The Eastern USA has a long history of women’s polo, but until recently, it had no permanent central location where a large number of teams play regularly. The rebirth of women’s polo in the east struggled for a home until 2001, when forces came together once again in the small town of Aiken. Karen Pimsner started up a women’s polo tournament and each year women have clamored to attend.
Photo: Karen Pimsner at Debii $$ Ladies Tournament, Eldorado Polo Club 2003.
Just over the Georgia border, the enchanting little town of Aiken which has sat practically dormant on women’s polo since the last world war, draws top national players and has awakened to find itself right back in the limelight of women’s polo. It was Aiken, of course, that the legendary Mrs. Thomas Hitchcock, mother of the great 10-goal Tommy, pioneered women’s participation in the game.
Karen Pimsner (KP) and Susan Stovall (SS) both veteran 1-goal players, organize and compete in two premier events in the USA. Lucky enough to play with Susan and unlucky enough to play against Karen I recently spoke with them about women’s polo in the States.
Can a traveler without horses or a team come to your club to learn, practice or compete?
SS We can always take care of people who are coming in and who don’t have horses. We have lots of barns that have horses for rent - Eldorado does not own any horses. If a whole team is coming, needless to say the more advance notice the better. I try to be as honest as possible about charges, the fields and the competition, so that they are not disappointed.
KP - Yes, there are so many equestrian activities in Aiken. Ponies can be arranged, and there are several options to take lessons on anything from riding to hitting penalties.
Photo: Susan Stovall Debii $$ Tournament 2003.
Polo teaches tenacity and courage. How do you justify or accept the risk of the sport?
SS - Nowadays, I think women are learning tenacity and courage off the fields because women are in command in the work force. They play for fun, meet lots of new people and travel. I think our attitude is that we find the competition a challenge.
KP - Polo is a physical game, yes, but even more so a mental game. It is an excellent way to hone your reaction time and split second decisions. The faster the polo the quicker you need to think. It takes practice to fall into that quick, quick, quick pattern. All sports are risky - life is risky. You minimize the risks by planning, riding good livestock and practicing with better players than yourself.
Women players come in all shapes, size and socio-economic backgrounds. What are some of the qualities you see in the great women players?
SS - Women can probably ride better that most men. No question the best players are athletes and probably would excel in any sport had they the time. I was a pretty good tennis player and enjoy golf. Hand eye coordination is a major key in the success of a good polo player
KP - Great women players all have one thing in common - the opportunity to play on good horses, in good company often. They focus on their own particular goals and practice a lot.
What do you like most about women’s polo?
SS - Women’s polo brings a lot of interesting personalities together. You chat with some of the women off the field and have no idea how fierce they can be on the field. It opens your eyes to the depth of some of these individuals - and of course the travel is a great bonus.
KP - The thing I like most about women’s polo is that you see women who, generally speaking, make the wheels turn in the greater polo world by grooming or training horses, or who are married to a professional player, finally getting the chance to go out and actually play the game they love. They enjoy the sport in a competitive environment, where all that hard work with the horses they love pays off. It also help the women who work the horses understand better what the player needs from the horses.
Recently, you came to the Aiken/Indio tournament. What was your impression of the east-west coast polo?
SS -I think some of the east coast ladies playing are just like our weekend players here at Eldorado. I did notice there were several lady sponsors or patrons that we don’t have here. The polo is pretty much the same.
KP -West coast players are like female players anywhere - tough and serious about their game. California is special in that women are an accepted part of most teams. There are a lot of polo fields in the desert and great weather, so the women get a long season and lots of practice, which is crucial to improvement. Susan Stovall has long been a key figure in getting women players out on the field and including them on teams in the leagues.
What is it like to travel and play? Where have you been?
SS - I have been so lucky! I think probably many people heard my name because of my being at Eldorado for so long. The hardest part of traveling is the horses you end up playing - I have had every type - you have to remember that some one else’s best horse - I may not be able to ride one side of it. I have been to Canada, all over the US, including Hawaii, and have played in Jamaica, England, Germany, Argentina and Australia. I would like to go to South Africa and Singapore.
KP - I have played in Calgary, New York, Washington State, Wyoming, Texas, California, Florida, Hawaii, and of course Aiken and Charleston. I am in a position where I can travel a bit more now, independently, and I look forward to new places every year.
Do you think women have an obligation to bring other players into the sport, or give back to the sport? How can that be accomplished?
SS - I don’t think women should necessarily bring in other players - we just do it naturally because we’re so crazy about the sport, the horses, the parties, the green grass, the open space and of course lots of good-looking men. Also, most of the ‘meat and potatoes’ and leg work of smaller polo clubs is done by the women. They seem to enjoy working with the charities and the community, and seem to be better at it.
KP -Women should, and do, encourage other women to play. I give back to polo by organizing the women’s tournament in Aiken, and finding housing and horses for it. I serve on the USPA women’s polo tournament committee and organize and run a ‘pee wee’ polo programme for kids in Aiken. At last count it included twenty-seven youngsters. Most players give back to the sport in many ways.
Women’s tennis has won prime time spot from the men because of the contrast in the players, and the potent combination of strength, talent, beauty and brashness. Does women’s polo have some of those same ingredients and, if so, how could spectatorship improve for it?
SS - There is so much hype about being 10 goals that I don’t think the ladies will ever get the attention that high-goalers do. We have some great ladies’ games here, and spectators love them. The best way to get more spectators is to get sponsorship, or at least women’s groups like the American Association of University Women or Soroptimist to be special guests for the day. They can then see the potential of an event as a charity or benefit.
KP - Absolutely! Sponsorship and advertising are key issues in spectator attendance at any event.
To raise awareness of our sport could women’s polo benefit from a few celebrity players? Don’t you think Demi Moore or Jennifer Garner would have potential?
SS - Definitely celebrities add to the attraction of the polo, but the biggest problem from the polo player’s viewpoint is sometimes they are not very good. It’s mostly because celebrities don’t have the time - they are very hard-working people, despite what everyone seems to think. Anyone who is the least bit co-coordinated can be a player, as long as they love horses.
KP - I’m not sure if celebrity players are the answer - we have several of them now.
If a prestigious company wanted to align itself with a women’s tournament, should they contact you directly?
SS - We have an on-site corporate salesperson, Randy Russell - that’s if you did have a sponsor. I would have them contact Randy directly after I had chatted with them.
KP - Any sponsor can contact me directly. Polo is high profile to begin with, and sponsors get their money out of sponsoring not only one team in a sport, but a whole tournament.
The history of women’s polo in the USA, and the major part played by the town of Aiken, will be reviewed in a forthcoming issue of PQinternational.
