Polo Photographer Wins Cover Contest!

         November 21, 2007… Newport, RI: ….Susan Choquette, the official photographer of the Newport International Polo Series, has submitted the winning photo (right) in a magazine cover contest sponsored by Hodges Badge Co.   Often published, and now award-winning, Susan’s photography has appeared in national & international magazines including Polo Player Magazine, Polo Leisure & Lifestyle, Sidelines Magazine, Private Air Magazine, Horseman’s Yankee Pedlar, as well as countless local and regional media.

          Susan’s photographs from the 2007 polo season have been compiled into three collections, available now:  12 or 18-month calendars, a leather-bound yearbook, and a musical DVD.  She also offers prints from the Polo Series, equine photography, special event and portrait photography.  For more information, contact Susan at her office: 401.738.5580 or mobile: 401.573.5253, email: susan.choquette@cox.net or on her website: http://www.shutterfly.com/pro/NewportPolo/NPC . 

          Photo: As a great example of Teamwork, after 3 years of hard work Julia, a retired racehorse in her first year showing, and her owner Angela Choquette, won Long Stirrup Champion Over Fences at Dapper Dan Farm in East Greenwich, RI this season.   In addition to Hunter/Jumper, Angela plays polo with Newport Polo Club’s youth program in Portsmouth RI.  Photo by ‘show mom’ and photographer, Susan Choquette.      

Polo & Red Cross Team Up Against Mother Nature’s Evil Twin                                         

October 11, 2007, 2007 Newport, RI: ….Recently, the Newport International Polo Series hosted the Hurricane Cup to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Dean throughout the Caribbean, forging a new relationship with the American Red Cross - Rhode Island Chapter for future charitable collaborations.

Corporate sponsors are being sought to match the $800 in cash donations and raffle ticket sales collected during the 2-hour match by volunteers of Newport Polo and the Red Cross.  For details, call the Newport Polo Office at 401-847-7090.

“In the past, our supportive fans and sponsors united to helped us raise over $5,000 in cash for victims of Hurricane Katrina on one occasion, and over $1,000 lbs of emergency supplies on another occasion for hurricane victims in Jamaica,” stated Dan Keating, founder and president of the Polo Series.  “We believe that every little bit helps, and combining resources with the American Red Cross will multiply our results in the future to give greater help to those in need.”

“We hope that corporate members of the community join our ‘polo team’ with a matching donation before we send the cache to the International Disaster Relief & Development Fund, earmarked for victims of Hurricane Dean,” stated John Holt, director of the Red Cross in Rhode Island.

In the Hurricane Cup match, the home team ~ Newport was edged out by Baltic Yachts 9-8 on the polo grounds of Glen Farm on Rte. 138 in Portsmouth.   The Newport International Polo Series hosts matches every Saturday afternoon in June through September at Glen Farm in Portsmouth, RI, featuring teams from around the world.  This season Egypt, Scotland, France, Ireland, Spain, Jamaica, England and South Africa, were the international teams who played against USA, as well as teams from the N.E. circuit of polo clubs.  Tickets to the matches are sold at the gate on the day of the match.  Tailgate picnics on the lawn are welcome with field-side admission of $10.00 for adults, and children 15 & under are free.  Box seating is also available.

The Polo Series takes place at historic and picturesque Glen Farm, 715 East Main Road (Route 138) in Portsmouth, RI.  Glen Farm is the remaining 100 acres of what was, at its peak, a 700-acre manorial farm whose colonial settlement dates back to 1638, just 18 years after the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock.   The farm’s classical stone barns from the Gilded Age and its park-like grounds were rescued from ruins and rehabilitated by the Polo Series' founder in the early 90's and thrive today as a vital equestrian and community recreational property and the jewel of Portsmouth.

This is was 16^th season of the Newport International Polo Series, sponsored by the Carnegie Abbey Club, WCRB Classical Radio, NBC Channel 10, the Newport Daily News,  Lufthansa, Continental Airlines, the Polo Lounge, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Shreve Crump and Low Jewelers, Jake Kaplans Ltd, and Bose.  “Our sponsors have been with us since the beginning.  Without their help the Series would not be as extensive as it is,” explained Keating. 

International Polo Ball ‘07 Another Sell-out 

 August 3, 2007, Newport, RI, …The International Polo Ball in Newport was a sell-out for the  seventh consecutive year, raising over ten thousand dollars for the Newport Polo   Education Foundation. 

The annual black tie gala took place on Frid., Aug. 3^rd at Astors’ Beechwood ~ one of  Newport’s grand estates along Bellevue Avenue, the legendary address of America’s finest collection of gilded age mansions. 

A ‘flamenco’ theme welcomed this year’s guests of honor, the Spanish polo team, who took turns on the dance floor impromptu with a flamenco performer in between courses of filet mignon as 170 guests applauded the showmanship. 

The annual black-tie charity gala began with a pre-party at the newly opened Polo Lounge at the Vanderbilt  Hotel in Newport for cocktails and gourmet hors d'oeuvres, including a selection of fresh sushi, lobster salad on petit choux puffs, beef wellington, chicken roulade and their signature Dark & Stormy ice cream sandwiches, all washed down with cosmo-polos. 

The party moved on to commence the gala at the Astors' Beechwood with a cocktail hour on the back portico and lawn overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Easton’s Beach at sunset.  A martini bar, courtesy of Grey Goose Vodka, poured  specialty concoctions for the occasion.  A gourmet dinner by Russell Morin and dancing to a 5-piece band followed in the Astor’s magnificent ballroom. . 

A live and silent auction with fabulous items raised thousands of dollars for the Newport Polo Education Foundation, including round-trip Caribbean tickets from Continental Airlines, a designer leather handbag by Marcela Calvet from her Los Robles Polo Time collection, an interior design consultation for home, office or yacht by Tocar Design of NYNY, 3-day resort accommodations at the Vanderbilt Hotel in Newport,  a case of rare premium wine, an official captain's #3 jersey from the Newport International Polo Series, a Chanel gift basket laden with the latest skin care and fragrance products, and a 3-day instructional polo clinic by world-renown Rege Ludwig in Palm Springs, to name but a few of the exciting items offered.  

Guests were dashing in black tie and dinner jackets, and shimmery couture or flamenco-inspired details abound on gowns and chemises, in keeping with the evening's theme.  Spotted in the crowd were Bostonians Diane and Frank Saia, Mr. and Mrs. David Pogorelc, Ellen Plunkett from the Carnegie Abbey Club, Doctors Abby and Peter Friedman, C. Paul Luongo, & Micki Micarelli, New Yorkers Pierre Merle, Esquire, pop Soho jeweler Katie Finn, investment banker Barbara White,  Leslie Palme & Whitney Farnum,  the Palm Beach crowd including Peter Raines, Linda Baker, George Dupont and Brenda Lynn from the Museum of Polo & Hall of Fame, Louise Coppola & Debora McLaughlin, and Newporters Brian Cunha, Stacie Mills, Jim Leach, Billy Connor, Sandy and Kurt Dolnier, Tenley and Onne Van der Wal, Kara Malkovitch and Patrick Gaynes, and countless other celebutants along with nearly the entire Newport Polo Club.  The Spanish Polo team, great-grandsons of the founding father of polo in Spain, and their entourage came from Madrid, Seville and Jerez, including Fernando Mora-Figueroa, Curro Rufino, Ignacia (Nacho) Loring, Alfredo Benjumea, Manolo Loring and Diablo Delso.

The sold-out event benefited the Newport Polo Education Foundation (NPEF), a non-profit 501[3]c organization registered in Rhode Island with a mission to support charitable causes as well as training and educational programs surrounding the sport of polo.   NPEF spokesman George Day adds, “We are dedicated to the endurance of this culturally-significant sport here in Newport, its American birthplace, and we are grateful to the community for supporting Newport’s grand polo tradition.  In turn, we wish to give back to the community by supporting charitable causes.”2007 Gala Co-chairs Dave and JR Bullis

The popular summer soirée, hosted by the Newport Polo Education Foundation, attracted Newport patrons, polo players and enthusiasts and visitors to the City by the Sea from all over the world for a weekend of fun in the glamorous seaside resort, beginning with the Ball and continuing the next day with a tribute match in the Newport International Polo Series and a field-side New England lobsterbake. 

The site of this year’s International Polo Ball is Astor’s Beechwood mansion, built in 1851 by architects Andrew Jackson Downing and Calvert Vaux for a New York merchant.   Caroline and William Backhouse Astor, Jr. bought the home in 1881, and hired architect Richard Morris Hunt to oversee a $2 million renovation to make it the social center for New York society for the next twenty-five years of the Gilded Age.  Astor was the grandson of John Jacob Astor, the German immigrant who made himself the richest man in America by investing in fur trading and real estate. Caroline brought long lines of established social background to the Astor fortune and became the undisputed queen of American society, presiding over countless social activities during the eight weeks each year she visited Beechwood.  The highlight of every summer season was Mrs. Astor's Summer Ball. 

Polo Lounge Opens in Newport

Vanderbilt Hotel Recreates Historic Nostalgia with Upscale Ambiance

July 11, 2007, NEWPORT, RI – The newly remodeled Vanderbilt Hotel & Residence Club reopened on July 18, 2007, with a guest list of over 200 guests from the world of finance, entertainment, sport and politics on hand to christen The Polo Lounge, the town’s newest hot spot. 

More than 200 attended the event, sipping pink martinis, wine and all the usual libations; or the lounge’s signature drinks – The Wandering Divot, Broken Mallet, English Saddle, Pony Whip and the Cosmo POLO-tini.

They also enjoyed Executive Chef Peter Lech’s array of nibbles - sushi and sake, grilled shrimp and sweet fruit, crab salad with sumac and fresh washabi, pepper grilled lamb chops, shrimp and gazpacho shooters, seafood macaroni and cheese, Vanderbilt steak tartare and his ever-popular sliders, baby burgers with crunch chips. All were displayed on tables resembling miniature polo fields.  Dessert came in the form of dark and stormy ice cream sandwiches or a trio of crème brulees.

After a multimillion dollar transformation by owners Buff and Johnnie Chace, the residence club and hotel, built in 1909 by Alfred G. Vanderbilt, offers 32 uniquely-designed suites and private apartments, an indoor pool, health spa, rooftop patio and garden terrace, dining room and bar. 

The Polo Lounge, on the hotel's main floor, offers casual dining in an upscale restaurant and bar with exhibits of significant polo artifacts from Newport’s legendary polo heritage of which the Vanderbilt family played a major part, including items from the Vanderbilt Collection and from the Museum of Polo & Hall of Fame. The Polo Lounge is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, light hors d’oeuvres, dinner and cocktails with cuisine designed by executive chef Peter Lech. 

Alfred G. Vanderbilt, heir to the railroad fortune of Cornelius Vanderbilt, was a summer regular in Newport during the Gilded Age, and a polo player in the historic Westchester Polo Club, America’s first polo club, founded in Newport in 1876. Today’s Newport Polo Club, successor to The Westchester Club, makes the Polo Lounge its home club. 

The Newport Polo Club carries on the grand tradition of international polo competition started by the Westchester Polo Club, with the Newport International Polo Series on Saturdays throughout the summer at Glen Farm, on the outskirts of Newport, featuring teams from more than 20 nations around the world who come to play against Team USA.   The visiting international players and members of the Newport Polo Club have become fixtures at the Polo Lounge. 

Polo Hammers Out Long-Term Lease                                                                                   Portsmouth Town Council Secures Polo's Silver Anniversary

May 17, 2007,  Portsmouth, RI…Dennis Canario, President of the Portsmouth Town Council, and Bob Driscoll, Town Administrator have worked out a long-term lease with the Newport International Polo Series for it to continue to make its home on the polo grounds of Glen Farm well into the future.

The lease, signed yesterday, creates opportunities for improvements and enhancements to the fields and polo grounds.  Dan Keating, founder and president of the Polo Series added, “We are very excited by the fact that we have a long term arrangement with the Town which we can build upon.  This will ensure polo will be in Portsmouth for 25 years by the time it is done, and that is a great legacy to give the Town of Portsmouth.”

The Newport International Polo Series was founded at Glen Farm nearly 16 years ago.  Under the supervision of the Portsmouth Town Council, the principle tenants of Glen Farm have changed several times in recent years, but the Newport International Polo Series and the Newport Polo Club have conducted polo continuously on the grounds under various agreements.

Present for the signing were Attorney Amy Rice, Polo Series Founder and President Dan Keating, Town Council President Dennis Canario, and Deputy Town Clerk Joanne Mower. 

The Polo Series is scheduled to open its 2007 season on Saturday, June 2^nd at 5pm, and will run each Saturday through September featuring International teams this year from Egypt, Scotland, France, Ireland, Spain, Jamaica, England and Mexico.  Tickets are available at the gate one hour prior to the match.  For more information call 401-846-0200 or visit www.newportinternationalpolo.com

The Polo Series takes place in the bucolic setting of Glen Farm, the last 100 acres of what was once a 700-acre manorial farm whose colonial settlement dates back to the 1600's.  Its classical stone barns from the Gilded Age and its park-like grounds were rehabilitated by the Polo Series’ founder and thrive today as a vital equestrian and community recreational property.

 Newport Polo Club Invites Fans to Feast...

May 14, 2007….It is always a festive occasion to host an international polo team.  To fête some of our most popular visitors from abroad, the Newport Polo Club will offer several feasts and invite our fans and polo enthusiasts to participate:

July: In tribute to the Irish Polo Team, who has the longest string of appearances in the Newport International Polo Series, participating every year since its inception, the Newport Polo Club will offer a traditional Asado Lamb Roast following the USA vs. Ireland match on Saturday, July 21^st.  This tradition, popularized by the influence of Argentine culture on the polo world, features fresh lamb slow-roasted to the utmost of tenderness, a satisfying delicacy after a hard-fought match. Open to the public, capacity limited.  $25 members/$35 non-members.   Must be paid in advance by Tues. July 17th with credit card by calling 401-847-7090 or by check payable to Newport Polo, 2503 East Main Road, Portsmouth RI 02871.

August: The social highlight of the polo season each summer includes the annual International Polo Ball on Friday, August 3^rd and on the following day a tribute match, featuring USA vs. Spain this year, on Saturday, Aug. 4^th, concluded by an authentic New England Lobsterbake, baked over hot coals under a steaming bed of seawood, prepared and served field-side.  Open to the public $30 members/$40 non-members. Must be paid in advance by Tues. July. 31st  with credit card by calling 401-847-7090 or by check payable to Newport Polo, 2503 East Main Road, Portsmouth RI 02871.

The Jamaican Polo Team is a crowd favorite in the Polo Series, because of the excitement they deliver with a highly competitive contest year after year.  Join them for an authentic Jerk Grill following the USA vs. Jamaica match on Saturday, August 18^th. Open to the public, limited capacity $25 members/$35 non-members. Must be paid in advance by Tues. Aug. 14th  with credit card by calling 401-847-7090 or by check payable to Newport Polo, 2503 East Main Road, Portsmouth RI 02871.

Overseas Report: Destination Jamaica by Jonathan Kaye

March 2007...Montego Bay, Jamaica...There is nothing like arriving in Jamaica for a polo extravaganza hosted by our wonderful friends in Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Kingston. The anticipation is palpable and the smiles ear to ear. For some of us, it was the first trip to Jamaica but Shane and the entire Chin Clan, Leslie, Stevie, Doc ‘the Legend’ Masterton, Paul Lalor, Mark Wates and the entire club made us feel so welcome.

The trip began in friendly MoBay where the island flavor comes to life in the shops, beaches, restaurants and nightlife, all walking distance from the tranquil pool at the Toby Inn where the US team decompressed for a day or two with a few Red Stripes.  Off the field, the US team enjoyed the abundant fresh produce and catch of the day prepared in exotic and imaginative ways.  Time off also allowed for beach excursions to the famous sands of Negril, where hospitality awaited at Country Country resort.

After thorough relaxation and acclimation, polo commenced on Thursday at the historic Drax Hall polo field in St. Ann, on the island’s north shore.  The American team included Jim Garner, Jonathan Kaye and Matthew Fonseca, who joined local players Shane, Kurt, Paul, and Junior Chin, Andy and Billy Vernon, Craig Russell, Lesley Fong Yee, Joel Azan, Jason Wates. & Doc Masterton in mixed competition on some of the finest polo ponies on US touring record.

The Saturday match at Drax Hall featured an 8-goal match pitting the American lineup of Jim Garner, Kurt Chin, Matthew Fonseca and Jonathan Kaye against the Jamaican lineup of Stevie Fong Yee, Leslie Masterton Fong Yee, Paul Chin and Shane Chin.   USA credited the 100% Jamaican-born horse power for their success at having “fast runs, long hits, and well placed bumps at well placed angles”.   Off to an early lead, the US team had its hands full by mid-game with fired up Jamaicans for a match that went neck & neck until the last chucker when Fonseca scored a couple of beauties to help edge out the Jamaican team 8-5.

Mark Wates and a couple of the young local players who would be Sunday’s competition had made the long trip over Mt. Diablo to scope out the Americans and help raise a few glasses to their victory.  After an extensive celebration late into the night, the euphoric American team was shuttled off to nearby accommodations at Chukka Cove in Ocho Rios for what was left of a good night’s sleep before the final match of the tour on Sunday morning.

The dawn journey over the Blue Mountains has been known to exhaust a player like a 6-chukkers match before the Kingston match has even begun.  The Kingston match started right on time with 90 degree heat and no cloud cover.  Garner had fractured his sternum in the St. Ann match and heroically mounted his first horse.  Fonseca was ready to go and JK was looking for the bucket of ice water brother Wates had promised the night before.

The odds appeared stacked against the Americans, as they were to play against a formidable and youthful lineup of Simon, Paul Lalor, Sam and Jason Wates.   Once again the horses were magnificent and the match was neck and neck for 6 chuckers. The midday heat was excruciating and the promised bucket of ice water a savior. The match ended in a 5-5 tie with the Americans wilting and ready for a cold one.

Garner performed heroically playing 6 chuckers with a fractured sternum and Mathew recovered beautifully from a 2^nd chucker crash where he ejected with both stirrups, landing underneath the galloping steed on his back ~ legs and hands in the air.  “Put the stirrups back on that horse” he said, “I like him!!!”

The post match festivities in Kingston are always the cherry on the pie. Lot’s of dancing on the table and swinging from the chandeliers.  There is no celebration quite like it in the world.   Somehow, Monday morning came next, and while bacon and eggs settled well, leaving Jamaica was bittersweet.

Ms. Kaye is trying to get adoption papers so she can have Shane live with them in Middletown. Shane is looking into getting a calling plan that includes both Leslie and his wife Terry. Garner is healing nicely and Mathew is considering moving to Jamaica full time. He plans on lending his boots and helmet to strangers more often now. JK is committed to flying to Jamaica in August for Mark Wates 40^th birthday.  These Jamaicans are our brothers and sisters. The goodwill we exchange has changed all of our lives for the better. It is hard to describe. Let’s just say “one love”.

 Designer Polo Rugs Underlie Good Causes 

February 5, 2007,  Newport, RI:  …Two years ago, American designer Claire Murray found her latest inspiration in polo, Newport-style.   A field-side booth vending her charming Nantucket hand-hooked rugs was a remarkable success.  The ambiance of the polo scene, the enthusiastic throng of spectators, and the annual fundraising efforts of the Newport Polo Club to support noteworthy community causes as well as the sport’s continuity in its American birthplace impressed Murray so much, she designed a series of rugs specifically for the venue, donating 10% of sale proceeds to the Newport Polo Education Foundation (NPEF).

On Saturday, February 3^rd, Claire Murray's representative presented a check to the NPEF for over $500 as the result of their polo rug donation program in the past year.  The check was presented to Jim Garner, Treasurer of the NPEF at the Newport Polo Club’s winter meeting.            

The rugs are now available to polo fans & players world-wide in three sizes, each with a unique pattern: the large 64”x89” rug for $699.99; the medium 40”x63” rug for $299.99; and the small 24.5” x 36” rug for $99.99 are available through Claire Murray regional wholesale director Tori McNally at tmcnally@clairemurray.com or call (401) 556-7409.

Known world-wide for her signature New England designs and the richness of her unique color palette, the classic hand-made polo rug designs are quintessentially Claire Murray®.  Each 100% wool rug offers both latex and cotton backing for prolonged life.   Murray splashed onto the designer home textile scene after moving to Nantucket and reviving the traditional crafts of rug hooking and the needle arts, which has developed into a flourishing international wholesale and retail business.

Proceeds benefit the Newport Polo Education Foundation, a non-profit 501[3]c organization registered in Rhode Island with a mission to support and develop training and educational programs surrounding the sport of polo, as well as other civic and charitable causes.  Details of those programs may be furnished upon request or on its web site: www.poloeducationfoundation.org. 

Overseas Report: Destination Ireland by Jim Zynsky
January 1, 2007, Wicklow, Ireland ... A four day polo trip to Ireland at New Years is Competition, Comradeship, a new world, an old world, first-hand world news, a change of cuisine, fresh baked bread, Guinness on tap, and Polo Wicklow ~ the best place to play polo to ring in the New Year, bar none.

It takes less time to get from Boston to Dublin then from Boston to Cornell University in New York State.  Once landing in Dublin you realize you have crossed a time line, a star gate.  If landing in Dublin did not make you a believer, then walking into O'Sullivan's Bar in Old Dublin and getting a Guinness on tap at 10:00 am will.  It cuts right thru the jet lag and makes the drive go smoothly on the southern road to Polo Wicklow.

Arriving at Polo Wicklow.  Green grass, warm smiles, seeing comrades, having hot soup with fresh bread, and a driving rain; all together make it a true Irish welcome.  Inside the Polo Wicklow Club House we meet old friends, new friends, people who have come from many parts of Europe and South America to work, to play polo and celebrate the New Year.  Conversations start with the latest polo matches and polo ponies and then change to country events and then to world events. 

After the warm Irish meal we are invited to go for a horse ride in the countryside to give some of the polo ponies their daily exercise.  From the hilltops of Wicklow we gaze east onto the Irish Sea.  We quickly find you never leave the stable without a hat and rain coat. But it was almost sunny when we left the stable!  The grass was so green you almost forgot about the rain.  Before the ride was over the clouds had gone away and the Irish Sea wind had dried you off. 

A change of clothes and off to a pre polo dinner gathering or two, in the Wicklow Village surroundings.  Later, dinner at a local restaurant brought out more of the Irish flavor.

Early up, rain and moderate winds, breakfast with fresh eggs, bread, honey, and strong coffee.  Talk of some of the latest world news and then off to get immersed in the Irish-Wicklow lore.  With guide and Polo Wicklow owner Micky Herbst, we were given a first-hand history of the areas economy from harvesting peat, tree production, cow and sheep herds in the inland, to commerce at the Irish Sea coming and going at Wicklow Harbor, and many other bits of local history facts.

In the time warp, we almost forgot the time and got back 5 minutes before our first polo match at 3:00 pm. A very competitive match ended with Ireland winning by one goal.

We awoke next morning to rain and wind beating at the house walls.  A trip to Village Wicklow and other close by villages, to absorb more local Irish flavor and excellent cuisine.  The sun came out!  We arrived back at Polo Wicklow to play match two.  It started out a very close competition. By end of chukker two, the Irish team started pulling away never to look back.  Ireland won the second match by 3 goals.  After several soothing rounds of Guinness, talk went from polo ponies to match strategy.  More guests from around Europe were arriving for the upcoming New Year's Eve celebrations.  Travel and world issues became the evening talk. Not to mention the best Guinness on tap is at Polo Wicklow.

Surprise! to start the next morning was light rain and wind. It did not matter, this was Ireland, there were guests from around the world and new areas of Ireland to see.  A group gathered quickly after breakfast to go for a walk-hike in the foothills of Glendaloch. A short drive from Polo Wicklow, on the left side of the road, got us to the visitor/trail-head. Walking over Irish soil so many before you have walked over for centuries is a profound experience.  Exploring the old Monastery at Glendaloch gives a great appreciation for stone work done many hundreds of years ago.  We appreciated the solid stone work even more when the clouds dropped, the wind came to gale 8 force, and the rain was flash flood intensity.  The stone work did not budge.  We did not budge from the stone work.  Finally, with easing winds and rain, the hiking party of six representing four countries continued on up the mountain trail to the lakes.  A stop on the way back to Wicklow for a pub lunch with hot stew helped dry the soaked comrades.  Back at Polo Wicklow the clouds went away but not the wind. 

The New Years Eve Polo Match went off on time.  The young Irish team on Sunday was like the force wind, unrelenting and strong. The Irish team won the third and final match.  The horses over the three matches were well trained and in excellent conditioning.  They were a pleasure to ride and play polo.  Polo, awards, dinner fit for a king, and then the New Years Celebration started with new friends, old friends, a full house from all around the world; a great way to ring in the New Year and lasted into the new year.

To Polo Wicklow; Many thanks to the Herbst Family and friends for their Irish hospitality, food, drink, horses, and polo.  If you get an invitation to fly into the star gate - do not hesitate - you will grow with the experience.  Jim Zynsky, Steve Smith, Sam Shore, Jacki Shore.