Southern New England Outdoor and Nature Site: Polo is Awesome!

Yesterday I went to Portsmouth, RI to watch the Newport Polo Team take on the Palm Springs Polo Team. I had never been to a polo match. I didn't know if I'd like it or hate it, but one thing was for sure, It would be different. I knew nothing about the rules, how it is scored or even if it is called a match, game, or contest.

Some rules-

Here is some of the stuff I found out. There are six chukkas that are seven minutes each. A chukka is a period. After the third chukka there is a twenty minute half time. In between each chukka is a time out for the riders to switch out their horses. Each rider rides three horses during a match. Rotating the horses ( actually called ponies) gives them time to rest. Each pony competes for 2 chukkas or 14 minutes.

You score by hitting a ball with your cane across the eight yard wide goal line. If the ball gets hit out of bounds they play it from roughly that spot. There are other more detailed rules most of which I'm sure I didn't see. However, if a rider has a direct line to the ball, another rider can not cut them off. This is for protection of the ponies so they don't crash into each other. Violating this rule results in a free penalty shot for the opponent.

Each team has four players. There are no subs or back ups (that I could see). Each player is numbered 1-4. The one is the attacker, four the defender, the three the best player, and honestly I didn't hear what the #2 does differently. However, they all ride up and down the field.

Pregame-

For those you (us) that think/thought Polo is a rich person sport, our tickets were $12 each. The twelve dollar tickets will get you General Admission. This meant we sat near the end zone. The $20 ticket will get you a seat in the Pavilion. My boss who had been said it is more fun in the lawn so that is what we did. There are $50 tailgating tickets where you can park your car almost next to the field in a reserved space. There is no need for that since we parked our car literally a 45 second walk from where we watched the match.

We set up a blanket and lawn chair on the perimeter of the field. You are allowed to bring your own food and drink. We brought a couple BBQ pork sandwiches, cornbread, and lemonade. Some people set up tents with really eloquent food. Some tailgaters were making mixed drinks with hard liquor. There were also four food trucks selling pizzas, flavored shaved ice, hot donuts, and wraps.

Carlos Maldanado hanging out with fans
before the match

Laid back atmosphere-

Before the match people are allowed on the field. Some people were throwing a football. Others were playing Frisbee. Kids were running around. One of the players came out and talked with fans while other fans took pictures with him and his pony. About 5 minutes before the match the announcer politely asks everyone to start making their way to the sideline. Once everyone makes there way out of the field of play, the announcer announces the players and we stand for the National Anthem.

The announcer who sounded like Robin Leach from Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous is hilarious. He absolutely has no filter. If he thought a rider made a bad play he said it. He complained about the cool weather in a funny way. At least 8-10 times this guy had me laugh out loud. He even yelled into the microphone to the referee that a goal was scored even though the line judge said the ball went out of bounds. By far, my favorite announcer I have ever heard live.

At halftime, fans are encouraged to go on the field and stomp down the divots made by the cane and
the horseshoe footprints. I guess this is a tradition. After the game, another tradition is for the players to come around the edge while riding their ponies and high five the fans. We stayed for this before we left.

At halftime everyone walks on the field to stomp down divots

As for the fact that Polo is for rich snobs, here is what I can tell you. For clothing most people were dressed casually. Some people did dress like Howell Thurston on Gilligan's Island. However, if you wore khaki shorts and a T-shirt, you were not out of place. Same with the women. Some dressed like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, others just wore normal clothes.

Some of the patio tables set up with food were pretty extravagant. Think cheese platters instead of cheeseburgers. While others were cooking burgers and dogs.

There seemed to be a lot of drinking. However, I didn't see one person become drunk, obnoxious, or belligerent. I don't think there was any security, and really, there wasn't any need for it. Everyone was super mellow. Other than a couple grills, I didn't smell any smoke of any kind, nor did I see anyone smoking.

As for whether people seemed snoby or not. Think about this, at a sporting event how many people do you really interact with not in your group? Its not like I play checkers with the guy behind me in the bathroom line at Fenway. However, I did talk to a couple people at the match. While waiting for the bathroom, the guy behind me did tell me he will be in trouble "once the seal was broken". All in all, everyone seemed laid back, and there for a good time.

My experience was nothing but positive. From the very beginning finding a good spot, watching the match, giving high fives the players, and not getting stuck in traffic, it was a great day. The Newport team did win by a couple of goals. If I had Saturday's off every week, I'd go quite a bit. Many more pictures below