I thought I would order myself a new helmet for the 2012 season. Helmets are compromised after they receive a bad blow, and my old LAS, which has served me well for the last four seasons, was due to be replaced. I use LAS helmets because they are one of only two brands that have EU safety certified standards for their polo helmets.
Here’s a really good blog for polo players and even riders: Prof. Martin’s Perez’s Physical Training for Polo Players. Martin brings a lot of valuable content about physical training for polo players to his blog. He details exercises for horse-riding muscles, balance and stretching exercises, all applicable to all riders, not just polo players.
I reread my last blog-post Those Who Can… and went, “Whoa….” When I am full of myself, God usually does me a favour and brings me back down to earth with a bit of a bump. I’m bracing myself.
“Idle hands are the devil’s tools.” So being busy is excellent, and I thank God for it. Being cocky is one of my occasional failings, but I also need to explain why I am prone to it.
I conducted a polo rules seminar and an RMPA Rules Test at Bukit Kiara last Saturday. 24 took the rules test, which was very good. The few that attended the next day’s Polo Tips and Tactics were very enthusiastic. I have been invited back to run clinics on hitting for new polo players. Yesterday I gave a hitting lesson in the cage at RSPC to start off two friends who want to take up polo.
I had 24 hours at home before I had to return to KLIA to fly to Beijing. Having been appointed FIP Tournament Director of the FIP Snow Polo World Cup 2012 Invitational, I had to haul my sorry ass there for the press launch and tournament draw. So there I was, back in KLIA on Sunday night, only to find my China Airlines flight was delayed. And delayed. Finally, eight long hours later, I was on my way to a new adventure.
The FIP World Cup Final was pretty impressive. Argentina kept their nerve to come from behind to beat a gallant Brazil 12-11 in a very high quality game to win the IX FIP Polo World Championship. Brazil were cool, proud and very sporting. They were in a different class. They knew they would find it difficult against Argentina who played with the maximum of advantages as determined hosts could possibly wring out. Let’s just say that FIP’s Tournament Director, Jose Lartirigoyen was kept on his toes.
Gines Bargallo, who was the Horse Master at the FIP World Cup Zone D Play-offs in Malaysia, and I drove from BA to San Luis. It took us 7 1/2 hours of driving time, apart from a one hour stop for some parilla at a truck-stop. When we got into San Luis we found Estancia Granda, the magnificent new facility, purpose built for the FIP World Cup Final.
It has 4 tifton fields, with a permanent grandstand on field 1. There is stabling for 300 horses. It is all very grand, but out of our league? Not so.
I am off to The Argyland tonight to attend the FIP Polo World Cup Final in San Luis and FIP General Assembly in Buenos Aires. I hope to learn as much as possible organizationally about the World Cup to strengthen our bid to host the Final one day. It is not all asado as I will be tabling our bid for 2017, when I believe our facilities will match our wishes. Naturally, I hope to play some polo while I am in Argentina. To travel half-way around the world to polo’s promised land and not play would verge on the blasphemous.
My handicap got raised to 2 goals again. It stunned me. The last time I was 2 goals was in the 2006 season. Now at the ripe old age of 51, with a bum knee and all my horses for sale, I didn’t think I would get moved up. My first mistake was when I recused myself from the handicapping committee meeting when they discussed my handicap. The second mistake I made was when I thought my friends on the main committee would never let me go back up to 2 goals when it went before them for ratification.
Instead, they had a laugh. In fact, they are still laughing at me.
You’ll know from my last blog post that Malaysia intends to bid to host the 2014 FIP Polo World Cup Final. Yes, we have to Raise Our Game. There is much to be done, and the man to lead us to the promised land is the President of the Royal Malaysian Polo Association, DYTM Tengku Mahkota Pahang, HRH The Crown Prince Abdullah Shah of Pahang.
He is a polo player through and through. This has already been recognised by FIP, whose President Eduardo Huergo, has already made him an Honorary Ambassador of FIP.
It looks as if Malaysia will make a bid to host the 2014 FIP Polo World Cup Final. I’ve been told to go ahead and plan our bid, which we will formalise at the FIP General Assembly on 24th October in Buenos Aires, Argentina, if we can secure the support of our international league patrons . HRH Crown Prince Abdullah, Tengku Mahkota Pahang and President of the Royal Malaysian Polo Association will meet with each of the patrons this Sunday, to see if we have their support of our bid.
If we are successful in our bid, eight teams - two from each FIP zone - will play for the X FIP Polo World Championship in Malaysia in 2014.
There was lots of drama at the National Horse Show. Huge crowds contributed to a marvelous atmosphere. It was a very good show, good to finally have back in Kuala Lumpur after a 6 year absence.
Fears about the footing were unfounded. The ground was good. The Opening Ceremony was suitably short and sweet. The Saturday night dinner, catered by the Palace of the Golden Horses was good. Even the VIP toilets were spectacular, with a cool breeze and pictures hanging inside. So what was there not to like?
This weekend I will be course designing the last two days of the National Horse Show. It will be the fifth time in my course designing career that I have the honour to design and build the tracks for the NHS. I’m looking forward to it, even though I am working only two days of the show. Lots has changed since Genting group took over Pan Malaysian Pools who fund the NHS, so I was told they could only contract me for two days. No matter.
