NEWS

Newport Polo, home of the Westchester Polo Club, is pleased to accept final registrants until Monday, October 7, to enter one of the oldest USPA arena polo tournaments in the country, the National Sherman Memorial (3- to 6-goal) to be held on October 11-13 at its regulation outdoor arena and training facility in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

“It is exciting to turn our attention to the autumn arena season in the Northeast with one of the oldest arena polo tournaments in U.S. polo history, the National Sherman Memorial, and we are pleased to host competition from among the best players from around the United States,” remarked Leighton S. Jordan, USPA Northeastern Circuit Governor.

“It is a great honor to host the historic National Sherman Memorial, and very exciting to include high caliber competition in the autumn arena polo season,” added Dan Keating, Club President and USPA Club Delegate. “We invite you to make your mark in polo history.”

The National Sherman Memorial arena tournament, 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. For players chomping at the bit to add a highlight to the 2019 polo season, autumn arena polo competition is just the ticket for a weekend of fast polo. Get your game face on and enter your team.

Team Registration closes at 5:00pm ET on Monday, October 7. Register Here.

The Tournament Entry Fee is $400.00 per team, which will include lunch and refreshments each competition day, and Saturday night ocean-front Lobster Boil for all the players (additional guests can be included). Prizes will be awarded to the winners, names engraved onto the perpetual trophy and USPA Blue Book photo and recognition, Best Playing Pony and Most Valuable Player. The tournament will be officiated by professional umpires from the USPA. The complete schedule will be finalized once all the teams have registered. Teams are limited.

Tentative Schedule:
Friday, October 11: Friday Night: Draw Party & Rules Review
Saturday, October 12: National Sherman Memorial Semifinals and Lobster Boil dinner
Sunday, October 13: National Sherman Memorial Final and Consolation

The resurfaced regulation outdoor arena offers great, reliable footing and three-season, fast, competitive polo. The tournament, which has a maximum field of eight teams, has made its home in the Northeast since 2015, a region renowned for its autumn foliage and Indian Summer weather. Tournament brackets and schedule will be determined by live draw on Tuesday, October 8.

Teams entered in the National Sherman Memorial will compete for the prestigious George C. Sherman Cup. 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.

Contact Dan Keating, Westchester Polo Club Delegate at dan@nptpolo.com for paddock space; stabling references available upon request. Accommodations for one team traveling from outside the region may be available on site; additional referrals available from Newport Visitors Center travel experts upon request, to answer destination queries and assist with booking reservations. To inquire about horse leasing or other questions, please contact Agnes Keating at agnes@nptpolo.com.

For more than 375 years, Newport, Rhode Island, has been welcoming visitors from near and far to its charming New England coastal harbor, earning its reputation as America’s First Resort. Evolving from its origins for religious freedom to prominent colonial port to Gilded Age playground to a present day destination ripe with sport, culture, history, art, entertainment and scenic beauty, distinctive shops, renowned restaurants, diverse accommodations and world-class events, its past, present, and future make this international resort uniquely legendary.