Aspen World Snow Polo Championship

Aspen World Snow Polo Championship An annual snow polo tournament set in the majestic setting of Aspen, Colorado.

12/21/2015

Photos by Nick Tininenko

12/21/2015

U.S. Polo Assn. wins Aspen World Snow Polo Championship

A stellar team effort by the U.S. Polo Assn. (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini and Nic Roldan) Saturday afternoon at Aspen’s Rio Grande Park carried them to a resounding 10-5 win over a powerful Flexjet team (Melissa Ganzi, Juan Bollini and Jeff Hall) as they rode off with the 2015 St. Regis World Sow Polo Championship before an enthusiastic crowd in the Colorado ski resort town.
The two teams parried back and forth in the opening minutes of play before Flexjet team captain Melissa Ganzi scored the first goal of the game for the 1-0 lead. That was when Nic Roldan and his teammates took control of the match. Roldan’s first goal of the game tied it at 1-1 with Juancito Bollini following it up with back to back goals that had the U.S. Polo Assn. in front by two goals, 3-1. Grant Ganzi broke loose from the final throw-in of the chukker and raced downfield for his first goal of the day and posting the U.S. Polo Assn. to a 4-1 advantage.
Jeff Hall got Flexjet back in the scoring column with a penalty conversion, 4-2. A foul in the goalmouth on an attacking Roldan resulted in a rarely called Penalty 1 that awarded the team a goal for a three goal lead, 5-2. Roldan closed out the chukker with a penalty conversion of his down as the U.S. Polo Assn. posted a 6-2 halftime score.
Roldan’s third goal of the game extended the U.S. Polo Assn. lead to five goals, 7-2 as Flexjet struggled to get their attack on track. Juancito Bollini scored the final goal of the third period and Flexjet found themselves trailing by six goals with one chukker remaining to be played.
Melissa Ganzi scored her second goal of the game to open the fourth chukker and cut the lead to five goals, 8-3. Grant Ganzi countered his mother’s goal with a penalty goal of his own, 9-3. Juan Bollini sparked a mini-rally with his first goal of the contest, 9-4, and Hall’s second goal on the day had them within four goals of the lead, but time was on the side of the U.S. Polo Assn. Flexjet continued to press the attack but there was little defensive give in the final minute of the period. In a last rush at the Flexjet goal it was Grant Ganzi with tail-shot for the final goal of the match as the U.S. Polo Assn. manhandled Flexjet 10-5.
Nic Roldan, Juancito Bollini and Grant Ganzi each scored three goals and the team received one goal on a Penalty 1. Roldan was named MVP with Melissa Ganzi’s Open Quarzo picking up Best Playing Pony honors.
Melissa Ganzi and Jeff Hall scored two goals each. Juan Bollini added a single goal in the loss.

ChukkerTV 6 ½, St. Regis 5
St. Regis (Brian Boyd, Carlitos Gracida and Nacho Figueras) scored first in the subsidiary final of the day, taking a 4-1½ lead over ChukkerTV (Bernie Uechtritz, Martin Pepa and Mariano Gracida). St. Regis had to spot ChukkerTV one-half goal by handicap. Three first chukker goals from Nacho Figueras and a single goal from teammate Brian Boyd had St. Regis in control in the opening chukker. Martin Pepa tallied the only goal from the field in the period as St. Regis took the early lead,
Second chukker goals from Bernie Uechtritz and Mariano Gracida were complimented by a pony-goal that had them in front by one-half goal, 4½ -4. Shutout defense held the talented St. Regis offense scoreless as the momentum shifted. At the end of the first half it was ChukkerTV with a narrow lead.
Both defenses stepped it up in the third period. Shots on goal were deflected and powerful backhanders kept both attacks at bay. In an effort to clear the gall at the St. Regis end of the field the ball bounced off of a pony and registered for the ChukkerTV team. With one period remaining to be played, the ChukkerTV lead grew to 1½ goals, 5½ -4.
The sting was missing from the St. Regis attack in fourth chukker play. Shots on goal missed on several occasions with each member of the St. Regis team getting a chance to score. Brian Boyd’s second goal of the game cut the ChukkerTV led back to a single goal, 5½-5, but time was running out. A final goal from Pepa was all Chukker TV needed as they held on for the 6½-5 victory.
Bernie Uechtritz had a successful World Snow Polo Cup debut, with MVP honors while Nacho Figueras’ mount, Merlot, was named Best Playing Pony.

12/21/2015

Photos by Nick Tininenko

12/21/2015

Photos by Nick Tininenko

12/21/2015

Photos by Nick Tininenko

12/21/2015

US Polo Assn. to play Flexjet in Aspen World Snow Polo final

The U.S. Polo Assn. (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini and Nic Roldan) scored opening wins over Audi (Marc Ganzi, Ricky Cooper and Tommy Biddle) and ChukkerTV in the opening round-robin of the 2015 Aspen World Snow Polo Thursday afternoon at the Aspen Valley Polo Club’s indoor arena to earn a spot in Saturday’s final.
In the first chukker of the opening round-robin Juancito Bollini led the US Polo Assn. attack with four goals. Grant Ganzi added a goal for a 5-0 lead. Tommy Biddle finally got Audi on the scoreboard with a goal from the field but trailed 5-1.
Nic Roldan scored his first goal of the game in the second period and the team picked up a goal on a Penalty 1. Biddle added three more goals for Audi along with a goal awarded on a Penalty 1 but it was the US Polo Assn. with the 7-5 win.
ChukkerTV 7, Audi 5
Audi remained in the arena for the next leg of play, facing a determined ChukkerTV lineup (Bernie Uechtritz, Martin Pepa and Mariano Gracida) as they tried to right the ship in their second mini-match of the day.
Audi had to spot the ChukkerTV one goal on handicap but quickly reversed positions as Arena 10-goaler Tommy Biddle scored the first two goals of the game (a goal from the field and a penalty conversion) for a 2-1 edge. Mariano Gracida responded with consecutive goals of his own as ChukkerTV moved in front, 3-2.
Biddle tied the game at 3-3 with the opening goal of the second period when ChukkerTV roared back. Four more goals from Gracida (two on penalty conversions) were countered by another score from Biddle and a goal from Marc Ganzi but it was Chukker TV who rode off with the 7-5 victory.
US Polo Assn. 10, ChukkerTV 5
After sitting down for two chukkers, the US Polo Assn. showed no signs of offensive atrophy as they rang up five goals. Nic Roldan scored four times with Grant Ganzi adding a goal. ChukkerTV received one goal by handicap and picked up a pair of goals from Mariano Gracida (once from the field and once on a penalty shot). The US Polo Assn. left the arena after the opening chukker on top of a 5-3 score.
The two teams were each awarded a goal on Penalty 1 calls as the second period got underway. The US Polo Assn. continued to lead, 6-4. Roldan added a penalty conversion for a goal, 7-4, followed by a pair of goals from Grant Ganzi for a 9-4 advantage. Roldan made it 10-4 with time running out and the Chukker TV offense out of synch. Bernie Uechtritz scored the final goal of the game as time expired and the US Polo Assn. celebrated the 10-5 triumph and a berth in Saturday’s tournament final. The 1-1 ChukkerTV record would put them in the Aspen World Snow Polo consolation match.
Flexjet 8, One Sandy Lane 4
In the second round-robin of the Aspen World Snow Polo Championship, a talented Flexjet team (Melissa Ganzi, Juan Bollini and Jeff Hall) spotted One Sandy Lane (Bash Kazi, Martin Estrada and Brandon Phillips) a goal by handicap before Jeff Hall exploded for five consecutive goals (three on penalty conversions) to take the early 5-1 lead.
The two teams traded goals in the final seven minutes of play with Hall adding three more while One Sandy Lane came up with a pair of goals from Martin Estrada and a single goal from Bash Kazi. The win would allow Flexjet to sit out the ensuing two periods of lay while One Sandy Lane would face St. Regis (Brian Boyd, Carlitos Gracida and Nacho Figueras) of the round-robin’s second leg of play.
St. Regis 6, Sandy Lane One 5½
The much heralded Nacho Figueras set the early pace for his St. Regis team by scoring the opening goal of the game. He would add another goal later with teammates Carlitos Gracida and Brian Boyd each scoring for a 4-½ goal lead (Sandy Lane One received one-half goal by handicap to start).
One Sandy Lane bounced back in the second chukker behind an offensive barrage from Brandon Phillips. Three penalty goals and a goal from the field from Phillips and a goal from the field from Martin Estrada brought them close but St. Regis managed to hand on for their first win of the day, 6-5½. The victory would pit St. Regis (1-0) against Flexjet (1-0), with the winner going on to face the US Polo Assn. in the Aspen World Snow Polo Championship final on Saturday.
Flexjet 6, St. Regis 3½
It was a surprising finish t the day with two offensive powerhouses pitching defensive battles that resulted in the lowest scoring match of the day. Flexjet scored eight times in their opening match while St. Regis tallied six times in their first games of the day, but it would be defense that would carry the day for Flexjet against St. Regis.
St. Regis received one-half goal by handicap with Nacho Figueras extending the led to 1½ to 0 with the game’s first goal from the field. Goals from Melissa Ganzi and Juan Bollini had Flexjet ahead at the end of the chukker, 2-1½.
The pace was fast and the play moved rapidly up and down the field as the second and final chukker unfolded. Juan Bollini and Nacho Figueras added goals, 3-2½ before Jeff Hall’s first goal of the match had Flexjet in front, 4-2½. Nacho Figueras took control of the ball at the St. Regis end of the field and raced the length of the arena to score, cutting the Flexjet lead to one-half goal, 4-3½. With Flexjet on the attack, an errant clearing stroke of the ball by Carlitos Gracida went into the St. Regis goal and extended the Flexjet lead to 5-3½. St. Regis struggled to get back into the game but the clock was on the side of Flexjet. A final goal from Juan Bollini sealed the deal, giving Flexjet the 6-3½ win and a spot in the final against the U.S. Polo Assn. St. Regis would be playing in Saturday’s consolation match against Chukker TV.
The next Aspen World Snow Polo match is scheduled to be played at noon on Friday, December 18th at Aspen’s Rio Grande Park between Audi and One Sandy Lane for the St. Regis Cup.
ChukkerTV, worldwide leaders in polo broadcasting, will live stream all of the remaining games of the St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship. It is the first time the much-anticipated tournament will be live streamed in its entirety and exclusively by ChukkerTV.

12/21/2015

Photos by Nick Tininenko

12/21/2015

Wednesday night’s tournament draw at the St. Regis sets the playing schedule for the 2015 Aspen World Snow Polo Cup

Marc and Melissa Ganzi and Nacho Figueras hosted the Tournament Draw for the 2015 Aspen World Snow Polo Cup at the St. Regis Hotel in Aspen with all six teams and a band of polo fans present for the occasion.
The teams were divided into two brackets with The U.S. Polo Assn. (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini and Nic Roldan), Audi (Marc Ganzi, Ricky Cooper and Tommy Biddle) and ChukkerTV (Bernie Uechtritz, Martin Pepa and Mariano Gracida) making up Bracket A and Flexjet (Melissa Ganzi, Juan Bollini and Jeff Hall) , One Sandy Lane (Bash Kazi, Martin Estrada and Brandon Phillips) and St. Regis (Brian Boyd, Carlitos Gracida and Nacho Figueras) comprising Bracket B.
In Thursday’s 11:30am (MST) opening round of play at the Aspen Valley Polo Club’s indoor arena in Carbondale, U.S. Polo Assn. will face Audi followed by ChukkerTV playing the loser of the opening match and then the winner of the opening match.
At 1:30pm (MST) Flexjet will battle One Sandy Lane in the Bracket B opener followed by games between St. Regis and the loser of Flexjet and Once Sandy Lane and then against the winner of the Flexjet vs. One Sandy Lane.
On Friday, December 18th at Noon, The third place team from Bracket A will face the third place team n Bracket B for the St. Regis Cup.
On Saturday, December 19th the runner-up from Bracket A will play the runner-up from Bracket B in the Aspen World Snow Polo Cup Subsidiary in a 1pm (MST) contest. The tournament’s final between the first place finishers in Bracket A and Bracket B will follow the subsidiary game with the trophy presentations to follow.
During Saturday’s action, polo fans can relax and watch world-class snow polo from the VIP Pavilion while enjoying mountain fare from The St. Regis Aspen Resort, including the brand’s signature Afternoon Tea Service.
The VIP Pavilion features full access to the heated tent, lunch courtesy of The St. Regis Aspen Resort and cocktails.
ChukkerTV, worldwide leaders in polo broadcasting, will live stream the Dec. 17-19 St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship. It is the first time the much-anticipated tournament will be live streamed in its entirety and exclusively by ChukkerTV.

12/21/2015

Opening day of St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship features two round-robins

At 11:00am (MST) Thursday morning pre-game press interviews are scheduled at the Aspen Valley Polo Club in Carbondale, Colorado as a precursor to the opening matches of the 2015 Aspen World Snow Polo Championship, sponsored by the St. Regis Hotels and Resorts.
Play is slated to begin at noon (MST) following the national anthem with the U.S. Polo Assn. (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini and Nic Roldan) facing Audi (Marc Ganzi, Ricky Cooper and Tommy Biddle) in the first match of the opening round-robin of the day.
The winner of the first mini-match will sit out with the loser playing ChukkerTV (Bernie Uechtritz, Martin Pepa and Mariano Gracida). The final pairing of the opening round-robin will see Chukker TV play the winner of the opening mini-match.
At 1:30pm (MST) the second round-robin of the day will feature Flexjet (Melissa Ganzi, Juan Bollini and Jeff Hall) and One Sandy Lane (Bash Kazi, Martin Estrada and Brandon Phillips). As in the earlier round-robin, the winner of the opening game will sit out with the loser playing St. Regis. The final contest of the day will have St. Regis playing the winner of the Flexjet vs. One Sandy Lane contest.
Press interviews will be available following the final game at 3:30pm (MST).
The third place finishers in each of the round-robins will face one another at Noon (MST) on Friday, December 18th for the St. Regis Cup.
On Saturday, December 19th the runner-up from Bracket A will play the runner-up from Bracket B in the Aspen World Snow Polo Cup Subsidiary in a 1pm (MST) contest. The tournament’s final between the first place finishers in Bracket A and Bracket B will follow the subsidiary game with the trophy presentations to follow.
ChukkerTV, the worldwide leaders in polo broadcasting, will live stream all of the games in the Dec. 17-19 St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship. It is the first time the much-anticipated tournament will be live streamed in its entirety and exclusively by ChukkerTV.

12/21/2015

Photos by Nick Tininenko

12/21/2015

Timely Snowfall welcomes Aspen World Snow Polo Cup

It would be hard to deny that Mother Nature had her eyes on this year’s Aspen World Snow Polo Cup scheduled to get underway with a tournament draw on Wednesday night, December17th followed by Thursday’s competition at the Aspen Valley Polo Club’s indoor arena.
Friday and Saturday action will take to the snow-covered fields of Rio Grande Park thanks to a mid-December storm dumped over 13’ of much needed snow on the Colorado landscape, and the title sponsorship by the St. Regis Hotels and Resorts.
Six teams will be competing in the world-class competition including players from Argentina, Australia, Wales, Mexico, Pakistan, Canada and the United States. The team lineups are: St. Regis (Brian Boyd, Carlitos Gracida and Nacho Figueras), Flexjet (Melissa Ganzi, Juan Bollini and Jeff Hall), U.S. Polo Assn. (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini and Nic Roldan), Audi (Marc Ganzi, Ricky Cooper and Tommy Biddle), One Caribbean Estates (Bash Kazi, Martin Estrada and Brandon Phillips) and ChukkerTV (Bernie Uechtritz, Martin Pepa and Mariano Gracida).
The players will be introduced during the tournament draw Wednesday evening at The St. Regis Aspen Resort, and the pairings for the opening round of play will be announced.
First round games are sponsored by Mexico’s La Patrona Polo & Equestrian Club, and are scheduled for Thursday, December 17th from 11:30 am to 3 pm MST at the Aspen Valley Polo Club Arena in Carbondale.
On Friday and Saturday, the action moves to Aspen’s Rio Grande Park. Playoff games for fifth and sixth places are scheduled to be played from noon to 3 pm.
On Saturday spectators will get the opportunity to meet the players at noon. The final and subsidiary games along with the trophy presentation will run from 1 to 4pm.
During Saturday’s action, polo fans can relax and watch world-class snow polo from the VIP Pavilion while enjoying mountain fare from The St. Regis Aspen Resort, including the brand’s signature Afternoon Tea Service.
The VIP Pavilion features full access to the heated tent, lunch courtesy of The St. Regis Aspen Resort and cocktails.
ChukkerTV, worldwide leaders in polo broadcasting, will live stream the Dec. 17-19 St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship. It is the first time the much-anticipated tournament will be live streamed in its entirety and exclusively by ChukkerTV.

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