NEWS

During the 2020 National Arena Amateur Cup (NAAC) at Legends Polo Club (Kaufman, Texas), the Southwestern Circuit Arena Admiral Chester Nimitz military tournament was held as the subsidiary tournament.

Players from all over the country converged on Legends located just Southeast of Dallas for the NAAC. After two days of play, the finalists of the Nimitz tournament were determined – 101 Polo (Brady Williams, Abi Abel, Benjamin Faherty, William Faherty) and Triangle Area Polo (Nicole Romach, Carson Tucker, David Brooks). In a well-played match with both teams showcasing excellent teamwork, the team that traveled from North Carolina was able to take home the win. Carson Tucker was named Most Valuable Player and received a hand-forged hoof pick from Wyatt Myr. Ruger played by David Brooks was awarded Best Playing Pony and Brady Williams received the Sportsmanship Award.

“Our strategy was to have fun and play how we practice,” said Carson Tucker, who plays on the Triangle Area Polo Club interscholastic team based out of Hurdle Mills, North Carolina.

Nicole Romach, who has family in the Army and also plays interscholastic polo, added, “we had one person up for a pass and when David would come through, one of us would play back."

Brady Williams, whose brother serves in the Navy, commented, “our team didn’t have much experience playing together but we tried hard and had a good time at the tournament. Legends was an excellent host location. I’m planning on playing some more arena tournaments in 2021 so I’m in the points next year for NAAC.”

In the consolation round, Texas Military (Karl Hilberg, Caroline Woodman, Roxy Keyfauver) played SabreSpur Polo (David Werntz, Mark Osburn, Lisa Yanskey) ending in a tie with the two teams deciding to split the prize money rather than go to a shootout. Roxy Keyfauver was awarded Most Valuable Player receiving a Wyatt Myr hand-forged hoof pick and Mark Osburn was presented with the Sportsmanship Award and a set of draw reins from Jackrabbit Tack.

“I was really happy to be able to play in this tournament,” said Caroline Woodman. “2020 has been a tough year and to have the opportunity to play in a national tournament and meet all of these new people has been uplifting. Big thank you to Nacho Estrada and Kim Percy for making this possible.”

Legends Polo Club is slated to host the 2021 National Arena Amateur Cup. Points are given to individuals playing in all USPA Arena Events – Circuit, Sanctioned and National. Points are based on the number of teams and team standing in each tournament. All points are awarded to each team member, not the team as a whole. The more USPA arena tournaments a player competes in the more points he or she will accrue!

All photos courtesy of ©David Murrell.