By Kenny Ryan
It’s not uncommon to hear sports pundits say that one SMU team or another is “stampeding” to victory. But one SMU team sport actually does gallop to victory – the Mustangs’ polo teams. And they’re hoping that alumni support will help continue the teams’ presence as a club sport on campus.
Colloquially referred to as “hockey on horseback” by SMU polo coach Tom Goodspeed, polo is a sport that has existed at SMU sporadically throughout the University’s 100-year history. It wasn’t until 2009, though, that the men’s and women’s teams formally registered as club sports with the University, a process that was approved in 2011. In the years since, both teams have combined for three national tournament appearances: The men’s team came within a point of reaching the national finals last year and both are primed for further postseason runs this spring.
“When you play polo, you learn how to conduct yourself appropriately when pressure is high, you develop leadership skills, and there’s a camaraderie you build with some of these horses,” Goodspeed says. “It’s different from putting on a pair of skates. You’re on a live animal; you have a trust level and understanding of each other. It’s a whole new dimension of not just how you are performing, but how you are able to perform with this horse you’re riding.”
“The connection with the horse is like nothing else I’ve ever experienced,” says junior Maxi Langois. “Nothing compares to polo. You get to meet a lot of good people, and it’s a heck of a thrill.”
There are five riders on the men’s team and 10 on the women’s team. Three riders compete in the arena at any given time.
The SMU polo club introduces the sport to interested students with a polo practicum every Monday, October through April, at the Flower Mound Equestrian Center, where it also practices twice a week.
Though some stereotype the sport as “soft,” Goodspeed says it’s as physically challenging as any. “Remember, these horses weigh as much as 1,000 pounds,” he says. “When you’re running at full speed with the weight of an entire football team’s defensive line underneath you and you collide with another horse, it’s a big hit.”
The clubs were organized by SMU alumnus Enrique Ituarte ’14 and supported financially by his parents, Miguel and Esther Zaragoza. Ituarte’s younger brother, Manuel, is on the men’s team but is set to graduate in May 2017. If the teams don’t find additional sponsors by then, their futures could be in doubt.
“I am really hoping the program can stay at SMU,” says senior and team member Emma Blackwood. “We’re safe for a couple more years, but after that, it’s a tough thing.”
“Most programs across the country have alumni support, so we’re pursuing that same avenue,” Goodspeed says. “We just need to plant the roots to become a perennial force.”
For more information about supporting the SMU polo teams, email Tom Goodspeed.
The teams’ schedules will be posted at www.smupolo.org when they are finalized.
Read the latest news about SMU polo on Facebook.
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SMU Polo Teams Riding High In Club Sports
Polo has existed at SMU sporadically throughout the University’s 100-year history. However, it wasn’t until 2009 that the men’s and women’s teams formally registered as club sports with the University, a process that was approved in 2011. In the years since, both teams have combined for three national tournament appearances: The men’s team came within a point of reaching the national finals last year and both are primed for further postseason runs this spring.