NATIONAL ARENA COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF CUP
Tournament History
Polo has a rich history in the military. In 1896 the U.S. Army based at Fort Riley, Kansas, took up the game. In addition to improving the riding skills of cavalrymen, polo taught leadership, teamwork and strategy. West Point next introduced polo in 1901. By 1914 there were 17 Army posts playing polo. In 1928, the U.S. Army team made it to the final of the U.S. Open Polo Championship®, and there were Army polo teams across the U.S., as well as in the Philippines, Hawaii and Panama. The other military branches, Air Force, Marines and Navy soon followed suit, and today there are inter-service matches held all over the country and international military matches contested worldwide.
In 2018, the Central Texas Polo Association hosted the first USPA National Arena Commander-in-Chief Cup at Two Wishes Polo Club in Lockhart, Texas, over Memorial Day weekend. The National (outdoor and arena) Commander-in-Chief Cup tournaments were created in 2017 by the USPA Board of Governors and the USPA Armed Forces Committee to be awarded and played beginning in 2018.
Over three years of competition, Army, Air Force and most recently Marine Corps each hold one title. Held at Great Meadow Polo Club (Now known as Twilight Polo Club) in The Plains, Virginia in 2020, Marine Corps (Walker Hobby, First Lieutenant, USMC, Captain Jake Flournoy, USMC, Dean Daggett, Lieutenant Colonel [Retired], USMC) outlasted Army Black (Joe England, Warrant Officer 2, U.S. Army active duty, Terrance Donahue, former Captain, U.S. Army, Joe Meyer, Former Major, U.S. Army Reserve) to claim the narrow 8-7 victory.
Held at Virginia Polo, Inc. for the first time, the 2021 National Arena Commander-in-Chief Cup features four branches returning to compete for the coveted title including defending champions Marine Corps, along with Army, Navy and the combined Air Force/Navy.
Photo: 2020 National Arena Commander-In-Chief Cup Champions: Marine Corps - Walker Hobby, First Lieutenant, USMC, Captain Jake Flournoy, USMC, Dean Daggett, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) presented by Dan Colhoun, Former Pilot Sergeant, USMC and Frank Gräfe, Brigadier General, German Air Force. ©Joanne Maisano
