Behind The End Lines With Polo Groom Elly Brien

Behind every good polo player is a great horse. Behind every great horse, you will most often find an incredibly hardworking, dedicated and passionate groom, who loves the sport as much as he or she loves the horse.

Each featured Sunday match held at the International Polo Club Palm Beach requires at least 78 horses to be prepped and ready for play, and it is no small feat to organize that many horses at once. Each horse requires care, training and love, both on and off the field.

The grooms of polo are instrumental to a team’s success, perhaps even more so than for other disciplines. To get an insider’s look into the daily life of a groom, we sat down with Elly Brien, the top groom at Mariano Aguerre’s high-goal polo operation.

A native of Ireland, Brien first started her involvement with polo 20 years ago at Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm in Greenwich, Conn. Seven years later, Brien began working for Aguerre and has been on his team ever since.

It is common in the polo industry — as well as the equestrian world in general — to see frequent movement of grooms and players alike. Why has she stayed in one place for so many years? “It just clicks for us,” Brien said. “It just works, so we stayed!”  

It wasn’t always about polo for Brien. She began her barn days back in County Waterford, Ireland, with show jumpers, first competing herself and then working for professionals. She made the trip over to the United States first with jumper barns before finding her way to White Birch. “I was always more interested in polo anyway,” she said.

Even after all these years, however, she’s not quite interested in playing on the field. “I love riding them around, but I was never any good at sports, so I’d probably never hit the ball,” Brien joked. “I wouldn’t have the hand-eye coordination and be able to ride at the same time.”

Her daily routine is similar to most other grooms in the horse world: wake up, feed the ponies, muck out some stalls, do some grooming before the horses are exercised, and maybe ride a few of them herself. However, in Brien’s case, she has 12 to 15 horses to look after, not just three or four, which is typical in most other disciplines.

It’s a long day at the farm with her boyfriend sharing the general duties. The pair also does most of the fitness training, such as taking daily sets and riding singles. Then, there is the preparation, organization and trailering to weekly practices or games. They are with Aguerre and his horses 24/7 for whatever they may need.

Having that background in two disciplines offered unique insight on the biggest difference between grooming for high-goal polo and hunter, jumper or dressage barns.

“I’d imagine that the biggest difference between them is the number of horses we take care of and present to one competition,” Brien said. “A polo team would have about 40 horses for a top tournament, versus a top jumper or dressage barn would probably be concentrating on getting three to five horses ready for a top competition.”

It’s not just the sheer number of horses being prepared for competition. It’s also the quality and level of prep that a polo groom has to focus on, because each of the 10 horses a player uses must be at the same physical and mental level. Brien’s favorite part of the job is seeing all of these horses at the peak of their fitness and looking their best on game day.

What’s Brien’s “top tip” is for grooming? “I’m not sure I have just one trick,” she laughed. “I’ve just always believed in being organized and treating all your horses as individuals. I think that’s important.”

But this approach doesn’t mean that it’s easy for her to pick out just one favorite horse.

“I have a soft spot for all of my horses that we take care of, so it’s hard to have one favorite in the polo sport,” Brien said. “If I have to think of one in particular, I’d say Califa is definitely one of my all-time favorites.”

Now quietly living out a happy retirement at Aguerre’s farm, Califa had a pretty impactful life both on the sport and the science behind polo. He received multiple awards throughout his career, including the USPA Horse of the Year in 2006, and the APHA Horse of the Year in 2009. In 2016, Califa was even inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame for his achievements. Perhaps Califa’s most notable claim to fame, however, is his title as the first ever polo pony to be genetically cloned in 2010.

Brien said that the cloning of some of polo’s greatest ponies is something that people outside of the sport might not typically know but may find intriguing. “I think it’s interesting that not only are they being cloned, but currently those clones are playing at the high level of polo and doing so with great success,” she said.

As a groom to both Califa and his clones, Brien has a first-hand account of how cloning works and the outcomes seen so far. “Yes, [the clone] totally behaves and performs the same,” Brien explained. “He’s got the same likes and dislikes as our original Califa — things that we thought were learned habits from over the years, but the new clone arrived with the exact same behaviors.”

Not only has she had a front-row seat to the amazing technology, but Brien has also had the chance to watch generations grow up.

“It’s interesting being with one operation so long that we can see the generations of the horses,” she said. “We have granddaughters here now of certain mares that were just playing when I first joined the operation.”

After so many years caring for these mares and stallions, Brien and the grooms kind of know what they’re getting before the foal even comes out. As soon as the embryos are chosen, she knows what to expect from the new batch coming to the farm.

Brien remains dedicated and passionate about the game, and even more so about her horses. She works hard to keep each individual comfortable and in top form, so they are ready to play their best on the field. This season, when Aguerre rides out, she’ll be found behind the end lines, setting up her team for success from the first to final whistle.

Breast Cancer Survivor Lisa Fitter Pays It Forward

Imagine you’re the mother of young children hearing the news that your mammogram shows an abnormality. Because of pre-existing health conditions, you have no insurance to pay for the follow-up tests that could give you a sigh of relief or confirm your worst fears. The cost of biopsies, MRIs and ultrasounds is so far beyond your reach that you don’t know how you will ever pay for the tests that could save your life.

This was the distressing scenario that Wellington resident Lisa Fitter faced in 2013 when she was 47 years old. “When you don’t have insurance, you don’t realize how far out of reach healthcare is,” Fitter said.

Fitter’s situation is a common one for Susan G. Komen Florida. Every week, calls come into the organization from women — and sometimes men — desperately needing financial assistance to pay for the screenings, testing and treatment that could save their lives. Answering their urgent pleas for help is why Komen Florida calls itself the “first responders to breast cancer.”

In Fitter’s case, it was the Bethesda Women’s Health Center that let her know Komen offered financial support for the tests she needed. Fitter’s follow-up was paid for by Komen, and on Christmas Eve 2013, she received her official breast cancer diagnosis.

While it was a shock, Fitter no longer had to live with the unknown. She could now move forward and focus on treatment. “If there were no Komen, I honestly don’t know what we would have done,” she said. “You hate to think that you would ever be in that situation.”

Fitter’s next challenge was figuring out how to tell her twins, 10-year-olds Talia and Joshua. They had just completed a project at school about diseases people can die from. One of them was cancer.

Fitter opted to be very open with her children. She wanted to be direct and help them understand as much as they could.

“You can’t hide it,” she said. “Suddenly, you have a house full of people bringing you meals, you’re lying in bed all day, you’re going to the hospital. Children will sense something is going on. You can’t overload them with information, but they have to know that mommy is sick right now. You can figure out how much they can cope with.”

Fitter was fortunate. Her breast cancer was early stage and contained. She had a bi-lateral mastectomy with no need for chemotherapy. The timing of her surgery coincided with the Affordable Care Act, guaranteeing that she could receive insurance coverage even though she had a pre-existing condition. Even so, Fitter knew that if she had no insurance, “Komen would have been there for me.”

The friends Fitter has made in the Wellington community were also there for her. When she moved to Wellington in 2005, she found it to be a welcoming, family-centered community, perfect for her own young family — a strong benefit she shares with those looking to move into the area as a Realtor with the K Company.

The circle of friends she made when her children were in preschool came together to rally around her during her breast cancer journey. They were also there for her last year when she celebrated her fourth cancer-free anniversary on Feb. 10, 2018, gathering together in her kitchen, where her daughter Talia recited a poem she had written. Her words brought tears to everyone in the room.

“That one phrase, ‘find the cure’ that didn’t mean anything to me before, suddenly became my whole world,” Talia wrote. “No, that one phrase, ‘find the cure,’ was all I thought about for the next few years… Now, it’s four years later… She is a fighter, she is my hero, she is who I aspire to be, and this whole time, she never gave up. See, now this ‘phrase’ means every little bit to me. It means bravery, and I never knew what bravery was until I saw it in my mom.”

Writing was Talia’s way to cope with her mother’s illness. Now she has taken the phrase “find the cure” one step further by joining the Komen South Florida Race for the Cure Junior Committee. In her mother’s honor, she has formed a race team at her school, Palm Beach Central High School, called “Lisa’s Warriors.”

Joining the Race for the Cure is something mother and daughter will do together on Jan. 26 in downtown West Palm Beach, with son Joshua and husband Rich at their side. Fitter is on the Survivor Committee, helping to recognize the hundreds of men and women who have fought her same battle. All will gather on the Meyer Amphitheatre stage at the conclusion of the race for the inspiring and emotional Survivor Recognition Ceremony.

This will be Fitter’s first race experience, the first time she has felt comfortable as a survivor coming forward in the larger community. She is grateful to help volunteer for the organization that saved her life. “I want to be able pay it forward,” Fitter said.

She and more than 10,000 supporters who come out for the Race for the Cure will help raise funds to take care of others like Fitter in the local community. Komen dedicates 75 percent of money raised to provide breast health education and breast cancer screenings and treatment in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties. Twenty-five percent is invested in breakthrough research benefiting breast cancer patients around the world.

“We’re able to be the first responders to breast cancer for thousands of women and men like Lisa because of the funds we raise through the Race for the Cure,” said Kate Watt, executive director of Susan G. Komen Florida. “The race is symbolic of our promise to never let anyone walk alone on her breast cancer journey.”

Fitter’s presence at the race will be a symbol, too, that with early detection and treatment, breast cancer is a battle that can be won. Just two weeks after the race, on Feb. 10, Fitter will mark her five-year cancer-free anniversary. In her daughter’s words, “she is a fighter… she never gave up.” Now she’s ready to be an inspiration to others.

Join or donate to Fitter’s team for the Race for the Cure, Lisa’s Warriors, at www.info-komen.org/goto/lisaswarriors, or create your own team by registering at www.komenflorida.org/race.

Also, be sure to take Lisa Fitter’s advice: get a mammogram every year to ensure early detection; if your mammogram is abnormal, have follow-up tests immediately; and if you have children and are diagnosed with breast cancer, be as open and honest as possible.

For more information, contact Susan G. Komen Florida at (561) 514-3020 or info@komenflorida.org, or find them on the web at www.komenflorida.org.

Carlucho Arellano USPA’s Man on a Mission

Ripples of change are percolating through the world of American polo, and the epicenter of that change can be found here in Wellington. Carlucho Arellano, the executive director of services for the United States Polo Association (USPA), is focused on making a big and positive impact on polo in the U.S.

Arellano is not interested in being a polo dignitary, who appears in photos and is seen at ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Instead, he wants to aggressively expand the polo universe in the U.S., which currently has roughly 5,800 polo players.

Arellano has been on the job for almost a year, and he hasn’t stopped promoting, publicizing and playing the sport since he took the position.

Of course, it’s also important to realize that Arellano is not an outsider with wild dreams and unrealistic expectations. His life is firmly entrenched in the sport and has been for years. “I started in the sport by grooming horses and cleaning out stalls,” Arellano said.

He was then given a chance to ride and play — and he hasn’t stopped.

Arellano was the Intercollegiate Player of the Year in 2000 while a student at the University of Virginia, and he has played several times in the U.S. Open Polo Championships. He remains active in the sport.

“I can still play, be competitive, and mix it up,” said the 40-year-old Arellano, who is currently a five-goaler.

It’s accurate to say that Arellano can “walk the walk and talk the talk.” During a recent interview, Arellano said that he has three main goals that he wants to achieve while serving in his current role with the USPA.

Firstly, he wants to get more young people playing polo. Secondly, he intends to put more emphasis on tournament play. Thirdly, he’s focused on raising the level of safety in the sport.

Along the way, he would like the U.S. to become the number one polo country in the world. Currently, Argentina rules the roost in world polo, while the U.S. and England are neck-and-neck for number two in the world.

In Argentina, polo is a way of life, where families have a legacy in the sport, he explained. Arellano is committed to bringing that same passion to the U.S.

To achieve that objective, he is working to boost interest in the sport from two different angles: from the grassroots up and from the top tier down.

At the grassroots level, Arellano is working to create more polo schools where the sport can be properly taught and developed.

“We are also in touch with more private polo families and private farms to get them involved in promoting the growth of our sport,” Arellano said.

While polo is known to be an expensive sport to play, Arellano counters by saying that it doesn’t take a big bank account to show an interest in the sport and learn to play, as he and his polo-playing brother Julio did.

Both were born in Nicaragua, but raised in Wellington, where they took care of horses, groomed them and fed them. “We did not have the same means we had in Nicaragua, so my brothers and I had to work hard if we wanted to play polo,” Arellano said.

Arellano explained how he and his associates at the USPA are working with American polo greats such as Adam Snow, Tommy Wayman and Mike Azzaro on having them sharing their expertise with young, talented, up-and-coming polo players.

According to Arellano, all three are great role models who are willing to share their knowledge, skills and experience with the next generation of American polo enthusiasts.

At polo events in Wellington, announcers are being trained to inform and educate those in attendance about what is happening on the field. Arellano explained that you can’t assume that everybody in attendance at a polo match truly understands what is taking place on the field and why.

“Every day, we are busy planting seeds of growth,” he stressed.

Another area of the sport that shows strong promise is with women’s polo. “Women’s polo is exploding,” Arellano said. “We have several great female polo players in the U.S.”

Arellano also noted that the USPA is updating and modernizing many of its instructional and educational videos, which people watch to learn about the sport.

At the top of the sport, Arellano wants to make the great events even better.

“I want to bring more prestige to our tournaments by having more prize money and getting more publicity and exposure,” Arellano said. “I really want to lift the quality of the sport.”

The three big events which he intends to make bigger are the C.V. Whitney Cup, the Gold Cup and the U.S. Open. All three events are contested in Wellington. The C.V. Whitney runs from Feb. 16 until early March, the Gold Cup takes place throughout most of March and the U.S. Open is held in April and concludes on April 21 to culminate the season.

The USPA is a sponsor of the new Gauntlet of Polo program that highlights these three tournaments by providing additional prize money.

Arellano is proud of the fact that every team entered into the U.S. Open this year has at least one American player on the squad.

Another feather in polo’s cap is getting CBS Sports to televise highlights from the finals of the U.S. Open, as it did last year. “It will probably be a 90-minute special,” Arellano said.

As for the issue of safety, by June 2020, all polo players will be required to wear a helmet that meets a certain minimum safety level, as determined by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE), which creates performance standards for safety gear in other sports, such as football, baseball, lacrosse, soccer, field hockey and ice hockey.

“We must raise the level of safety in the sport,” Arellano said.

As he approaches his one-year anniversary at the USPA, Arellano’s main goal is to, “gain the confidence of all polo clubs that I am committed to improving the sport.”

As time moves on, there’s one thing that Arellano would like to see happen, which will confirm that his grand plan is working.

“I want to still be the executive director when we have our next American 10-goaler,” Arellano said.

That sounds like the dream of a man on a mission.

Wellington High School Alum Finds A Home On The Trails

When she’s not running her second-grade classroom at Frontier Elementary School, Wellington High School graduate Lauren Starr is running the trails around her community. Today, Starr’s passion for trail running is right at home at Arden, where her family now calls home.

Growing up on Flying Cow Road and the surrounding area, Starr felt her best when spending time in the great outdoors. She was always outside playing with friends and family who shared her love of nature and an active way of life. “I dreamed of providing that same healthy lifestyle for my own children one day,” she said.

Today, she is living her dream with her husband and two children at Arden, a scenic community west of Wellington on Southern Blvd. designed to foster an active, outdoor lifestyle. Her family chose to settle down in Arden for its focus on healthy living and its many unique amenities that encourage a connection to nature.

“The first time we saw the community, we were immediately impressed by the amount of outdoor recreation and the five-acre farm on the property,” Starr recalled.

Arden is the first of its kind in South Florida — and among the few places in the country — to feature a farm as a central part of community life. “We could picture ourselves kayaking on the lakes, the kids playing in the parks and, of course, running the miles of trails,” she said.

Three to four days a week, you can find Starr running along the trails that meander around Arden. The property features an expertly mapped trail system with 20 miles of trails that wind around sparkling lakes and weave over grassy hills throughout the community. These trails provided a perfect place for Starr to train for the recent Key West Half Marathon.

“The trail loop I run is around nine miles,” she said. “One of the great things about Arden is all of the different areas to run and the different terrains along the trails.”

This range of terrain, from soft paths to steep hills, has allowed Starr to build up the stamina that she has needed for all of her races. She appreciates that the community’s trail system was designed by a member of Arden’s development team that runs ultra-marathons, which are races that extend beyond the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles.

Since she hit the ground running several years ago, Starr has completed six half marathons, along with a number of 5K and 10K races. She is now skipping the marathon circuit and racing ahead to ultra-marathons.

Starr enjoys running with the local group Down to Run (DTR). This company supports a variety of trail-running events, organizations and athletes with a passion for trails and nature. Founded in 2012 by a group of avid runners, DTR promotes a healthier lifestyle and empowers athletes to discover the positive changes that trail running brings to life.

A natural-born trail runner, Starr’s favorite race is the Full Moon Night Trail Run at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound, which is sponsored by DTR. As its name suggests, the race is run at night, and all of the runners rely on headlamps and the light of the full moon to guide their paths. She loves this race because it’s a natural adventure where she’s surrounded by wildlife while tackling the challenging terrain of the park, from pine woods to mangroves and river swamps.

Starr’s current goal is to run in the DTR Endurance Challenge in April, which is also at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. With this 50K daytime race, she will be able to enjoy the natural beauty and wildlife of the park, while running its miles of demanding trails.

But running these races will require plenty of training, which she is tackling by hitting the miles of trails around her Arden home. She is also in the process of starting a trail running group within the community, bringing together other like-minded running enthusiasts with a love of the great outdoors.

While she’s focused on her training, Starr is always happy to smile and wave at friendly neighbors strolling along the trails or enjoying their evening bike rides. She also enjoys stopping to meet new faces that keep arriving as the development continues to grow and new families move in.

“One of the best things about living at Arden is the strong sense of community,” she said. “Many of our new neighbors have kids, so we all sit outside together in the evenings, the kids playing and the parents chatting.”

Her family also enjoys the lively gatherings and seasonal events hosted by the community’s lifestyle director that bring all of the neighbors together.

While Starr sees herself running for many years to come, her favorite part will always be running home to her family in the Arden community she loves.

Mariano Aguerre Still Commands The Field, 30 Years After Taking
The Polo World By Storm

Mariano Aguerre is one of the best polo players of his generation. The Argentine superstar’s résumé is loaded with impressive major championships, highlighted by U.S. Open titles in 2005 with White Birch and in 2014 with Alegria.

Aguerre has also won nine USPA Gold Cup titles and nine Argentine Open championships. His first major titles were in 1987, winning the USPA Gold Cup and the International Open when he was 18 years old playing for White Birch at Palm Beach Polo. His acrobatic style helped White Birch win the 1988 World Cup, and Aguerre was named Most Valuable Player as a 4-goaler.

“I said it before, and I’ll say it again: polo is not what I do, it’s what I am,” said Aguerre, who is still going strong as he approaches his 50th birthday on May 25.

Aguerre returns for another high-goal season in Wellington, anchoring Annabelle Gundlach’s Postage Stamp Farm team during the 22-goal tournaments at the International Polo Club Palm Beach. He is excited about their prospects.

“We have a great organization, and horse-wise, I think we will be up there,” said Aguerre, who achieved a 10-goal handicap in the United States in 1994 and in Argentina in 1998 and kept the sport’s top ranking for nearly two decades. “It’s such a competitive season. Chemistry is going to be the key to succeed.”

Aguerre has been playing at a high level in Wellington for more than 30 years, starting with Peter Brant’s legendary White Birch team as a teenager. A natural left-hander who has to play right-handed because of the sport’s safety rules, Aguerre learned how to play from his father, Martin, and older brother, Martin Jr. Aguerre blossomed under tutoring from icons Hector Barrantes and Gonzalo Pieres Sr. when he joined White Birch, beginning his meteoric rise to 10 goals.

“Mariano is a complete horseman,” Brant said. “His passion for horses extends beyond just excelling at playing polo. He is also a student of breeding and raising and training a horse, and at the same time has acquired an impeccable eye for confirmation and movement of the horse. This gives him an incredible advantage. He has spent a great deal of time studying every aspect of a horse that plays polo at the very top level.”

In addition to his prowess on the field, Aguerre has become a well-respected horse breeder through Los Machitos, which he founded with Australian Nick Manifold and Naco Taverna.

Manifold first met Aguerre in Argentina in 1988 and they became friends when he went to work at White Birch two years later. They started Los Machitos in 1995. Based in Argentina, Los Machitos ponies have played around the world in the sport’s top tournaments.

“I’m very fortunate to have come across him, a great friend and business partner, who helped those around him grow,” said Manifold, who is a 5-goaler. “Being one of the best horsemen, along with his knowledge of the game, led him to be one of the greatest players. Mariano is famous for being continuously well-mounted and always with great organizations behind him.”

While horses are the key to success for any polo player, Aguerre’s immense talent and his aggressive, mercurial style make him a fan favorite.

“Mariano is a very competitive player who at the same time keeps cool while he strategizes his next play,” Brant said. “After the game, Mariano is a sweetheart who doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. He is one of my very closest friends.”

Aguerre hesitated before describing his style of play, but he acknowledged that he enjoys the competition.

“I try to accommodate what the team needs,” said Aguerre, who is currently rated at 8 goals in the U.S. “I’m willing to change things to what the team needs. I enjoy setting up plays more than making goals, probably, so you could say I’m a setup guy.”

While Aguerre has had numerous memorable moments in the U.S. while competing in Wellington during the winter and in Greenwich, Conn., during the summer, he was quick to pick his favorite.

“Winning the U.S. Open with White Birch for the first time [is my favorite],” said Aguerre, who began riding when he was three and started playing in tournaments at age 6 on small ponies in his native Buenos Aires. “It was so hard for us to win it. We lost four finals before we won it. As a team, that’s the most memorable. Being inducted into the Polo Hall of Fame [in 2017] was so great, because of what it means. It’s a personal achievement; I’ve been recognized individually. I’m honored, proud to be a part of it. I’ve been blessed.”

Off the field, Aguerre is quick to smile and to laugh. But he can also be very serious.

“Mariano is a very kind and intelligent person who is a fan of all sports and one of the most competitive people I know,” Manifold said. “He’s an avid hard-lined [Argentine soccer super-power] Boca Junior fan, an aficionado of the arts and has a real passion being a self-taught fly fisherman.”

Aguerre also enjoys golf, and he usually spent Mondays at various local courses earlier in his career. Now married with four children, he doesn’t golf as much. He is married to Tatiana Pieres, daughter of Gonzalo Pieres Sr., and they have three daughters, Sofia, Lola and Carmen, and one son, Antonio.

“Having kids is something. It changes everything, of course,” Aguerre said. “It goes beyond polo. The way of life, the way you put things in perspective. It doesn’t change the way I play, how I focus before games. But off the field, it’s completely different when you have kids.”

Aguerre, like many players, spends most of his day around the horses, whether it’s at the barn, stick-and-balling, playing in a practice or a tournament game, or riding singles. Getting everything ready is what the general public doesn’t see. They see the game, the excitement, the majesty. Aguerre puts in the necessary time to continue to excel at a high level.

“Mariano is first of all a family man,” Brant said. “Along with his lovely partner and wife Tatiana, they have built a great family — a family that the whole polo world should be very proud of.”

World’s Best Polo Players Come Together To Benefit Injured And Ill Players And Grooms

The annual Lucchese 40-Goal Polo Challenge will return to the International Polo Club Palm Beach on Saturday, Feb. 16 to benefit the Polo Players Support Group, which has provided more than $2.5 million to 80 seriously injured or ill players and grooms.

While Wellington plays host to thrilling polo each winter season, it’s rare for spectators to have the opportunity to cheer on the top-ranked polo players in the world all in a single game. However, every year on the Saturday of President’s Day weekend, eight of the best players come together to play the highest-rated polo match in North America — the Lucchese 40-Goal Polo Challenge.

Hosted at the International Polo Club, the star-studded event is the marquee fundraiser for the Polo Players Support Group, a nonprofit charitable organization that provides financial assistance to seriously injured and ill players and grooms in the polo community. Since its inception in 2002, the PPSG has awarded assistance grants of more than $2.5 million to 80 players and grooms in need.

The inspiration for the organization was the 1995 injury to 8-goal polo player Rob Walton, who suffered a spinal cord injury from a polo-related accident in Malaysia. Arena polo benefits were held for Walton from 1997 through 1999, which led to the 2000 Outback 40-Goal benefit at Royal Palm Polo in Boca Raton.

The match was an outstanding success as a fundraiser and as a polo social event. It was then that Dave Offen, Tony Coppola and Tim Gannon founded the Polo Players Support Group to provide financial assistance to seriously injured or ill polo players and grooms. “The PPSG is here to help those members of our polo family who could have easily been forgotten,” Gannon said.

The Outback 40-Goal Challenge moved to International Polo Club Palm Beach in 2005. The event earned a reputation as a fun, casual charity event with great food and outstanding auction items, including the player’s jerseys, with Adolfo Cambiaso’s holding the record of $50,000.

In 2018, the Lucchese 40-Goal Polo Challenge raised more than $380,000. This year, the 2019 Lucchese 40-Goal Polo Challenge returns to the International Polo Club Palm Beach with the goal of raising $500,000.

“As awareness has grown, so has the demand for assistance grants,” Offen said. “Currently, the PPSG assists half a dozen players and grooms who will likely need help for the rest of their lives, which amounts to well over $100,000 per year.”

Offen is proud of his work with the organization.

“Being a co-founder and executive director of the PPSG has been the most rewarding experience in my life,” Offen said. “I have gotten to know players and, more specifically, grooms and their families, who I likely would never have met. I am very fortunate to get to know these people and be the recipient of their gratitude.”

This year’s event is dedicated to the grooms, who are integral to the sport of polo. In 2002, groom Ruben Repollo was stabbed eight times and survived, although that was just the beginning. Repollo’s story includes fellow grooms who looked after him and doctors who provided several pro bono surgeries.

Others, such as Justin Pimsner and Joi Rodriguez, survived horrible truck and trailer accidents, both requiring multiple surgeries and extensive rehab. Hector Machado was a groom who lost his battle with cancer. Hopefully, by January 2019, Luis Martinez will have had his kidney transplant and will be on his way to recovery after being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. These and dozens of other examples were made possible by the charitable funds raised at the annual 40-Goal Polo Challenge.

Hot off the 2018 Argentine polo season, World No. 1 Adolfo Cambiaso, as well as the Pieres brothers, Gonzalito, Facundo and Nico, are expected to make their returns to the Lucchese 40-Goal Polo Challenge.

Cambiaso, a veteran of the sport and the charitable event, has participated in the 40-Goal Polo Challenge 16 times and is a steady crowd favorite. In 2018, the youngest of the Pieres polo dynasty, Nico Pieres, made his debut at the event. Proving to be a great rival on the field, Nico was awarded the Tito’s Handmade Vodka Longshot of the Day award.

“It is good fun and always a pleasure to play polo with these amazing players. It’s good to be a part of it,” Nico Pieres said.

Among other notable 10-goalers expected to return to the field in 2019 are Sapo Caset and Hilario Ulloa. Having been involved every year since 2012, Caset is committed to the greater purpose of his event.

“Dave Offen is the one behind all of this, and I think it’s a great idea to get all of the 10-goalers together to play an exciting exhibition match and help raise funds to support those in need,” Caset said. “This is all for charity, and it’s great that we do this to help players, grooms and other people around polo if they had an injury or are ill. I feel good to be a part of the event, and we should continue being involved in this way.”

For tickets, information or to make a donation, visit www.polosupport.com.

Zenni Family Looks To the Future After Surprise U.S. Open Victory

Jared Zenni and his family’s polo organization have come a long way in a short time. In his first attempt, Zenni helped his Daily Racing Form foursome capture the coveted U.S. Open Polo Championship last April, upsetting tournament favorite Valiente in last season’s finale at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.

To put that feat into perspective, White Birch, the pre-eminent team of its era during the 1980s and 1990s, won its only U.S. Open title after four previous visits to the final. And Valiente, currently the top polo team in North America, lost in the U.S. Open final twice before raising the trophy in 2015 and 2017.

“There’s not really a better way to following up a U.S. Open win,” said the 23-year-old Zenni, who had his handicap raised from 5 to 6 goals for the 2019 season. “We are going to try our best in all three of the tournaments in the 22-goal series [at IPC], but we will see what happens.”

Zenni will be joined by 6-goalers Agustin Obregon and Santi Cernada, and 4-goaler Geronimo Obregon, in defense of the U.S. Open crown. A record 16 teams have entered the U.S. Open, being held at IPC for the 16th consecutive year. No team has won back-to-back U.S. Open titles since Zacara accomplished the feat in 2012 and 2013.

Zenni is confident about his team’s chances, especially because of his horse power, which is one of the major keys to any team’s success.

“We should be in a very good position,” said Zenni, who will be playing the No. 4 position, just like last season. “I have the same string I had last year, and I’m going to bring a few up from Argentina.”

Veteran player Luis Escobar, who is based in Wellington year-round, has played in the U.S. Open numerous times and was Zenni’s teammate when he was first starting out. Daily Racing Form was a team put together at the last-minute, Escobar noted.

“It was a great outcome for polo. Nobody expected them to win. They beat two of the biggest organizations in polo in Wellington — in Grand Champions and Valiente,” he said. “To go out there and beat those two organizations, it’s more than winning the U.S. Open. It’s a huge accomplishment.”

Last year, Daily Racing Form began to organize its U.S. Open team just a few months before the winter season began. Most teams begin about a year prior to the tournament. Of course, Daily Racing Form also had 10-goaler Hilario Ulloa as its linchpin. This year, they are going with a more balanced foursome.

Zenni and his father Jim are not strangers to polo in Wellington. They have played together and separately over the years. Last year, they were teammates and reached the Joe Barry Memorial Cup final while playing for Villa del Lago, the family equestrian facility in Wellington. However, they have played under different team names, usually companies owned by the elder Zenni, such as Daily Racing Form, Modere or Equine Liquid BioCell.

They have been competitive, winning the Herbie Pennell Cup and Iglehart Cup in 2017 and reaching the Joe Barry Memorial Cup final in 2018 at IPC. And the younger Zenni also won the $100,000 World Cup at the Grand Champions Polo Club.

Polo roots run deep in the Zenni family. Jim learned the sport from his father, and Jared learned from his father, often going with him to the fields. His two older sisters participated in the hunter-jumper arena when they were younger but have since stopped.

Zenni played other sports growing up, but he became more and more interested in polo until it was his primary interest.

It is certainly an interest that he has made the most of. Zenni, who was a 1-goaler at 14 years old, has put together plans to continue to improve. He is a member of Team USPA, a United States Polo Association program designed to improve and grow the sport of polo in the U.S. by identifying young, talented American players and providing training and playing opportunities.

Another improvement strategy that Zenni has employed is playing in Argentina, the worldwide mecca of the sport. He recently traveled there for his third consecutive season, but it was the first time that he qualified to compete in the Argentine Open and the Hurlingham Open, two of the three most important tournaments in South America.

Zenni played the No. 4 position for the 28-goal La Canada-Daily Racing Form in the tournaments that featured two 40-goal teams. Although they lost all eight games in the two tournaments, it did not dim Zenni’s enthusiasm for the experience. “This year has been special because we classified for Hurlingham and Palermo, which put us up against the best teams in the world,” Zenni explained. “Playing in Argentina makes you a better player in all aspects. Playing against better competition and playing at their pace and skill really makes you a better player.”

Zenni is continuing his polo career while also pursuing his degree in marketing and finance at the University of Miami. His goals include trying to win another U.S. Open and becoming more of a staple in the Argentine Triple Crown. The elder Zenni is not expected to play at IPC during the upcoming season.

“Jared is a good guy, and he works hard at it,” said Escobar, who will be competing for Santa Clara in the 22-goal season at IPC. “I think he will keep going up in handicap. He’ll get far.”

Smooth Leadership Change Passes The Torch At Wellington’s Award-Winning Rec Program

The Village of Wellington said goodbye to Parks & Recreation Director Bruce DeLaney recently and welcomed longtime village employee Eric Juckett into the top role at Wellington’s award-winning Parks & Recreation Department.

DeLaney spent 24 years with Wellington and is one of the pillars of its longtime success in the recreation sector. He has held the department’s top post for the past 10 years.

Arriving in 1994, DeLaney witnessed first-hand the growth and development of Wellington from the days before the community’s incorporation.

“When I started with the village, it was still the Acme Improvement District, and we had virtually no facilities. It was first getting started,” DeLaney recalled. “As the years went by, it developed, we built more facilities and became a village — and everything seemed to explode from there.”

Working in parks and recreation wasn’t always a part of DeLaney’s career path. He traces the beginning of that relationship back to family.

“It just kind of happened. I moved here from Cleveland with my wife and family, working with John Hancock Financial Services for 18 years,” he said. “The children were young, and I volunteered in a couple of programs to help coach and things like that. The recreation program was in the initial stages.”

As it became obvious to him how recreational programs would continue to grow, DeLaney decided to take a chance by changing careers. He began as an athletics coordinator, moved up to athletics manager, and in 2009 became the director of the department.

“I’m most proud of the staff that we built together. What we’ve ended with over there and this adventure that we are on is awesome. There are dedicated people. They come and are totally invested in what we are doing,” DeLaney said. “Once we got to that point, then everyday was a good time. We are all on the same page, and when everybody is on the same page, you get to be able to accomplish things.”

The programs offered during his years as director yielded many accolades for the Village of Wellington. In addition, the department achieved accreditation from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA), a national standard of best practices given for excellence in both operations and services.

After dedicating years of service in working hard so that others can play, DeLaney is ready to spend some of his own time recreating with family.

“We’re looking forward to the various holidays like the Fourth of July. When working those events, you’re not with family,” said DeLaney, who recently moved to live closer to his son, daughter and granddaughter. “I have a boat and plan on doing some fishing. I’ve let my golf game go down the tubes, and now maybe I’ll pick that up again.”

The most effective leaders are those who have a long-term plan for growth, even after leaving a post. Juckett, DeLaney’s successor, is ready to tackle the challenge of filling the longtime director’s shoes.

“Eric is going to do a great job,” DeLaney said. “He’s a smart guy and going to do great things, especially with the people there.”

Juckett is a Florida native who was born in West Palm Beach and grew up in Royal Palm Beach. He has since made Wellington his permanent home. With an entire professional career being tied to parks and recreation, he is proud to be a part of the Village of Wellington team.

“I started out as a part-time life guard while in college, then I became a full-time lead life guard. Then I was an aquatics supervisor, became aquatics manager and now the director,” Juckett explained. “I love sports, being outside and engaging with the youth. If you had asked me, though, I did not envision being in parks and recreation.”

Yet since his second year working for Wellington, Juckett knew he wanted to stay and raise his family here.

“This is a rare field where you can see people happy,” Juckett said. “You can’t put a price on it. You can’t measure the smiles or a parent’s happiness when seeing their child succeed.”

That feeling is something Juckett understands on a personal level, too. On the occasions when he has free time, it revolves around his family.

“Now that my son is four, my hobbies are what he’s into. He played t-ball, and I was an assistant coach. It was very rewarding,” Juckett said.

The ties back to family and people is a recurring theme with both the former and new director.

“The value of parks and recreation truly is that it is for anyone and everyone, and it gives them the opportunity to enjoy life,” DeLaney said. “Put some of the struggles and stress behind you. Watch your kids participate, and you get to participate, too.”

Juckett is ready to continue DeLaney’s work and keep the department constantly evolving based on what the people want.

“I’m a big proponent of keeping residents in Wellington. Programs will always be a staple, but people also want family events,” Juckett said. “I enjoy seeing people thrive in Wellington.”

While the department goes through this well-planned transition, the focus will remain the same: providing residents with the best park facilities and finest recreation programs available.

Learn more about Wellington’s Parks & Recreation Department at www.wellingtonfl.gov.

Wellington Holiday Parade To Honor Longtime Organizer Dennis Witkowski As Grand Marshal On Sunday, Dec. 9

Wellington’s Holiday Parade is 35 years old — older than the Village of Wellington itself. Presented by the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce, this year’s parade on Sunday, Dec. 9 will give attendees a chance to thank its visionary organizer, Dennis Witkowski, who will be honored as this year’s grand marshal.

As self-effacing as he is popular, Witkowski never would have agreed to such a thing, so the vote was taken when he was absent.

“Dennis missed a committee meeting, and we took that opportunity to make him grand marshal,” laughed Mary Lou Bedford, CEO of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce. “Typically, the grand marshal rides in front, but because Dennis organizes the entire parade, he’ll come up right before Santa Claus at the end.”

Witkowski envisioned the parade when Wellington, then an unincorporated community, was in its infancy. As people began to move to the area, and the first chamber of commerce was formed, he wanted a signature event to bring the western communities together. He brought his idea to the chamber board, and the rest is history.

“It’s half of my life. I’m 71 now,” Witkowski said. “In the beginning, my line was that I did it because I wanted to give something back to the community that had been so good to me.”

Over time, however, Witkowski came to a realization. “It’s not only doing something for the community — the parade gives me so much. The parade feeds me, I don’t feed it. It’s so rewarding; it gives me a warmth all over. I love it! I look forward to it all year,” he said. “It’s a love of my life; the next thing to family to me. It’s like an extra child — something I birthed and helped grow up. It’s part of my fabric.”

Witkowski estimates that when the parade was born in 1983, there were about 6,000 people living in Wellington. The first few parades attracted about 3,000 spectators.

“Now we have 3,000 participants in the parade, and about 20,000 spectators,” he said. “We have 10 marching bands, up from two. When we started, there was no commercial business on State Road 7 at all. There was one orange orchard near Forest Hill where you could get a glass of orange juice and look at an alligator. Now there are 60,000 residents in Wellington alone, and the parade is the same great blending of the community that it has always been — the deputies and firemen working in concert with the Village of Wellington and the chamber to make it the seamless event that it is.”

Witkowski is particularly proud of the fact that many of the early decisions made regarding the parade were good decisions — the staging, the dispersal, the order of march and, of course, the route. Not much of that has changed in 35 years.

The Holiday Parade will step off at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9, and run along Forest Hill Blvd. from the original Wellington Mall at Wellington Trace to the Wellington Community Center.

“A few times over the years, people wanted to consider a different route,” Witkowski recalled. “They talked about moving it to different communities, or down South Shore Blvd. due to traffic concerns. But the fact that we’ve had consistency is another wonderful part of it. Come that Sunday in December, everybody knows where it starts and where it ends. It inconveniences travel on Forest Hill for a few hours a year, but that’s a small price to pay. The crowds get bigger each year, and people sign up earlier, and everyone’s excited to know what the theme is so they can start planning for it earlier.”

This year’s parade theme, by the way, is “Holiday in Paradise.”

The floats, the marching bands, the dancers — everyone has their favorite part of the parade, including Witkowski himself.

“My favorite entries are the littlest ones,” he said. “The mothers are always concerned if they’re going to be able to walk that far, but they always make it. A couple of people now serving on the Wellington Village Council remember being in the parade as children, and now their kids are in it.”

Witkowski can relate to that. “One of the dearest memories that my wife Maureen and I share is of the first year, when my kids were riding in the back of a horse-drawn wagon,” he recalled. “The wagon hit a bump, and one of my sons fell out. No one let him move until we came to take him to the emergency room. He was complaining of a buzzing in his head, and we were worried he had a concussion. It turned out that a beetle had crawled into his ear while he was lying on the ground.”

Bedford said that Witkowski is a great family man, businessman and leader. “Our crew is so great, and Dennis gets them to pull together,” she said. “On parade day, he stands up there, very imposing, like a conductor. It doesn’t hurt that he’s tall, of course, but he’s just such a good person. The other volunteers work to line everyone up, and Dennis paces everybody and greets them all. It’s a labor of love that he does with enthusiasm.”

For more information about the Wellington Holiday Parade, call (561) 790-6200 or visit www.cpbchamber.com/holiday-parade.

Wellington Dinner Dance Marks 31 Years Serving
Boys & Girls Club

The Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington will be holding its largest fundraiser of the year on Friday, Jan. 4, 2019 at the Wycliffe Golf & Country Club. Proceeds will directly benefit the educational programs of the organization, one of 13 Boys & Girls Club locations serving nearly 8,600 Palm Beach County children between the ages of 6 and 18.

Founded in 1971, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County is a not-for-profit youth development organization dedicated to promoting the educational, vocational, health, leadership and character of boys and girls in a safe, nurturing environment. Clubs like Wellington’s provide more than a fun and constructive alternative to being home alone — they offer a variety of award-winning developmental programs to help youth build skills, self-esteem and values during critical periods of growth. Club sites are intentionally located in resource-constrained neighborhoods throughout Palm Beach County, bridging the financial opportunity gap between various communities.

“It is an honor and a pleasure to have the opportunity to give back to the Wellington community,” said Nicolette Goldfarb, chair of the Wellington Dinner Dance and recently elected chair of the club’s advisory board.

Goldfarb’s 2019 co-chairs include Georgina Bloomberg, Dr. Ramprasad Gopalan, Julie Khanna and Marley Goodman-Overman. Honorary chairs are Dr. Edward and Maria Becker, Eric and Jennifer Goldman, and John and Julie Kime.

The event is one of the most anticipated highlights of Wellington’s social season, attracting high-profile equestrians, philanthropists and community leaders. The Wycliffe clubhouse will be magically transformed into an exquisite secret garden. Cocktails begin at 6:30 p.m. with plenty of time for browsing the large silent auction.

Attire is optional black tie. Dinner and dancing will begin at 7:30 p.m. Returning by request for this year’s live entertainment will be the Miami-based band HyRyZe. Crafting a cross-cultural musical platform, HyRyZe evokes and samples favorite artists with an eclectic approach bursting with energy, soul and fun. The multi-talented instrumentalists and vocalists will again have guests excited to dance the night away.

A committee made up of dedicated members of the Wellington community has come together to plan the gala and continue the club’s legacy. “Each dedicated chair and committee member brings something extraordinary to the table. They are instrumental in achieving our goal of enhancing the lives of youth,” said Jaene Miranda, CEO and president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, who is deeply grateful for the group’s time and dedication to the mission of the Wellington club.

The Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club Dinner Dance Committee members for 2019 include Mariam Abram, Susan Ferraro, Shelly B. Goodman, Dr. Colette Brown Graham, Heidi Harland, Crystal Hochman, Kimberly Leland, Jennifer Martinez, Kila Mistry, Dr. Druhti Pandit, Dr. Daxa Patel, Charlene Ramos, Lindsay Strafuss, Kathryn Walton and Becky Wisnicki.

Through quality programs, the club experience gives children the guidance they need to make a healthy transition from childhood to young adulthood. The Boys & Girls Club model has received the highest effectiveness rating from the National Dropout Prevention Center. Club members graduate at a higher rate than the general population. Regular attendees perform better in school, make healthier choices and volunteer thousands of hours. Although nationally recognized, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County is locally run, responsible for raising its own funds, allowing every site to be responsive to the specific needs of the neighborhood and youth served.

The Wellington Dinner Dance has been instrumental in the club’s expansion plans, which included a $3.6 million, 22,500-square-foot state-of-the-art facility that transformed the Boys & Girls Club presence in Wellington five years ago and now provides after-school care for hundreds more local children in need. Today, more than 450 youth benefit from such programs at the Wellington club, which features a full gym, computer room, dance and music studios, and game rooms.

While Wellington has an average household income of nearly $90,000, more than 63 percent of club children live in households with annual incomes less than $40,000.

Goldfarb said that her fellow committee members are an incredibly dedicated group of volunteers, drawn from a wide cross section of our community. “Together, we use our various areas of expertise to bring quality programming to a growing number of area youth. By setting young people on a path to a bright future, we ensure a more positive future for us all,” she said.

Sponsorships and underwriting opportunities for the Jan. 4 event are available at all levels. For more info., contact Christine Martin at (561) 683-3287 or cmartin@bgcpbc.org. Individual tickets are $250 per person and available at www.bgcpbc.org.