Did you know the University's women's club polo team made it to the national championship finals? Or that the men's club polo team is the 2011 national champion?
Although these teams often fly below the radar, the sport is starting to gain a devoted fan base at the University.
Founded in the early 1950s, the University's polo team is unique in more than one way. Unlike most teams on Grounds, polo team players share the responsibility for the management, athletic success and national reputation of the organization. The players themselves feed the horses early in the morning before classes, get the animals in playing condition through exercise, learn and perform veterinary work for minor horse injuries, and clean the barn and equipment after every practice at the end of the day. What started out as a little venture has grown to more than 60 horses horses and 30 players each year. Today the team has both an indoor and outdoor arena, enabling play at any time of year.
The team's mission, posted on its website, is to provide "University of Virginia students, both men and women from all walks of life, the opportunity to experience the sport of polo," and they've been doing exactly that since 1953, despite a lack of funding from the University.
Fourth-year Engineering student CB Scherer has been on the men's varsity polo team for four years now and currently serves as one of the team's three captains. He said he started riding horses before he could remember and began hitting a polo ball around age 6. As a third generation polo player, Scherer said he is proud to carry on the family tradition. In fact, the University's renowned polo team was one of the main reasons he chose to apply to the school, he said.
"I am drawn to the sport because as you can imagine, it is very fast, physical and dangerous which all contribute to the adrenaline rush of playing. However, it's also about the people and the horses," he said. "Combining all of these aspects makes polo a very addicting sport, but you have to love it to sacrifice the required time for practice, playing and horse care."
Women's captain Sarah Pergolizzi is a second-year Law student who started playing during her undergraduate years and has yet to stop. Pergolizzi said she has been riding horses for years before she stumbled upon the Polo Club booth at the Fall Activities' Fair. "I've been playing polo for five years now, and I'm no less obsessed than I was when I started," she said.
Recent University graduate Lindsey Hellmuth recalled her time spent playing with the Polo Club. "I've always loved horses and horseback riding, and I was eager for a way to continue riding when I got to school," she said. "Polo is an extremely exciting sport, both to watch and to play, and learning the rules of the game is a never-ending process. I loved that it both involved horses and remained a challenge no matter how long I'd been playing."
Along with their passion for the game, all three players agreed that there are a lot of misconceptions about their sport.
"The one thing I wish I could tell everyone about polo is that it's not about Ralph Lauren - it's not this classy, preppy sport that everyone makes it out to be," Scherer said. "Those who really love the sport, their horses and play the game for the right reasons - typically those who become the best at the sport - are very down to earth and live for the polo."
Being on the polo team also has drastically changed the University experience for many of its players. An alternative means of getting away from stacks or from the Corner, the Polo Club is a great way for it members to escape to a place where they are most comfortable.
"It made me stop thinking, stressing about school and allowed me to take a mental break from everything else," Hellmuth said.
Pergolizzi agreed that the sport takes her mind off the worries of school. "It's the best stress-reliever there is," she said.
After her own experiences with the team, Pergolizzi said she is an advocate for new members and is even in charge of the club's Polo Boot Camp. "It's fun; it's different," she said. "When else can you learn such a generally expensive sport at such a low cost"
Read More
What your contraception of choice says about you
By CD Life staff | 14 hours agoThere is no time like the present to consider the many birth control options available to us, each with their own unique personality.
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | January 8, 2025Whether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | January 6, 2025What the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
