In today’s world, women are a source of inspiration to all the young ladies out there, striving to achieve their dreams of being an independent and successful person. The fact that accomplishing something is never that easy, we certainly pave a path of reaching to the ladder of success by marking our journey towards achieving our goals.
Our feature story for the day is dedicated to a young passionate soul who embraced her dream of being a successful polo player. In a field where most of the games are male-dominated, Sunny Hale broke all the shackles by becoming one of the most famous female polo players in the world.
Born on December 30th, 1968 in Carmel, California, Sunny Hale became the first woman in history to win the US Open Polo Championship.
The historic U.S Open win ignited a movement in polo around the world for women after which she was hired by the Outback Steakhouse Polo Team at the request of world’s best player Adolfo Cambiaso.
Sunny Hale’s achievements were largely appreciated by The New York Times where she was mentioned as “the most famous female polo player in the world.”
She drew international renown as a female professional who played the game better than the vast majority of men she met on the field. Her smooth swing of the mallet, fearless poise astride the saddle and astute mind for strategy also gained her the respect of polo’s elite pros including Memo Gracida, Eduardo Heguy and Gonzalito forehead.
In the year 2012, Sunny Hale was inducted in “The National Cowgirl Fame” that represents the women who have shaped the world and whose lives exemplify courage, resilience, and independence.
Sunny Hale believed in following her dreams and always keeping them in sight. In her words, she said “When you are here for a reason, the seed is planted within you and it becomes your greatest gift. It makes you unique and it will be your guide. It is your choice to find it and bring it to life. You can do it, mean it and enjoy the journey.”
MILESTONES IN HER LIFE
1. She founded the Women’s Championship Tournament (WCT) that opened the door and broke the barriers for women to pursue their passion.
2. Revived the US Women’s Open in 2011, and today women’s polo is the fastest growing sector in polo around the world.
3. Initiated the American Polo Horse Association, a website where players and owners can collect, preserve and record horses’ pedigrees.
4. She was the first woman to have won the 26-goal US Open.
It was achieved on a 5-goal handicap rating, the highest handicap a woman has ever received among male players.
5. Hale was hired to play by leading patrons to show her horsewomanship amongst the leading male players, including top-ranked Adolfo Cambiaso of Argentina.
6. Inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and had earned ‘Woman Polo Player of the Year’ an unprecedented seven times.
7. She was named the Most Valuable Player in a string of high goal tournaments.
