National Sherman Memorial
Tournament History
The National Sherman Memorial, inaugurated in 1935, is played to honor one of the giants of arena polo and is one of the oldest arena polo tournaments in the United States Polo Association. Known as the “father of indoor polo,” George C. Sherman Sr. was almost single-handedly responsible for organizing and refining this now-popular variation of the sport. He introduced the inflatable ball, redesigned the standard polo equipment for the arena game’s specific needs and modified the rules of outdoor play for arena use. He was the founder and first president of the Indoor Polo Association (1915-1926), which merged with the USPA in 1956. He was zealous in bringing young players into the sport, presenting the Interscholastic Cup in 1928. Since all Intercollegiate and Interscholastic polo is now played in the arena, he may be said to have sired this invaluable training ground as well. The tournament was installed by his wife Helen and his son, Hall of Famer George C. Sherman Jr., an arena high-goaler who also made important contributions to the sport as a USPA Chairman and one of the founding spirits of the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame. The tournament will include six teams traveling from all over the Northeast region to compete for the prestigious George Carter Sherman Memorial Indoor Polo Cup, including defending champions Tolerance Cider.
Photo: 1961 National Sherman Memorial Champions - Fairfield (Stuart E. Feick, George C. Hass Jr., John Whittemore) presented by Natalie Sherman and Brig. Gen. H. Russell Drowne. ©Polo Museum and Hall of Fame
