George Olivas grew up playing polo in Willow Bend, Texas where his father worked for the well-known polo sponsor Norman Brinker. As soon as he left school, George had a polo career that saw him at Palm Beach Polo in the winters and Dallas in the summers, playing - and umpiring, all levels from low, medium and high goal such as the Silver Cup at Willow Bend.

Transitioning to a professional umpire in 2011, came easily to George after grounding in this role. “At Willow Bend, it was our duty to umpire while we played as a professional at all levels, he said.” This was a growing experience having to do those duties and I am thankful for that.

Like many of his peers, umpiring was appealing as it allowed him to stay in the sport - and more importantly for George, on a horse. “I love riding horses and there are big challenges once you get on an unknown horse for the first time, so I try to stay as fit as I can.” Being in the program since 2011 has been a great experience without a doubt and I hope to continue to give back to the sport that I love.

George has made a mark on the umpire program, by coming up with a noteworthy innovation to the sport - the captain’s armband. Previously captains were not identifiable. “I thought, let’s give them a title, exterior look from the outside by wearing the armband, a responsibility,” he said. “Now we don’t have to go “‘who’s the captain here”, like in the past when players would get heated in a match.”

’I’m thankful that the USPA went forward with the captainship armband rule. I feel there’s a lot to say on how player and umpire now work together out there during the games.”