Supporting The Boys & Girls Club A Passion For Polo Star Nic Roldan

By Julie Unger

Polo star Nic Roldan is chairing the 35th annual Wellington Golf Tournament to benefit the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club, which will take place at the Wanderers Club on Sunday, Nov. 13.

Originally scheduled for early in October, the event was rescheduled due to Hurricane Matthew. It will get underway with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start, followed by a silent auction and an awards luncheon. In addition to special activities throughout the day, club members will give a special performance.

Roldan is joined by Honorary Chairman Ed Portman. Committee members include Todd Barron, Jim Bomar, Elliot Bonner, John Hornberger, Julie Kime, Ray Mooney and Mickey Smith.

“When Ray approached me to be the chair, I wasn’t going to say no, because I love what they do,” said Roldan, whose work with the local Boys & Girls Club goes far beyond just chairing the tournament.

Roldan grew up playing polo in Wellington and would often visit the Boys & Girls Club at its previous location amid the polo fields of southern Wellington.

“I’ve seen the Boys & Girls Club grow. I’ve seen what it does. Now I get to be a part of it, support it and help the kids who need it,” he said. “If I can use my name and my resources to help the Boys & Girls Club, I’m going to do it.”

Maria Curreri, marketing director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, couldn’t be happier that Roldan is chairing this year’s event.

“We’re thrilled. Nic has been a big supporter of our organization for a number of years,” she said. “He has donated his time to visit the Wellington club and interact with the kids. He has been instrumental for our organization to network within the polo community.”

Roldan has attended numerous Boys & Girls Club events, such as the Wellington Dinner Dance, often inviting along his friends and colleagues, who also visit the club, particularly before Great Futures Polo Day, the club’s annual polo-themed fundraiser.

The golf tournament helps the club raise money to defray the costs of serving hundreds of local children. The membership fee per child is only $30, however, it costs approximately $1,500 per child for the programs offered at the club, emphasizing educational, recreational, health, social, vocational, leadership and character-building skills. The golf tournament is a crucial part of the fundraising efforts to support club programs.

When Roldan and other polo players visit the club, Curreri said, the children don’t see them as world-famous players. They see adults who care.

“What it means to the kids is that he cares. When he comes to the club and he spends time with the kids, he truly cares about the kids,” she said. “He spends time with them. He plays with them. He helps them with their homework. He’s a mentor for the kids.”

Visits are always a fun time for both the players and the children. At a recent visit, club members helped teach Roldan one of the dances they were learning.

“It means a lot to the kids when they have people like him who come in to show their support,” Curreri said. “To them, he is no different than any other adult who cares and donates their time and spends time to support them.”

Roldan said he enjoys visiting with the children, even if he hasn’t been able to spend as much time at the club as he’d like, due to his hectic schedule.

“We’ve done a couple of visits where we’ve gone and met the kids, played with them and entertained them. It’s fun. It’s a lot of fun,” he said.

Events such as the golf tournament are all about raising money for a good cause. Roldan said he does it for the club, rather than recognition.

“It supports and helps the underprivileged kids. They need it, and we have the resources to be able to help them,” he said, crediting sponsor and fellow polo aficionado Neil Hirsch for his ongoing support for the Boys & Girls Club.

For Roldan, it’s quite simple. He can help, so he does.

“It’s my hometown. It’s something that feels particularly close to me and close to my family and friends,” he said. “It’s home base… Anything I can do to help, I’m in full support.”

Wellington, he explained, is sort of like a bubble, where people don’t always see the children who need help. “We have the resources to help them,” he said.

He also enjoys taking part in the golf tournament itself.

“The last couple of years that I’ve played the golf tournament, it has been a huge success,” Roldan said. “It’s something fun, and it brings everyone out. We’re doing something for a good cause.”

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, or how to participate, call (561) 683-3287 or e-mail cgalenski@bgcpbc.org. To learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, visit www.bgcpbc.org or www.facebook.com/bgcpbc.

U.S. Paralympians Rebecca Hart And Angela Peavy Enjoy The Ride To Rio

By Annan Hepner

Before Rebecca Hart and Angela “Annie” Peavy trotted down centerline in Rio de Janeiro, their journey leading up to the Paralympic Games required years of commitment, training and determination.

Hart was born with familial spastic paraplegia, and Peavy suffered a stroke prior to birth that left her paralyzed on her left side. Both began riding horses at a young age, and they became determined to join the growing sport of para-equestrian dressage. While they worked to achieve near perfection in their eight minutes in the spotlight at the Deodoro Olympic Equestrian Centre, their support network played a vital role in their success leading up to the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

“2016 has been a special year, and the games in Rio have been the main highlight,” explained Hart, a three-time Paralympian. “A lot of time and effort was spent to qualify, and to have everything come to fruition and to reach our goals was very exciting for me.”

Hart and her horse Schroeter’s Romani, owned by Hart in conjunction with Margaret Duprey, Cherry Knoll Farm, Barbara Summer, and William and Sandy Kimmel, have had an exciting career together over the past two years with top finishes around the world. In January, at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Hart was the Grade II individual champion and team gold medalist at the CPEDI3*. The pair also traveled to Europe to gain more experience, and they placed first in the Grade II Individual Test at the CPEDI3* in Deauville, France.

Hart has had a standout career as a para-equestrian for the United States. She is a seven-time national champion and has represented the U.S. in two World Equestrian Games and three Paralympics. As an international competitor, Hart attributes her success to the strong support team made up of Cherry Knoll Farm’s Margaret Duprey and her trainer, Todd Flettrich, who are with her every step of the way.

“I have really developed as a rider working with Todd over the past two years, and he has been paramount in creating a training program for me,” Hart said. “Margaret has been to all of my qualifiers in Florida and was cheering me on at the games as well. It was so important for me to have them both in Rio, and I am forever grateful for their belief in me. It would not have been possible without them.”

Young rider Peavy has also enjoyed a successful year leading up to the Paralympic Games on her 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding Lancelot Warrior. She was the Grade III individual champion at the CPEDI3* in Wellington and earned top placings in France over the summer. She splits her time between Connecticut and Wellington, training for the past four years with Heather Blitz.

“Wellington has competitive shows and a large international-level atmosphere, which really helped us prepare for Rio,” Peavy explained. “When you live in Wellington, you have the opportunity to watch and meet top riders from around the world.”

Hart also enjoys being a Wellington resident after moving here more than a year ago. She spends her days working as a Starbucks barista before heading to the barn to train. She has focused on creating a solid partnership with her Danish Warmblood mare, as well as raising their expectations in the show ring.

As Team USA’s anchor rider and the team member with the most experience, Hart had significant pressure on her to lead the way. She began her Rio Paralympic Games with a fifth-place finish in the Grade ll Team Test with a score of 69.914 percent, and went on to place ninth in the individual championships with a score of 67.714 percent. Her combined score qualified her as the only U.S. para-equestrian to move on to the final freestyle day of competition. In the very contested Grade II division, Hart and Romani finished their freestyle in seventh place with a score of 67.650 percent.

“Though it was unfortunate that we didn’t leave Rio with the gold medal results we had dreamed of, I am very proud of Rebecca and Romani,” said Flettrich, a London Olympic U.S. dressage alternate and Hart’s trainer. “I wake up every day feeling honored that I have this team in my life. You have to love the journey together.”

Duprey has enjoyed her eight-year friendship with Hart, and she is inspired by Hart’s grit, drive to win and her tenacity to not let her disability hold her back.

“To watch Rebecca go down the centerline in Rio — it gave me chills,” Duprey said. “It was what we have all been working toward, and to watch her compete all three days was very exciting. Todd and I are part of the village that makes it successful. It’s always thrilling to represent your country, whether you are a rider, trainer or owner. It is an honor, even though it’s a lot of hard work to get there.”

Peavy enjoyed her Paralympic debut, and she rode Lancelot Warrior to a sixth-place finish with a 68.974 percent in the Grade III team test. In the individual championship, she earned an eighth-place finish on a score of 68.585 percent.

“It was a great first games for me, and it is an honor to represent my country,” Peavy said. “Becca [Hart] has competed in multiple Paralympics, and she was so supportive showing me the ropes. I felt confident going into the competition ring in Rio because we knew our job, and Lancelot is always focused on me. I had excitement nerves being there!”

After settling back into their routine in the United States, Hart and Peavy have been busy traveling across the country. They enjoyed touring the White House with their U.S. Paralympic teammates, meeting President Barack Obama and reminiscing on their experiences in Brazil with other Team USA Olympians. Hart has also visited college campuses and the Women’s Sports Foundation to give motivational speeches and promote her sport.

“The Paralympics in Rio was a wonderful experience with everyone on my team,” Hart said. “I am so thankful for the United States Equestrian Team Foundation, the United States Equestrian Federation and my groom Fernando Ortega for their dedication and hard work behind-the-scenes. They are an invaluable part of this sport!”

Chamber, Village Team Up As Winterfest

Returns To The Wellington Amphitheater On Dec. 3

Story and Photos by Julie Unger

Wellington’s Winterfest celebration will return to its roots this year. Staged by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce and the Village of Wellington, the event will be hosted back where it all began, at the Wellington Amphitheater on Saturday, Dec. 3 from 7 to 10 p.m.

seniors. Our performances will reflect that,” Green said. “There’s a lineup of performers from every genre of music you can think of.”

Michaela Paige from The Voice, Nicky

“We’re doing this at the amphithe- ater to celebrate the village and the chamber turning 20 years old,” said Mi- chela Green, executive director of the chamber.

Rob Van Winkle —  better  known by his stage name Vanilla Ice  — will  be headlining Winterfest once again, along with Wes Kain from the Vanilla Ice Project, who will be returning as the emcee.

Green thanked Van Winkle for his support.   “His   commitment   and  his

philanthropic outreach to Wellington astounds me every year,” she said. “With such a busy schedule, and with him be- ing a national celebrity, and of course a rock icon, I’m absolutely honored that he does this event with us every year.”

As the chamber and village gear up for another amazing Winterfest, Green is excited about the community involve- ment. “I think it’s spectacular. It’s a  true community holiday event. There’s something for everyone, from little children  to  millennials  to  parents to

Greed, the Wellington High School chamber chorus, the Wellington High School dance team, Sarah Spiritual, Alyssa Coon, the Palm Beach Opera, Precision Dance Conservatory, Vell P, Latillia Jackson, Aliyah Pike and others will take to the stage.

“This year, aside from the holiday theme, people are performing some original songs,” Green said. “We have some rhythm and blues, we have some Palm Beach Opera, we have a dance troupe.”

More than a dozen food trucks will be available starting at 5 p.m. before the performances start at 7 p.m. The entire municipal campus will be uti- lized for Winterfest, including the new Wellington Community Center.

Wellington Cultural Programs & Fa- cilities Manager Joe Piconcelli is look- ing forward to showing off the new community center, as well as the amphi- theater, Scott’s Place playground, the Great Lawn and more.

“I’m extremely excited about it re- turning,” he said. “It’s a great event for our venue. I’m excited to have Vanilla Ice back again.”

Founded at the Wellington Amphi- theater, the event has been staged in recent years at the Palm Beach Interna- tional Equestrian Center.

Wellington Mayor Anne Gerwig, who first met Vanilla Ice during the in- augural Winterfest as a newly elected council member, is excited to take part in her first Winterfest as mayor.

“It feels like it’s back where it started. I think it’s a homegrown community event, so I’m glad to have it back,” she said, explaining that the facilities at the amphitheater and the community cen- ter are perfect for the event.

A mayoral tradition, Gerwig will be reading ’Twas The Night Before Christmas to youngsters at the event.

Winterfest will feature Blizzard Beach, a family-themed area with snow, zip lining, an obstacle course, kid-friend- ly activities and kid-friendly vendors. The Potions in Motion VIP Lounge will be open, Green said, featuring light ap- petizers, a cash bar and beverages.

Winterfest is a free community event. Green suggests that attendees arrive early to find somewhere to park, and if they live nearby, to walk or ride over on a bicycle. A shuttle will also depart from the original Wellington Mall for over- flow parking.

In 2010, at the first official Winter- fest featuring Vanilla Ice, almost  4,000

people attended. In 2015, that number nearly doubled. This year, anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 attendees are ex- pected.

“Although I’ve attended several Win- terfest events, I know this one will be the biggest and best ever,” Wellington Chamber President Debbie Crompton said. “We are anticipating record-break- ing crowds. We have a whole lineup of brand new performers and vendors, and, of course, the grand finale with Vanilla Ice is second to none.”

For top sponsors, there will be a pri- vate VIP reception. Photo booths will also add to the fun. Vendor and spon- sor opportunities are still available. Pre- senting sponsors include the Santama- ria family, the original Wellington Mall, the Royal Inn, Grand Champions Polo Club and ChukkerTV, as well as Eques- trian Sport Productions.

For more information about Winterfest, visit www.wellingtonchamber.com or call (561) 792-6200.

U.S. Equestrian Team Secures Multiple Medals At Rio Olympics

By Rebecca Walton/Phelps Media Group

Following the 2012 London Olympic Games, the United States Equestrian Team refocused and revaluated with the goal of bringing home medals during the 2016 Olympics Games held this summer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With all of the athletes focused on accomplishing their personal goals and the goals of the United States, all three disciplines of show jumping, dressage and eventing made the podium.

“It worked out pretty well,” smiled U.S. show jumping Chef d’Équipe Robert Ridland after the team earned its silver medal. “All of our scores had to count; we knew that. They were all unbelievable. Unbelievably focused, they knew what their job was and they got it done. It was tremendous.”

SHOW JUMPING

The show jumping team final was filled with excitement from start to finish. After the team qualifier on Aug. 16, four nations advanced with scores of zero, but a technical track with a tight time allowed and three teams with only three riders shook things up quickly.

The United States, the Netherlands, Germany and Brazil all qualified for the team final with no faults. Kent Farrington, Lucy Davis and McLain Ward were all faultless over the track for the U.S. during the first team qualifier, while Beezie Madden brought home an eight-fault showing to be the drop score.

The next day, the Netherlands and Brazil each lost a rider due to disqualification, and the United States lost anchor rider Madden, when Abigail Wexner’s Cortes C sustained a tendon injury. Thus, all of the rounds for the three teams counted, and the loss of a drop score left no room for error.

Farrington was up next with Amalaya Investments’ Voyeur. They incurred just one time fault, while Davis and Old Oak Farm’s Barron had B of the triple combination down, adding four faults to the U.S. total and putting all of the pressure on anchor rider Ward. He was aboard Double H Farm and François Mathy’s HH Azur and crossed the finish line as one of only five clear rounds on the day.

“Azur has a big stride, so I did the options that were leave-outs, and that helped with the time allowed a little bit,” Ward explained. “I really thought she jumped as good as ever, if not better than the rest of the week. It was a round I’m proud of, and I’m proud of this team.”

There was still room for an upset, and when the Netherlands, Brazil and Germany each had rails from their third rider in the rotation, it sealed the silver medal finish for the U.S. team.

DRESSAGE

Allison Brock, Laura Graves, Kasey Perry-Glass and Steffen Peters represented the United States at the 2016 Olympic Games, and the all-star team did not disappoint. The dressage team earned a place on the Olympic podium with a bronze medal finish, which was the first medal for U.S. dressage since the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Team USA ended the first day of Grand Prix competition in third place, with riders earning personal bests across the board. The top six teams, which included the U.S., advanced to the Grand Prix Special — the phase that determined the team medals.

Accurate riding by Brock and a steady, willing effort on Fritz and Claudine Kundrin’s 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion Rosevelt, with highlights in the extensions across all three gaits, earned the pair a 73.824 percent score as the first down centerline in the afternoon team rotation.

Next up for the U.S., Perry-Glass and Dublet, her 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, had trouble early on with a costly break to canter in the first extended trot. They rebounded from there with their top-notch passage and excellent tempi changes boosting their score, and finished on a score of 73.235 percent.

Team veterans Peters and Four Winds Farm’s Legolas 92 also had uncharacteristic bobbles, however a fantastic final centerline helped them complete the test with a score of 74.622 percent, just above the average that the team needed.

As anchor rider Graves prepared to head down centerline, nerves were running high among U.S. dressage supporters and fans.

The team was sitting just fractions of a percent behind the Netherlands, and Graves’ ride would determine whether the U.S. could break its 12-year medal drought. The pressure only gave Graves added motivation. She asked Verdades to give her his all, and the pair’s nearly 13-year partnership paid off, as they turned in the best Grand Prix Special score of their career on the world’s biggest stage. Their mark of 80.644 percent secured the bronze medal for the U.S.

“The elusive 80 percent! We captured it… it exists!” Graves said. “I knew it was going well. You just always hope that your reflections match up with the judges. To see my teammates so happy and to have a personal best with a score I’ve been reaching for — it was the icing on our cake.”

When Wellington resident Robert Dover accepted the position as technical advisor and chef d’équipe for the U.S. dressage team, he created a road map back to the podium.

“I could not be more proud of our team, and it has been a real honor for me to be able to be their chef d’équipe over the last years,” Dover said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what will happen in the years to come, because the depth of great up-and-coming Grand Prix horses that are just starting out right now will triple. I believe that in the next two years, you will see America take another higher podium finish. In the next four years, I think they will give any country in the world a very strong fight for the gold.”

EVENTING

It was a roller coaster weekend for the U.S. eventing team at the 2016 Olympic Games. Hopes were high with a strong team heading into the competition, but mediocre dressage scores left fans wondering if the U.S. would reach the podium. Then, two eliminations during the cross-country phase dashed hopes for a team medal, and the view looked even bleaker. However, Phillip Dutton continued to fight on, and after two rounds of show jumping, he found his way onto the podium for a bronze medal finish aboard Mighty Nice.

The team included Dutton with the HND Group’s Mighty Nice; Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery, owned by the Blackfoot Mystery Syndicate; Lauren Kieffer and Team Rebecca LLC’s Veronica; and Clark Montgomery with Loughan Glen, owned by Holly and William Becker, Kathryn Kraft and Jessica Montgomery. The team was led by Chef d’Équipe David O’Connor.

After Keiffer suffered a fall during the difficult cross country phase and Montgomery was eliminated for three refusals, the U.S. was out of the running for a team medal. Heading into the final day of competition, Dutton and Martin had both added only 3.2 time penalties to their dressage scores after cross-country, and made a huge jump in the standings. Athletes had to jump in the team jumping final to qualify for the individual final — the final goal for both Dutton and Martin.

Martin and the 12-year-old Thoroughbred Blackfoot Mystery were not quite up to the challenge on the final day, after multiple rails, and all of Team USA’s hopes fell on Dutton.

Dutton and Mighty Nice, a 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse, left all of the fences intact during the first round, but the pair crossed the finish line just over the time allowed, picking up one time fault. Dutton and Mighty Nice advanced to the individual final in fourth place, within shouting distance of the podium.

The pair was not as lucky the second time around, lowering the height of a single fence, yet even with the four faults tacked on, Dutton remained in fourth place. Luck was on Dutton’s side when Australia’s Christopher Burton took his turn and lowered the height of two fences, subsequently boosting Dutton to the bronze medal position.

The individual bronze medal finish marked the first individual medal for the six-time Olympian, who won two team medals when he competed with Australia. It also marks the biggest career finish for Mighty Nice, a special horse for Dutton, who was formerly owned by the late Bruce Duchossois.

“It has been a great weekend for the horse,” Dutton said after the final. “He got a little knocked around yesterday, so I was just grateful to get here. It has been a great achievement for him. Bruce would be really proud of him. I was happy with fourth, and now I am quite ecstatic with third!”

With the 2016 Olympic Games completed, athletes now look ahead to the 2018 World Equestrian Games and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Working closely with the support of the United States Equestrian Team Foundation and the United States Equestrian Federation, the team will be focused on once again bringing home medals.