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  I started this blog because our polo lifestyle takes us to all parts of the world and no matter where it takes us, I cook. I have acquired so many dishes in our travels and have made them my…

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What’s Happening in Women’s Polo Today

In front of a large crowd, Sotheby’s knocked off pre-tournament favorite De Lago for a thrilling 5.5-5 victory Sunday in the first-ever National Blue Grass Women’s Polo Tournament.

Team Sotheby's after their big win on Sunday
Team Sotheby’s after their big win on Sunday

The two-day tournament was the first Women’s Championship Tournament (WCT) qualifier held at Kentucky Horse Park’s John Henry Field in Lexington, Ky.

Lexington Polo Club made history by hosting the first-of-its-kind women’s tournament that attracted players from throughout the United States and from as far away as California.

With the win, Sotheby’s (Lexie Armstrong, Whitney Vogt, Tannis Marley, Melissa Hornung) qualified for the WCT Championship season-finale tournament in April 2015 at Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Fla.

In the subsidiary game, Hardwick Clothing (Natalie Henton, Martha Bennett, Kelly Brophey, Cary Campbell) defeated Stewart Mercer (Ashlie Manno, Jackie Jolie, Meghan Ziobro, Emily Meyer), 2-1.5.

De Lago (Abby Jones, Stephanie Preston, Courtney Asdourian, Tracy Regas), a 9-goal team, tried to rally but 6-goal rated Sotheby’s, considered the underdog, put up an emotionally-charged defensive battle in the final minutes of the game.

Each Sotheby’s player scored a goal in the evenly-matched contest.

“We basically won as the underdog,” said Hornung, also the tournament coordinator.

“It was a war,” Hornung said. “Every one of these women played hard. There were hard ride-offs. Everyone was competitive. It was a very fast, back-and-forth game. It was high quality polo.

“It was hot but we kept it in check and were very respectful. At the end of the day we all shook hands.”

“We wanted to build morale and get people excited,” Hornung said. “We had great gifts from Nespresso, silver cups for each player, grooming bags, boot bags, ulcer guard. It was just fantastic.”

There was also great support from Lexington Polo Club president Chet Lott and vice president James Miller, both breathing new life into the polo club since 2013, and University of Kentucky sorority sisters including a tournament ambassador.

The women’s tournament is one of several special events, tournaments and tailgates the club hopes to cultivate in the future.

“This put us back on the map in so many ways,” Hornung said. “A lot of people locally didn’t realize we had polo let alone a women’s polo tournament playing. We were getting phone calls that morning asking what field it was on and about the tailgates. It was so important to get the word out and we did that.”

It was the first time since 2004 a women’s tournament had been held in Lexington.

“This is the perfect place for polo, you have history here,” Hornung said. “This is the capital of horse country. Next year we would like to make it even bigger and engage more of the junior players and have a whole new bracket just for the juniors. We want to build the up-and-coming crop.”

Hornung said she talked with WCT founder Sunny Hale before, during and after the tournament and couldn’t help but get emotional. The WCT, celebrating its tenth season, is the largest women’s polo league in the world where female players of all levels compete.

“It was such a reward for women who have been involved in the game for so many years,” Hornung said. “It was emotional. It was just the adrenaline and the fact we won. All the women had so much fun, there were so many high moments. It was a great success.”

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

Star Vodka Polo Team Southampton

FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2010 

By Melissa Hornung

Everybody loves a good story where people defy odds, defeat negativity and nay-saying.  It’s like routing for the underdog or believing in the concept of “if you build it, they will come”. Well this is a story like that, about the American dream, one with a polo team to boot!

If you follow polo at all in Southampton and you have been reading some of the local press there lately, you may have come across a polo team sponsored by Star Vodka. If you’re like most people, you probably didn’t pay too much attention to the white and gold label “STAR VODKA” on the team’s bold black jerseys, no matter how stand out they are on team players: Mauricio Devrient, Mikie Matz, Yvonne Mirabito and Steve  Sands. Well, taking note myself while at one of the Sunday games in Southampton, I became a bit curious about the teams sponsor and interviewed  the 36 year old entrepreneur, famed night club owner and proprietor of this American made vodka, who happened to be there routing for his team.  Yes, that’s right, “American made” Vodka?  And that’s exactly what I thought, American Vodka, put out by a 100% certified American! I just had to ask.

The notorious club owner of world renowned “Star Room”, Charles Ferri, also known for being the longtime squeeze of the Austin Powers co-star, Heather Graham, left his career in banking six years ago to fulfill his entrepreneurial passion and purchased the lounge under the famed Chelsea Hotel. He quickly became a major player in New York’s Nightlife and soon expanded to the Hamptons. Enjoying a great success in his night club notoriety with his clubs being sought out by socialites and Celebrities who have a taste for high end liquors, Ferri thought it was a natural progression to put out a world class premium Vodka of his own. Hence, the quest for “Star Vodka!

 Charles began to tell me of his journey of traveling and researching to find the finest quality ingredients and production for his exclusive brew which started in 2008. I couldn’t help the visions of fur hatted Russians behind a board room table with stern faces and folded arms.  He went on to tell of all the nay-sayers and negative feedback “no one will buy an American Vodka”, “you can’t do that” and yet Charles pushed ahead…mush mush onward and upward until finally he met with distillers and purveyors that revealed the main ingredients and the “how to’s” of the business. Charles made his selections and began the first production in the spring of 2008 and Star Vodka was born. It’s was met with instant success, producing limited quantities for his private clientele and to select parties and individuals. He is slowly beginning to increase production to include specific high end hotels and venues in Manhattan, Miami, and Los Angeles. It’s no wonder Ferri’s mission quote is “A dream is a thought not yet accomplished”.

 Team “Star Vodka” will be playing in the 8 goal for the entire summer season at the Southampton Polo Club on Friday’s and Sundays; times vary, until the end of August. For specific times and dates go to the website www.southamptonpoloclub.com. They have so far enjoyed a similar success as their sponsor, winning 9-7 their second game.  Well be watching how “Star Vodka” and the Team progress!

To learn more about Charles Ferri and the Star Vodka story http://www.starvodka.net

The Sport of Kings

This story was published 07/19/2006 by the Business desk.

It ran in these editions:

Cayuga, page (Full version)

SKANEATELES JOURNAL — Recreation — Skaneateles lucky to be part of upholding
‘Sport of Kings’

Melissa Hornung

Among the many wondrous gems in our backyard here in Skaneateles, we are

most fortunate to behold an event exclusive enough to be called the “Sport

of Kings.” For those who have attended a polo match on a Sunday afternoon

at the grassy field on Andrews Road in Skaneateles, few could forget the

sound of thundering hooves stomping the earth. Yet despite its growing

popularity, many are not familiar with the evolution of the game and its

migration and origination to this country and our area.

The exact origin of polo, the oldest team sport, is unknown. However, we

do know that it was probably first played by nomadic warriors more than

2,000 years ago. The first recorded polo tournament was in 600 B.C.

Participants spanned the glob from Constantinople to Baghdad, from Persia

to Japan. Throughout history, right up into the 1900s, the Sport of Kings

was used to train soldiers for war.

In 1876, a man named James Gordon Bennett imported polo from England. At

the time, the game was played with eight or more players. Later, in 1890 a

few gentlemen, including H.L. Herbert, John Cowdin and Thomas Hitchcock,

formed what is now known as the United States Polo Association (USPA).

This association was formed to standardize the rules and regulations of

the sport as well as to establish skill levels know as handicaps. In 1890,

seven clubs joined the association, headquartered in New York. Soon,

handicaps were assigned to members, including the likes of future

President Teddy Roosevelt.

Today, there are more than 134 active polo clubs in the USPA. Currently,

the highest level of polo is played in Argentina, the United States and

England.

Of the many participants known to the Skaneateles Polo Club, none is more

impressionable than Dwight Winkleman, the person credited for having

cultivated the sport here near our glacial lake. Winkleman, who owned an

airstrip, used it to expedite the first polo match in the 1960s. He, along

with the handful of members that initially made up the Skaneateles Polo

Club — including Peter and Cappie Winkleman, Ed Bowers and John O’Neal —

teamed up to play in the inaugural match on the a field that still remains

today as the practice field.

The long stretch of pristine grassy field where the matches are played

today was built in 1968, and the first tournament was played on it in

1969. In 1970, David Chase became president of the Skaneateles Polo Club

and became a large advocate of the growing sport. And grow it did — polo

is played all over our local and extended region including Cortland,

Tully, and as far as Toronto. In the winter, David Eldridge heads up and

coaches a winter indoor arena polo program at Cornell University in Ithaca,

and Skaneateles club members and others take part.

Today our local Club attracts people from all over the world. Expect to

see club pro Cesar Jimenez, native to the Dominican Republic, launch a

ball from one end of the field to the other with a single stroke of his

mallet. It’s not unlikely to catch Skaneateles Club member John Walsh,

known for his crime-fighting show, “America’s Most Wanted,” along with his

sons Hayden and Cal, and pro Max Secunda, whose team is known as Shamrock

Polo. Byron Wilson another club member, comes all the way from Midland,

Texas, to participate in our summer games.

As it stands, the torch has been handed over to Marty Cregg, club

president and proprietor of the Skaneateles Polo Field. (He is also the

son-in-law of the late Chase.) Cregg continues to foster the tradition of

the Sunday games, as well as the sport itself, and works diligently to

continue its growth. Cregg is currently the president of the Museum of

Polo and Hall of Fame, located in Florida. He encourages those interested

in the game of polo or its history to visit the website at www.polomuseum.com.

Skaneateles Polo is played every Sunday on Andrews Road (weather permitting)

at 3:00 p.m. through August.