4-H Club wants polo back from the country club set

08/02/05

DARRELL L. BREESE/Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Polo is a sport that spoiled rich boys play and divot-stomping, chardonnay-sipping country-clubbers enjoy, right?

Wrong. Kids as young as 9 years old are getting involved in the sport, right in the Valley.

The Mat-Su chapter of the 4-H Clubs hosted the first of three two-day polo clinics Saturday and Sunday at McCormick's Farm in Palmer.

At first, one might think that polo and Alaska go together about as well as Jamaica and a bobsled team. But through the combined efforts of the 4-H club and the United States Polo Training Foundation, the sport routinely enjoyed by bluebloods is being introduced to the horse-riding community of Alaska.

The rain couldn't keep club members and their parents away, as 11 participants, ranging in age from 9-year-old Kaleah Gentry to her mother, Darla, braved the elements to learn the ancient game that requires athletic ability in both horse and rider.

"It's really a great turnout, considering it is the first time Alaska has ever hosted a polo event," clinic organizer Terry Armitstead said. "So it is something new for everyone involved."

Wilbur O'Ferrall, a field director and certified U.S. Polo Association Umpire made the journey north to conduct the clinic.

"I am surprised by the response," O'Ferrall said. "I didn't think there would be that much interest in polo up here in Alaska."

The exact origin of polo, the world's oldest team sport, is unknown. Historians believe nomadic warriors played polo more than two thousand years ago, following a battle.

Legend has it that in place of the leather ball, the head of the losing general was hit across the battlefield. Eventually the game became a training tool for the cavalry.

"Things have really transitioned from the barbaric to a more civilized game," O'Ferrall said. "Typically polo is associated with the country-club set, but it has always been a game for the people. That is the goal of holding clinics, to bring the game back to the people."

Club members were excited to learn the new game. Even 14-year-old Liz Armitstead was captivated, despite having to sit out the first day of instruction.

"I just wish I was riding, instead of my sister. She is on my horse today," Liz said. "I really just enjoy riding, and learning polo is just another reason why horse riding is fun. It is a good test for both rider and horse.

Despite not being on the horse, Liz learned a lot.

"We watched a tape of a collegiate game last night," Liz said. "It was incredible how fast they were going and the control you need to play at that level."

In addition to teaching some of the fundamental techniques of the game, O'Ferrall took time to stress the importance of safety.

"Keeping both horse and rider safe is an important part of the game," he said. "Neither can perform without the other, so it is important for the riders to understand the safety issues."

Participants started the clinic by learning the proper way to handle the mallet before playing a game of walking polo.

Before tackling the game on horseback, O'Ferrall made sure each participant took the time to familiarize the horse with the mallet.

"The mallet will be swinging up by the horse's nose and around its head a lot," O'Ferrall told the students. "If you don't introduce the mallet to your horse and allow them to get familiar with it, he might be spooked."

As the day progressed, and the horses grew familiar with the mallets, the participants transitioned to horseback and began to slowly develop the hand-eye coordination necessary to hit the three-and-a-quarter-inch round leather ball.

Sunday, the participants managed to master the game enough to play a scrimmage, which left most of them wanting more.

O'Ferrall will hold two more clinics with the 4-H Club before leaving Alaska - one today and Wednesday and the other on Friday and Saturday. For information on the remaining clinics, contact Monika Swan at 376-5411.

Contact Darrell Breese at 352-2267 or darrell.breese@frontiersman.com.