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 U.S. Open Polo Championship final, and there were Army polo teams across the U.S., as well as in the Philippines 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.
The National Arena Commander-in-Chief Cup was created in 2017 by the USPA Board of Governors and the USPA Armed Forces Committee to be awarded and played beginning in 2018. The Central Texas Polo Association (CTPA) hosted the first National Arena Commander-in-Chief Cup at Two Wishes Polo Club in Lockhart, Texas, over Memorial Day weekend in 2018.
Leading the competition, Army has captured two National Arena Commander-In-Chief titles (2018, 2021), followed by three branches including the Air Force (2019), Marine Corps (2020) and most recently the Navy (2022) displaying the breadth of participation amongst multiple military branches.
In 2022, the fifth edition of the National Arena Commander-in-Chief Cup culminated in a showdown between Navy (LCDR, JAGC, USN Andrea Logan, Lieutenant Michael Muldoon, Petty Officer Second Class Alex Jenkins) and Army Gold (Chief Warrant Officer Joe England, Lieutenant Colonel Amos Peterson, Captain Patrick Shanahan). Seeking the Army's third title, Army Gold was pitted against Navy for a second consecutive year. Returning finalist Jenkins commanded Navy with a team leading six goals and a fourth chukker comeback to overcome a historic rival and earn their first National Arena Commander-in-Chief Cup title 12-10. Read article here.
Uniting for "Military Polo Week" from Monday, October 3 to Sunday, October 8 throughout the Northern Virginia/Washington DC area, the inaugural "battle in the saddle" features a military polo extravaganza including the Churchill-Roosevelt Cup, National Arena Commander-in-Chief Cup and General George S. Patton Jr. (non-USPA tournament). Welcoming international competitors from the United Kingdom, the Churchill-Roosevelt Cup is a salute to Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Theodore Roosevelt, both famous leaders who served gallantly in their respective military and were also avid polo players.
The 2023 National Arena Commander-in-Chief Cup features four branches that will compete for the coveted bronze trophy including defending champions Navy, along with the Air Force, Army and Marines. Hosted by Army Polo Club, semifinal games will be played at Army Polo Club at Chetwood Park in The Plains, Virginia, with the final to be played at Twilight Polo Club (Middleburg, Virginia).
Army Polo Club will be taking advantage of the USPA's Tournament Support Program (TSP) for the National Arena Commander-in-Chief Cup, which provides eligible USPA Member Clubs with waived tournament fees, trophies or trophy reimbursements, one professional umpire and $2,500 in prize money at no extra cost.
The USPA originally created the Tournament Stimulus Package (TSP) to help member clubs host USPA events when the United States was emerging from the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis. The USPA wanted to continue to support member clubs with TSP benefits in 2022. Therefore, it extended and expanded TSP under a new name - the Tournament Support Program. Each USPA Member Club can obtain TSP benefits for two USPA events, with the option of a third under specific circumstances.
Photo: 2022 National Arena Commander-in-Chief Cup Champions: Navy - Petty Officer Second Class, Alex Jenkins, LCDR, JAGC, USN, Andrea Logan, Lieutenant Michael Muldoon. ©Christina Gillespie
