Women’s polo had a very good weekend in Florida. On Saturday 23 March, Hawaii Polo Life beat Cabo Wabo 10-5 to win the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship, and for the first time the final was played at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington.
A bigger stage for the women’s game
That detail matters. For years the women’s championship has been a popular event, but it has often been played away from the main stadium fields where the men’s high-goal tournaments take place. Moving the final to the International Polo Club puts the sport’s leading women on the same turf, and in front of the same crowds, as the Gauntlet of Polo teams who are battling for the season’s biggest prizes.
The final was also tied to a good cause. It was supported by Susan G. Komen, the breast cancer charity, whose Florida office was represented at the presentation by its executive director, Kate Watt. Polo has a strong record of charity events, and a final that raises money and awareness as well as providing a fine game is welcome.
The result
Hawaii Polo Life took the match 10-5, a clear margin that suggests they controlled the second half. We do not have the full line-ups to hand, so we will not guess at who scored what. What we can say is that Hawaii Polo Life were worthy champions in a field that keeps getting deeper every year.
Meanwhile, in the men’s game
The men’s season is moving fast. Pilot, the team of Curtis Pilot, arrived at the U.S. Open having already won the C.V. Whitney Cup and then the USPA Gold Cup, where they beat Aspen in overtime in the second leg of the Gauntlet. The U.S. Open Polo Championship begins on 27 March, and Pilot will be chasing the sweep that would earn them the Gauntlet bonus.
It is the strongest run of form we have seen in Wellington for some time. Whether anyone can stop it is the question that will hang over the next four weeks.
From our point of view, the women’s final was a reminder of how much strength the sport has at every level. We will keep watching how the game grows, and hope to see more of these finals on the main fields.
Sources: Wellington Town-Crier, Wellington Town-Crier (Gold Cup report)
