sentebale means “forget me not” and aides orphans and vulnerable children in Africa.

“Lesotho is fighting for survival. Nearly one third of Lesotho’s people are infected with HIV/AIDS – the third highest rate in the world. There are an estimated 400,000 orphans and vulnerable children in a country of 1.8 million. Life expectancy has plummeted to 34 years.”

Although Prince Harry was not able to attend the event, the San Diego Polo Club looks forward to the innagural event and counts on his presence in San Diego in the years to come.  For an exclusive interview with SDPC’s Creative Director and Living Polo, follow the link here.

We started the event with a Cancha Pequena match with students from our Polo School.  Cancha Pequena is one of two new leagues at the San Diego Polo Club, which gives arena students a chance to progress on to grass polo.  We also introduced a 3-goal league this summer.

West Coast Aerospace’s family sponsor, Jake Brumby played the captain, flanked by Hawaiian pro, Kimo Huddleston in the defensive position number 4.  The two blondes, Kerstie Allen and Jocelyn Parker played offense.  The teamwork between players led them to victory over San Fernando/San Judas.

The feature match was a close one.  Family Sponsor, Colton Bancroft scored a high of 5 goals on the afternoon, but it wasn’t enough for the team to win.  In Chukker 2, Diego Cossio made a phenomenal defensive move when he backed the ball out of the goal mouth and took it to the other end of the field for a point his team.  Patron and the Club’s Sweetheart, Tracee Brunetti, score the most important goal of them all in the 6^th chukker to win the match for La Pasion/Southwind.

After the match, Lena Evans of Sentebale announced the winner of the $17,000 diamond and emerald earrings donated by CJ Charles Jewelers of La Jolla.  Guests also bid on silent auction items throughout the day.  In total, we raised over $30,000 for Prince Harry’s charity, Sentebale.

Father’s Day: Fun in the Sun

It was another beautiful day in Rancho Santa Fe on June 17, Father’s Day.  We flew in a dozen antique biplanes, which took off after the feature match.  We also had an assortment of antique cars, from a 1931 Model A Deluxe Roadster, to a handful of Woodies.  The Del Mar Cigar Club provided imported cigars, just for Dad.

We kicked off the day with a match at 1pm.  Monteverde/H2 took the lead with 4 goals over Starmeadow/Southwind.  In the third chukker, Starmeadow/Southwind put 4 points on the board to tie up the match.  Points went back and forth in the next few chukkers, and by the 6th chukker, Monteverde/H2 won by 1 point.

Monteverde/H2                               Starmeadow/Southwind

Ellen Greenhill 0                                Colton Bancroft -1
Mariano Gutierrez 5                          Mike Kerley 3
Christopher Collins 2                        Graham Bray 5
Ron Bonaguidi 0                                Chris Collins 1

The Finals of the Father’s Day Cup was a tight one.  Chris Maloney of Twin Palms/La Pasion scored the two of the first 3 goals against Hanalei Bay/Adeptus.  But Hanalei Bay/Adeptus made a come back in the third chukker, taking the game into their lead 6 to 4.  Krista Bonaguidi and Colleen Wilson scored the two last goals for Hanalei/Adeptus, securing the win over Twin Palms/La Pasion.

Twin Palms/La Pasion                Hanalei Bay/Adeptus

Tracee Brunetti -1                               Krista Bonaguidi -1
Chris Maloney 1                                  Joesph Stuart 4
Gaston VonWernich 5                       Mariano Fassetta 6
Diego Cossio 4                                    Colleen Wilson 0

Inspiration

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.

-Winston Churchill

What a FINE Day!

With over a thousand guests at the USPA Rossmore Cup presented by FINE Magazine, the charity, Kids Korps was sure to call it a success.  Silent Auction items included a signed guitar by the Rolling Stones and another by Paul McCartney, jewelry donated by CRUSH, artwork by Donna B and tons of other great items.  Kids from Kids Korps sold cupcakes and other goodies, while FINE Magazine guests enjoyed lunch and drinks in the VIP tent.

Special thanks to Jaguar Landrover of Carlsbad.  Liz Flowers, Suzanna Hoehn, and Maggie from Maggie B’s and Mister B’s.

Brittany Simpson and Leonard Simpson from KUSI’s Fashion Forward produced a stunning fashion show with over 40 models and 80 looks from local designers including Sharon Plache and Fairen Del.  Rouge did a fabulous job with make-up and hair.

In the feature match, Tritech/Princeps doned the jerseys of FINE Magazine and went up against team Monteverde.  Things started out slow in the first half of the match, but picked up the fourth chukker.  Gaston VonWernich had 6 goals that afternoon, Dirk Wray (subbing for Chris Maloney) had 2 and Ashton Wolf scored one, totaling 10 for FINE Magazine.

Matt Walker had 4 goals, Diego Cossio scored 2 in the 5th chukker, and David Samaniego scored one, totaling 7 for Monteverde.

Pink Army, a group of 3 teens from Kids Korps, performed pop-cover songs and rocked on stage for the Polo guests.  A DJ spun tunes shortly after the girls finished up.

Tritech/ Princeps wearing FINE Magazine jerseys
Alisha Wray (-1)
Ashton Wolf (3)
Gaston VonWernich (5)
Dirk Wray (0)
Total: 7 goals

Monteverde:
Ellen Greenhill (0)
Matt Walker (3)
Diego Cossio (4)
David Samaniego (0)
Total: 7 goals

Second Wind of the 2011 Season!

Jesse and Graham Bray
Jesse Bray of Starmeadow went home on Saturday afternoon after playing a practice game with his teammates, Joy Bancroft, Jessica Bailey and his father, Graham Bray.  He massaged his shoulders and complained to his mother he needed ice packs for his upper back.  When his mother asked why his shoulders were so sore, he responded, “I’ve been carrying the old man all day,” insinutating he played better than his father and led the team to victory.  Graham didn’t take it lightly.

Graham Bray

The following day, Graham Bray played spectacularly on field one in front of the Sunday crowd.  Scoring a total of 9 goals, he showed his son that the “old man” is still the boss.  Jessica Bailey, straight in from Indio, scored 2 goals for Starmeadow, and Jesse Bray scored 3 (only 6 less than his father).  Joy Bancroft played a strong defense, keeping the goals in favor of Starmeadow.

Tritech/Princeps scored their first two goals in the fourth chukker, starting things off slow.  In the 6th chukker, each teammate scored a goal, bringing the total up to 9.  Unfortunately for Tritech/Princeps, Mr. Graham Bray of Starmeadow stole the show and the game.

Diego Cossio

Diego Cossio of Monteverde kicked off the feature match with style, knocking in 2 goals.  Teammates Ellen Greenhill and David Samaniego each scored one, blowing San Fernando/San Judas out of the water in the first chukker.  Diego Cossio admits he had a horrible 2nd chukker, letting Guillermo Li and Charly Cendoya of San Judas/San Fernando score, tying up the match.

Charly CendoyaGuillermo Li

Each team scored another goal in the fourth chukker keeping the tied game, but in the 5th chukker, Matt Walker scored one and Diego Cossio scored two pushing Monteverde into the lead.

Matt Walker

Both Ramon Richard and Charly Cendoya of San Judas/San Fernando scored, but it wasn’t enough to take the win.  Monteverde came out on top 12 to 8.

David Samaniego and Roberto Estudillo

The San Diego Polo Club celebrated the day with TERI Inc, a non-profit working hard to make the lives of special needs children better.  They spoke about their therapeutic riding program and sold artwork done by their students.  Teri also received a check for $10,000 from Canon Business Solutions!

 

Check out the video below!

Meet Diego Cossio.

We sat down with the shy and very humble Diego Cossio and learned a few surprises about this polo star.

How did you get your start?
I started playing in 1996 in the US.  I played for 10 years under the famous Steve Crowder.  He’s a good man and I owe him a lot.

Where do you play now?
San Diego of course, but I love playing in Calgary and Florida.

Do you do any cross-training?
I swim and play soccer.  After injuries, I lift weights.

Oh really?
Don’t put that.

What is your favorite sport to watch?
Ice hockey because it’s similar to polo in that the key is following the ball and pushing players out of the way.  Soccer too.

What about when you want to veg out?
Veg out?  Family Guy.  It’s light hearted and easy to watch.  The stuff they get away with is crazy.

Favorite movie?
Horror definitely.  The Exorcist.

Favorite book?
Wow.  It’s been a while.  The Alchemist – it’s simple but the ending is very good.

Can you play any instruments?
I’m actually an accomplished musician, you didn’t know that?  I’ve been playing guitar for a few years, self taught.

Diego and his band performing at Crash and Burn 2010.

So, what’s on your iPod?
Slayer, Rob Zombie, Alice in Chains, Pantera.

Anything in spanish?
Oh yea, Hermetica!  They are a really good heavy metal band in Argentina.

What’s a typical meal?
Meat.  If I can eat steak 3-4 times a week, I’m happy.

Any exciting news?
I’m taking a trip to Europe with my girlfriend, just for fun.  We are leaving Colton behind for a couple of days.  We don’t have plans, just a wedding to attend in Scotland, then backpack around for a bit.

Stacy and Colton, Diego’s family.

Sounds fun.  What are your plans for the future?
I’d like to continue playing polo for a few years.  Eventually, I would want to go back to farming sugar cane – I grew up doing it.  I just really love the whole process.

If you could take a trip anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Home – Tucumán Province, Argentina (known internationally for its sugarcane).