T
he Gladiator Polo event that took place at the Equestrian Village was faster and fiercer compared to the game that took place at the International Polo Club Sunday afternoon. Ruth Shadwick, who has witnessed many polo events said that she had never seen such a polo match at night with lights. She also said, “This is great, it’s a fun night out” This was an event that also attracted people who are new to the equestrian field. Mark Bellisimo expects that this category of the crowd is expected to show up for other equestrian events like dressage, show jumping or grass polo match.
The CEO of Wellington Equestrian partner hopes to make the next night of the polo match a fixture and wants the 12-week season of the next year to grace many more teams at the International Polo Club and make “thousands and thousands of prize money”. Bellisimo thinks that the new polo arena game was a big hit in the eyes of its players and viewers but it could never replace the essence of the traditional polo brings at the International Polo Club. He further said, “Polo is the sport of kings, and I don’t want to dilute the value of high-goal, grass polo.”
The biggest difference in the traditional polo game and the polo arena game was the field. Instead of playing in the gigantic 10-acre field, they played at a ground surrounded by walls which were hardly covering an area of 300 foot by 150 foot. Bellisimo added that due to the whistles and excitement of the crowd the game gets a little constrained. To eradicate this problem he changed the rules a bit.The players played six, five-minute periods called chukkers with intermissions between each and a short halftime.
He aims to keep the viewers attracted to the game. He also observed that traditional polo matches turn out to be a social event rather than a game. To channelize the minds of viewers into the game he tried to do something different and make polo more interesting for the viewers as well as the players. He has himself played arena polo before so this match made him relive the memories of his past.
The crowd saw potential in this game and predicted that this game will grow in Wellington just like it has done in L.A. and other places. Bellisimo hasn’t yet announced the dates of the two matches that will be held this season but probably one will happen in February and the last one in March Picture Courtesy: Mike Jachles.
