REGIONAL CLASSIC-SOUTHWESTERN
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Regional Classic-Southwestern (formerly the Southwestern Regional Classic) is a national 12- to 14-goal tournament. Established in 2011, it has become a staple in Texas polo over the past decade, hosted exclusively by Brookshire Polo Club (Brookshire, Texas) and Houston Polo Club (Houston, Texas).
In 2022, Old Pueblo (Leigh Anne Hall, Audry Persano, Jeff Hall, Toto Collardin) went head-to-head against Whitehall/Brookshire Polo (Scott Wood, Bill Lane, Matt Coppola, Santiago Torres). Accounting for five of Whitehall/Brookshire polo's six goals, Coppola’s ability to strike from the field was countered by the firepower of Old Pubelo veterans Hall and Collardin. Combining for seven goals between the talented duo, Old Pueblo’s offensive success alongside two chukkers of defensive shutdown launched their team to an 8-6 victory and their first Regional Classic-Southwestern title. Read article here.
This year's competition will field five teams, all of which are continuing their spring season after recently competing in the Western Challenge. Brookshire Polo Club will seek to keep up their momentum and snag their second consecutive 12-goal title, while defending Regional Classic-Southwestern champions Old Pubelo's Leigh Anne and Jeff Hall will attempt to repeat their title alongside Duilio Diaz and Sterling Giannico. BTA, Eureka and Tonkawa will round-out the talented competition. Representing Team USPA are alumni Mason Wroe (BTA), Steve Kruger (BTA), Tomas Alberdi (Eureka) and Herndon Radcliff (Tonkawa).
Brookshire Polo Club will be taking advantage of the USPA's Bridge to High Goal Initiative (B2HG) for the Regional Classic-Southwestern, which provides eligible USPA Member Clubs with three USPA Professional Umpires (two mounted officials and one third man) at 50% of the regular cost to the club. The Bridge to High Goal Initiative (B2HG) has been created to support outdoor mixed polo between 12 and 16 goals, an under-supported level of polo in the United States. The goal of the program is to build a bridge from low-goal polo to high-goal polo that provides a safe environment for competition, which will allow for the cultivation of sponsors and the advancement of aspiring professionals.
Photo: 2022 Regional Classic-Southwestern Champions: Old Pueblo - Jeff Hall, Toto Collardin, Audry Persano, Leigh Anne Hall.
