Sport of Princes

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Jon Luke Beck hardly lost any speed as he dismounted his polo pony and sprinted toward the horse trailer at halftime.

After grabbing a sports drink, Beck quickly headed back to the polo field to get back in on the action as the Sarasota Polo Club hosted its first Junior Polo Exhibition March 2. Beck, one of the youngest players practicing at the club, enjoyed a four-chukker match with other youth players ages 12 to 23.

Typically, the younger players practice with adults and don’t get to play full matches with individuals their age, Polo Club Manager Maggie Mitchell said.

“I like it a lot more,” Beck had said of riding with his peers. “It’s more fun with kids — not as intimidating.”
“My whole family plays, so that’s fun,” he said. “I like riding. The combination is good.”

Within minutes, Beck and seven other riders were off chasing a polo ball across an emerald green field.

Mitchell, who sat in the back of her sport-utility vehicle to keep score of the match, said the Sarasota Polo Club decided to host the event at the suggestion of Polo Club resident and veteran polo player George Alexander.

“You don’t normally see children this young playing,” Mitchell said, noting two 12- and 13-year-old riders were paired with two 20-something riders on each four-person team. “They are all (pretty) good players. It’s fun to watch them get better every time they play.”

Alexander said the younger polo players can be intimated while playing with more seasoned riders, so with a fairly large group of children frequenting the polo grounds this year, hosting a junior polo exhibition just seemed like a logical next step.

“It was a nice opportunity for them to get together and show what they can do,” he said. “They’re going to be taking over this sport one day, and we want to encourage them.”

Polo player and coach Brent Mirikatani, who instructs the junior polo group each Wednesday with fellow player Juan Martinez-Baez, agreed.

“It’s nice for them,” Mirikatani said. “A lot of times they are playing with adults because there aren’t enough young players to do a (youth league).”

So far this winter, many of the youths who played in the Youth Exhibition also have been practicing with some amateur and professional players at the club, including Jaymie Klauber, who owns the Polo Grill and Bar and Fete Catering with her husband Tommy.

“It’s just fun,” 12-year-old Eddie Margalef, who is wintering in Sarasota with his family, said of the sport. “It’s the joy of being able to play with friends. You can get competitive and you can ride hard, but you are out there to have fun.”

For more information about the Sarasota Polo Club or to see a schedule of upcoming events, visit www.sarasotapolo.com.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].