Aug 07, 2017 2:45 PM
Seven Instructors gathered at the Yale Equestrian Center in Bethany, Connecticut, July 25-26 for a USPA Instructor Skilz Clinic. Instructors Liz Brayboy, Jim DeAngelis, Alison Patricelli, Liam Palacios, Devan Groves, Patrick Marinelli and Ryan Murphy began the process of working toward their USPA Certified Polo Instructor(CPI) Certification. This clinic, led by Certifiers Paul Kuhn and Cindy Halle, worked closely with instructors on the six pillars of the program: Teaching Skills, Horsemanship, Safety, Polo Knowledge, Professionalism and Lesson/Group Control.
Participant Instructor Liz Brayboy of Yale said, “The CPI Skilz Clinic was a great opportunity to refresh on instruction methods and learn new tools. The session offered something for all levels of experience– from brand new coaches to seasoned instructors. A combination of classroom work, demonstrations and interactive teaching sessions gave us a chance to try new approaches in a safe setting. Cindy and Paul brought their years of knowledge layered in with terrific new manuals and tools (such as Coach’s Eye) from the USPA. The two days reminded me why I love to teach and reinforced the key concepts required for the Polo Instructor Certification. Thanks to the USPA for offering this program and to Branden Van Loon and Yale Polo for hosting at their fabulous new facility!”
Over the course of two days, instructors had the opportunity to teach two lessons, attend in-depth teaching skills workshops, discuss emergency scenarios, study the Body Condition Scoring system and learn from each other in a group setting.
A special thank you to Branden Van Loon and the Yale Equestrian Center for use of facilities and horses and Jenny Schwartz for coordinating the event.
For more information on how to become a USPA Certified Polo Instructor, please contact Jess Downey at jdowney@uspolo.org.
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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