NATIONAL ARENA CHALLENGE CUP
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Established in 1987, the National Arena Challenge Cup is a 0- to 4-goal tournament. After a decades-long hiatus, the tournament was revived in 2017 at Commonwealth Polo Club in Paris, Kentucky, where it was held for three years. Previously hosted by Twilight Polo Club (The Plains, Virginia) and Brandywine Polo Club (Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania), the National Arena Challenge Cup was most recently played for in 2022 and 2023 at Orange County Polo Club (Silverado, California). Recent champions include Celebrity Cruises/Hotels at Sea (2020), Marlan Farm (2021), HYT Polo (2022) and Rancho Arroyo (2023).
As a national USPA arena event, the National Arena Challenge Cup is a qualifying tournament for all amateur players -1 through 3 goals to earn points towards the National Arena Amateur Cup (NAAC). Points are based on the number of teams and team standing in each tournament. All points are awarded to each team member, not the team as a whole. Qualifying tournaments occurring after September 29, 2024, will go towards earned points for 2025.
In 2023, Rancho Arroyo (Erica Chapman, Shelley Geiler, Jennifer Alexy) went head-to-head against Rancho Silverado (Kasia Lindgren, Lauren Helpern, Ethan Bankhead). Establishing a lead from the first chukker, Rancho Arroyo would ultimately hold-on to close out the championship match 16-13.
Hosted by Texas Tech Polo Club (Lubbock, Texas) with games to be played at Legends Polo Club in Kaufman, Texas, this years edition of the National Arena Challenge Cup will field four competitive teams vying for the title including Flat Out, Grand Central Open, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.
Photo: 2023 National Arena Challenge Cup Champions: Rancho Arroyo - Erica Chapman, Shelley Geiler, Jennifer Alexy. ©Josh Kizziar
