Aiken Junior Polo Final

The rain held off on Saturday and it made for an awesome day for junior polo at Powderhouse field. The day started with the little ones, also known as the leadline division, making their way to the field with the help of their parents. Announcer, Charlie Herrick, made it even more amusing with his commentating like it was a high intensity 20 goal game. These kids, ranging in ages from 2 to 5 years old, were all smiles as they played a little friendly polo. Abby Capps, Bailey Capps, Danny McCarthy, Santiago Gonzalez, Lucas Gonzalez, Ash Guttierez and Jersey Cogan have some well known parents around town, but moms and dads were more than happy to take time out of their day to spend some quality time with the kids. All the leadline ponies were awarded Best Playing Pony and received a nice big package of carrots for keeping it nice and easy with the tots. It was great to see the parents involved and the kids playing nice.







After the little ones finished up their game, the older ones made their way to the field. I found that these chukkers were even more entertaining at times than high goal polo. You could see the smiles on their faces and sense of camaraderie between opposing teams. The winner of the round robin game was Silverstone Farm. This stellar team was comprised of Kegan Walsh, Jason Wates, Ashley Ragucci, & Malia Bryan. The winning team was given an extra boost by Jason Wates' Best Playing Pony, "Ya Mon" and MVP, Kegan Walsh.







Tess Pimsner assisted in giving mom and spectators a little nervous rush when she fell off her pony Rita. Tess received the "Real Estate" Award for her fall since she was the only player to really get a good look at the homestead. Pony and player were fine and when asked later Tess said, "Most people thought I wouldn't finish the chukker with Rita, but I wanted to." Although she is a very persistent player, her and her team couldn't pull out the win for C-Spear. Tess, along with Maggie Boyle, Louis Biarritzi, & Taylor Freeman made up the team for C-Spear who put up a valiant effort.







They say nice guys always finish last, but that wasn't such a bad thing for Sam Leguizamon who received the "Sportsmanship" Award for always being the guy to help someone out. Anytime a younger player was having trouble or needing assistance, he was always there to help guide and teach them. Although El Aguila Farms team, comprised of Sam and his sister, Sabrina Leguizamon along with Wesley Bryan and Matt McGhee finished last, it was made known that it's not about winning...good sportsmanship is key to great polo.

Aiken Junior Polo isn't just for polo families. It's open to anyone! If you would like more information on the program, please contact Karen Reese at hilltopfarmpolo@aol.com.