Sunday November 9th nine UVA student players and their ponies traveled to Great Meadow in The Plains, Va to play in an exposition game to start off the day’s Veteran Cup festivities.

UVA Players Augusta, Rory, Nora, Kelsey, Paige, and Brian *Photo Credit to Jesse Baker*

This wonderful opportunity was created by Great Meadow Foundation Chair and longtime Virginia Polo supporter Karen Crane. Karen learned to play polo while at the University of Virginia and played with the club team. Upon the encouragement of Dick “Remo” Riemenschneider she served many years on the Virginia Polo Board. Her dream of including UVA student players in polo at Great Meadow became a reality on Sunday, and we are so grateful she invited us. The nine players rotated through their teams, all getting an opportunity to play in front of a crowd in a new arena. Players included Augusta Halle and Paige Hutcheson from the Club Team, Rory Knox, Kelsey Bray, and Nora Gaudion from the Women’s Team, and Mak Mourad Shah, Iago Masias, Wil Ballhaus, and Brian Salmon from the Men’s Team.

Teamwork display between Wil Ballhaus and Augusta Halle.

The UVA students were on point on Sunday, demonstrating the skills they’ve worked so hard on this semester and showing the crowd the qualities of their ponies.

Second year club player Augusta Halle said of the experience, “I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to play in the expo match on our great ponies!”

Rory Knox scores a 2 point goal.

Along with the special opportunity for the players’, Great Meadow provided the Virginia Polo Club with a lovely corner box to host a tailgate, giving alumni, parents, students, and supporters a place to get together and a front row seat to the polo. The weather was an ideal Virginia fall day for the event. A special thanks goes to Elle Porter Morison and Madeline Wallach for reaching out to their Virginia Polo contacts in Loudoun County to join us!

In the feature game of the Veteran Cup 2023 UVA graduate and former Men’s Team player Second Lieutenant Jim Deal played. If the announcing sounds familiar in the clips above, that is because even the announcer was a Virginia Polo graduate and past Men’s Team player, Nick Paciorek. Making a name for himself as a very talented and entertaining polo announcer, Nick is in high demand for his skills at polo clubs around the Central and Northern Virginia area when time allows around his full time job.

In an area with many UVA graduates, the Virginia Polo connections ran deep at the event including current student players, an alum in the final and an alum as the Chair of the hosting foundation. We eagerly anticipate next year!