NEWS

Returning to the modern day sport of polo’s country of origin, Jorge Vasquez captained a U.S. team in the 13^th Manipur Polo International Invitational at the Mapal Kangjeibung in Manipur, India. Played from Saturday, November 23, until Friday, November 29, the tournament featured five teams, India A representing the Indian Polo Association, England, France, the United States, and host team of India B (Manipur). Although ending the tournament with a 2-2 record, USA (Jorge Vasquez, Tommy Huber, Ben Lynch, George Krabbe) was honored to have the opportunity to compete and grateful for the warm reception by the people of Manipur.

Adjusting to a new style and learning how to complete on Manipuri ponies, USA lost the opening game to Fraser England 9-2. Finding their footing the following day, USA recovered to secure their first win over France 6-5. Playing in Manipur for the first time, Ben Lynch enjoyed experiencing the game of polo in a new environment. “The style of polo was very different from what I'm used to in the United States, but the games were still a lot of fun to play,” Lynch said. “For me riding the Manipuri ponies for the first time was definitely my biggest challenge. Their small size is quite daunting at first, but it became easier with each game.”

On Tuesday, November 26, USA took on the home team India B and suffered a narrow defeat 6-4. In their final and best game yet, USA played a strong game against India A the following day to win 9-3. “When we beat India A spectators in the stands were cheering for us; it was the coolest experience,” Vasquez said.

Most Valuable Player was presented to first-time participant Tommy Huber. “The tournament provided a very unique opportunity to represent the USA in a foreign country, while playing a different style of polo,” Huber said. “It forced all of us to adapt to the new conditions, but our team figured it out quickly and played some great games. Overall, it was an honor and a privilege to wear the USA jersey in such a unique place.” Qualifying for the final, Fraser England and India B played a close game, but ultimately the home team gained the advantage to win by one goal and defend their championship title.

Participating in the tournament for the first time in 2017, Jorge Vasquez, University of Kentucky (UK) polo team coach and Lexington Polo Club manager, wanted to return to Manipur with a team of UK players to join him in 2019. Playing together since they were 10 years old throughout both high school and college, current UK polo team member Tommy Huber and alum Ben Lynch were recruited for the team as well as UCONN’s George Krabbe. “This is my second time playing in India,” Krabbe said. “It was a fun trip meeting people from all over the world and making great polo connections.” Taking the time to also immerse themselves in traditional Indian culture, the team took some excursions in their free time including a trip to the Taj Mahal and Hanuman’s Temple to see monkeys. Occupying the sacred temple located on the edge of a thickly wooded forest of fig, jackfruit and mango trees, the monkeys are fed by worshippers who come to pray to Hanuman, the god of power, strength and loyalty.

Felt by all who traveled to represent the USA was the pride that the Manipuri people have for the sport of polo and the respect they have for their international guests. “We were treated like royalty and they really cared about us enjoying our time there,” Vasquez said. “They also take a lot of pride in the fact that the tournament is held on the oldest living polo field in the world and on their original polo pony breed. This knowledge makes the tournament more rewarding to the winner.” Born in Chile and since then becoming a U.S. citizen, the opportunity to represent the United States was even more important to Vasquez. “I’m a naturalized citizen so playing for USA makes it even more of an achievement for me,” he said. “I’ve been a U.S. citizen for over 30 years and I’m proud to represent my country.”

A source of national pride, the opening and final games of The Manipur Polo International Invitational were televised throughout India.

All photos courtesy of the Manipur Horse Riding & Polo Association.