About Carolina Polocrosse
What is Polocrosse?
Although polocrosse resembles the American Indian game of lacrosse, its origins date back hundreds of years to Persia and its sister sport of polo. In England, polocrosse was an indoor exercise to teach people how to ride a horse. The modern game took shape in Australia in the 1930's. Today, there are over 6,000 players in the world. After participating in the 2003 Polocroosse World Cup tournament, the United States has developed "exchange programs" with several other countries.
In Australia, polocrosse is called the "King of the One Horse Sports" because a player can use only one horse throughout a tournament. This permits someone who may own only one or two horses to compete at the same level as someone with several. All types of horses play polocrosse: every breed, size and age. Speed, agility, and stamina are desirable, but the only requirement is that a horse be in sound physical condition. Every player should have a polocrosse racquet and ball of their own. Helmets must be worn during play. For the horses's protection, bell boots and leg wraps must be used.
The polocrosse field can be grass or dirt and is 160 yards long and 60 yards wide. Teams score points by throwing the ball through their opponents goal posts. At the same time, they protect their goal from the other team. All players can catch, carry and throw the ball with their racquets. However, only the player at the number 1 position is allowed to score. The rules are designed with one primary concern, safety -- for player and horse. Anything creating a dangerous situation is ruled illegal and is penalized.
A polocrosse club is a group of people who share an enthusiasm for this thrilling game. A club consists of one more teams playing at various levels of skill, including special teams for those under the age of 21. Teams are comprised of two sections with three players in each. The player who wears number 1 is the primary offensive player and scores the goals. The number 2 is the midfielder, playing both offense and defense in the middle of the field. The number 3's job is to defend the goal. The two sections alternate players in six or eight-minute periods or "chukkas." A typical match consists of four or six chukkas. Tournaments are a time of fellowship, learning and good old-fashioned fun. Join the hundreds of riders across the country taking up this international sport. Polocrosse is for the entire family -- boys and girls, moms and dads, everyone from five to 75.
History of the Carolina Polocrosse Club
Organized polocrosse in the Carolinas began in November 1998 when the then District Commissioner (DC) of the Moore County Pony Club (MCPC), Mrs. Mary Baker organized a polocrosse clinic sponsored by the MCPC at Odyssey Farm outside of Raeford, NC. The clinic was conducted by Tom and Vicki Bowman, from the USPC Polocrosse Committee, and we had about 15 mounted members from 3 Carolina Region Pony Clubs. The clinic was a great success and plans were made to continue practices hosted by LTC and Mrs. Diemer at Odyssey Farm as well as holding another clinic in the near future.
Tom and Vicki Bowman returned to conduct polocrosse clinics hosted by MCPC in January and February of 1999 at the Diemer’s. The Bowman clinics were so successful and generated so much enthusiasm for polocrosse that the MCPC decided to host the first Carolinas Region USPC Polocrosse Rally in April. The MCPC also contacted the American Polocrosse Association (APA) and asked for their assistance in providing umpires for the rally in April. Mr. Batt Humphries, President of APA, agreed to be an umpire for the rally and to hold a clinic that weekend for adults as well as juniors interested in polocrosse.
The first organized polocrosse competition in the Carolinas was the USPC Carolinas Region Polocrosse Rally conducted the second weekend in April 1999 (10 April). The Rally attracted 5 teams (USPC teams are polocrosse sections of 3 players and a horse manager - a non-riding team member) with players from 4 Carolinas Region Pony Clubs participating. There were two intermediate and three novice teams. The MCPC DC, Mrs Mary Baker, was the rally organizer and Mr. Tom Bowman was the USPC technical delegate (TD). Mrs. Dana Diemer was the secretary, Mrs. Karen Aldridge was the official timer, and Mrs. Sharon Ferrell was the official scorekeeper. Mrs. Vicki Bowman was the chief umpire and Mr. Batt Humphries and LTC Manny Diemer were the assistant umpires. The chief horse management judge was Mr. Robin Baker. The winning intermediate team of Sara Harrington, Izzy Hill and Sarah Ferebee, with Amanda Baker as stable manager, traveled to Fair Hill Maryland to participate in the 1999 USPC Eastern Championships.
The Rally was a huge success and greatly accelerated the enthusiasm for the sport in the Carolinas. The Triad Pony Club (PC) team took first place in the intermediate division followed closely by the team from MCPC. A scramble team of players from Eno Triangle PC and MCPC took the blue ribbon in the novice division with the Triad PC novice team taking second place and the team from Blue Banks PC in third place. The APA clinic conducted by Batt Humphries the next day was an excellent event and very well attended by pony clubbers and adult riders. It allowed all participants to increase their polocrosse skills. All in all, it was a great weekend and a super start for competitive polocrosse in the Carolinas!
Following the rally there were numerous clinics conducted by the Bowman’s and Manny Diemer for Pony Clubs in the Carolinas as interest in the sport continued to grow. We also were lucky enough to have Prissy Rummel come by while in the area on vacation and give us a super clinic at Odyssey Farm. Laura Ferrell became the first APA member from North Carolina and received APA member number NC 001. Manny, Dana, and Andrew Diemer received APA membership numbers NC 002, 003, and 004. Manny became the first APA player from the Carolinas to participate in an APA tournament when he played in B Grade (intermediate division) at the APA East Zone tournament in September 1999 at Willowdale, PA.
The second annual USPC Carolinas Region Polocrosse Rally was organized by the MCPC DC, Mrs. Sabrina Turner, and hosted by MCPC at Odyssey Farm on the 8th of April 2000. Interest in polocrosse in the Carolinas Region Pony Clubs had increased significantly in one year with 7 teams competing this year (3 intermediate teams and 4 novice teams). The Bowmans, the Humphries, and Mr. Lachlan Hughson, APA East Zone Representative, again provided their time and effort to help polocrosse in the Carolinas. Once again, the rally was a complete success. The region also qualified to send an intermediate team to the USPC National Polocrosse Championships in August. Laura Ferrell #1, Michael Purdy #2, and Sara Harrington #3, with Sara Ferebee as the stable manager qualified for USPC Championships. Following the Rally, Batt and Lachlan held another APA clinic that was very well attended and received local TV coverage. After this extremely successful weekend, polocrosse in the Carolinas was off and running.
On the first of May 2000, Manny, Dana, and Andrew Diemer; Paula and Sara Harrington; Harvey and Laura Webb; and Laura Ferrell founded the Carolinas Polocrosse Club (CPC). The club was dedicated to spreading the sport of polocrosse throughout the Carolinas. CPC members were polocrosse enthusiasts who organized clinics and practices. The club established two main playing fields, one at Heather Ridge Farm in the vicinity of Raeford, NC known as Hamilton Field and one at the Bar S Ranch vicinity Reidsville, NC. The club also became recognized by the APA as an APA polocrosse club. Manny Diemer was the first president, Paula Harrington (Nelson) the first VP, and Dana Diemer the first secretary of the CPC.
The CPC participated in its first official APA polocrosse competition when Manny, Sara Harrington, and Laura Ferrell played in the Warwick Valley tournament in July at Warwick, NY. They played in B grade and came in a respectable 3rd place. Not bad for a club less than one year old and for players with no APA tournament experience! Sara Harrington played in the Keystone tournament vicinity Grantville, PA that August and Manny and John Mansell (the Australian Liaison officer at Ft Bragg) represented CPC at the East Zone tournament at Willowdale, PA in October. The CPC was off to a great start in its first year. Practices continued for the rest of Y2K.
On January 1st 2001, Manny Diemer was elected as the APA East Zone Representative and member of the APA board of directors.
On April 1st 2001, the CPC became an official club with by-laws and a charter. The charter members were the Diemers, the Harringtons, the Webbs, the Ferrells, the Cessnas, the Gallmans, the Pughs (and Taylor Smith), the Purdys, the Streets, the Dillards, the Mansells, Betsy Rainoff, and Susan Poulton. The charter members voted Paula Harrington – President, Harvey Webb – VP, Dana Diemer – Secretary, and Laura Ferrell – Treasurer. The official name of CPC was changed from Carolinas Polocrosse Club to Carolina Polocrosse Club in 2003. The original logo was changed from the outline of North and South Carolina with a Chess Knight’s head superimposed over it and two racquets crossed behind the Knight’s head to the outline of North Carolina with a galloping horse in the upper right portion of the state and three crossed racquets in the lower left portion. The club colors, as registered with the APA, are Green and White.
Polocrosse events in the Carolinas for 2001 included:
14 April – Third Annual USCP Carolinas Region Polocrosse Rally at Five Points Horse Park (FPHP), vicinity Raeford, NC. Growth continued with 10 teams participating.
15 April – Third Annual MCPC/CPC sponsored polocrosse clinic at FPHP.
18-19 August – Graham Bennett polocrosse clinic hosted by CPC. Mr. Bennett, a famous polocrosse player from Australia and owner of Bennett polocrosse racquet manufacturing company, held a great clinic for CPC.
7 October – The First Annual CPC Polocrosse Sectional Tournament. The East Zone really supported our first tournament and it was a great success. Adam Redman was our chief umpire.
2001 was the year that we discovered the Pinehurst Harness Track. Manny had noticed that the Pinehurst Polo Club was holding matches at the track and contacted club president retired Brigadier General Bob Johnston. The military connection paid off with BG Johnston agreeing to allow the CPC to play on the polo field at the Harness Track. CPC has been holding its tournaments there ever since and the MCPC has held its Rallies there as well.
Other Polocrosse (PLX) events that CPC members participated in for 2001:
16-17 June – Brandywine PLX tournament (APA event) at Willowdale, PA.
14-15 July – Warwick Valley PLX tournament (APA event) at Warwick, NY.
17-20 July – Keystone PLX Camp (APA event) vic Jonestown, PA.
21-22 July – Keystone PLX tournament (APA event) – Timonium, MD.
3-7 August – USPC National PLX Championships at Lexington, KY.
9-12 August – USPC Festival PLX Clinics (Mr. Bennett instructing) at Lexington, KY.
2002:
Polocrosse in the Carolinas had a great year in 2002. We actually held two APA sanctioned tournaments one in May and one in June. Mike Underwood and Robby Shuttles were our chief umpires. Both tourneys were well attended with players from the East Zone once again supporting the growth of polocrosse in the Carolinas. The Polo field at Pinehurst held up so well that we were able to play the day after a torrential downpour! It was the beginning of our reputation for having the finest playing fields on the East Coast. Not only did the CPC provide two opportunities to play in 2002, the MCPC also held two USPC qualifying rallies – one in April and one in September. Along with the USPC Championships it was a huge year for Polocrosse in the Carolinas. We had our fair share of players participating in all of the other APA tournaments and clinics in the East Zone in 2002. This was also the first year that a player traveled out of zone to play competitively. Manny Diemer went to the Lone Star Jon Weber Classic Tournament, in Coupland, Texas. Manny played in C grade on the first place section and was named the best “2” in C grade.
2003:
The year 2003 was the most exciting year to date for polocrosse in the Carolinas. It will be remembered as the year the APA Nationals came to the Carolinas! In 2002 Batt Humphries, APA president, and the APA board approved having the APA Nationals in the East Zone. The original plan was to hold Nationals at Penn State College in PA.
In 2003 the CPC saw its membership grow to 76 dues paying members and Harvey Webb was elected to replace Manny Diemer as the East Zone Representative. CPC elected Paula Nelson as President, Harvey Webb as the VP (Harvey stepped down after being elected Zone Rep and Richard Pugh was elected to replace him), Dana Diemer as Secretary, and Steve Cessna as the Treasurer. Unfortunately we lost Hamilton Field as a permanent practice field. We continued to use the Bar S and members looked for other venues. Finally Dana Diemer secured the use of the Carolina Horse Park (CHP) at Five Points in Hoke County, NC as the CPC’s permanent practice field.
When the APA determined that the Penn State facilities did not meet its requirements for Nationals, the CPC put together a proposal for using the Pinehurst Harness Track as the new site. The APA agreed and the dates were set for 4-6 July to allow maximum participation. CPC held numerous practices and mini-tournaments leading up to the CPC Tarheel Sectional Tournament 7-8 June. We had a record 17 sections enter as everyone in the East Zone got a chance for a final competitive tune-up prior to Nationals. CPC players played in every grade and the Junior Division. Jerry Cessna’s mare “Pica” was named best horse in C grade and Andrew Diemer’s versatile pony “Taffy” was named best horse in the Junior division. The Tarheel Sectional was a resounding success and once again the fields and footing took top billing. Paul Johnson was our chief umpire and he was really impressed with our ability to play in the rain without compromising safety.
The APA came to Pinehurst over the 4th of July weekend for the APA Nationals. Teams traveled from as far away as Texas and Colorado, from up and down the east coast, and from everywhere in between. It was the largest tournament in East Zone History with over 100 polocrosse players competing in 5 divisions. The Lone Star team took first place in A grade. B grade was a hard fought battle that came down to the last Chukka. Bay Area (MD) took first place honors with the Carolina Hurricanes (CPC and Warwick) a close second. Billy Shuttles, Josh Webb, and Manny Diemer were the CPC section of the ‘Canes. The Carolina Streaks (Sara Harrington, Taylor Smith, Sarah Ferebee and Jerry Cessna, Richard Pugh, Patrick O’Reilly) won C grade. This was a historic first for CPC! Those APA 2003 C Grade National Champion belt buckles really look great!!!! The D grade was won by the Keystone Kids. Our own Sammi Jo Majors was on the Runner-Up team. She played with the Spring Valley (MD) D grade section. Our own CPC Red Hot Bahama Mamas placed 3rd in the D grade division. (Jenny Majors, Susan Poulton and Dawn Pugh).
The future of polocrosse is in the Junior division and CPC lead the way at APA Nationals with 5 of the 8 sections. The Lone Star kids won the Division with the Kokopelli (CO) section placing second. Our CPC juniors were one Chukka out of second place with the Carolina Pony Express taking third. Our Juniors were: Andrew Diemer, Jennifer Cessna, and Celia Spillman – Pony Express; Aaron Bennett, Rachel Gerard, and Rachel Scarborough – Carolina Players; Lea Huggins, Christina Jackson, Elissa Gerard – Carolina Warrior Princesses; Ruby Rodell, Stuart Koury, and Jordan West – Dixie Sticks; and Michael Purdy, Mel Minery, and Chris Younger – Rebel Riders.
After the APA Nationals the CPC juniors/Carolina Pony Club Region players moved on to the USPC Championships 30 July – 3 August at the Virginia Horse Park in Lexington, VA. Once again the Carolina teams fared well with the Streaks (Sara, Taylor, and Sarah) taking 3rd in the Advanced Division. Jerry and Patrick scrambled with an out of region player as the Norwegian Ridgebacks to win the Intermediate Horse Division. The Rebel Riders (Michael, Mel, and Chris) placed second. The Carolina Players (Aaron, Rachel and Rachel) took third place. The Warrior Princesses (Lea, Christina, and Elissa) won a hard fought Intermediate Pony Division with the Pony Express (Andrew, Jennifer, and Celia) coming in third.
The USPC Carolinas Region Qualifying Polocrosse Rally was held at the Pinehurst Harness Track on 6 September. A record 15 teams (sections) participated. The Streaks (Sara, Taylor, and Sarah) took first place in the Advanced Division with the Ridgebacks (Jerry, Jennifer, and Jordan) in second. Pony Express (Andrew, Celia, and Stuart) won the Intermediate Division with the Warrior Princesses (Lea, Christina, and Elissa) in second. The Novice Division A was won by the Looney Tunes (Tyler Tutor, Liz Collier, and Dana Hamilton) and Novice B was won by the Blue Bandits (Christopher Aldridge, Gracelee Lawrence, and Caitlin Crawford with Carry Linke as the Horse Manager. Qualifying players will attend the USPC 2004 Championships 21-23 July at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. We followed the Rally with a great clinic given by Prissy Rummel. Prissy was an umpire for the Rally and showed us all why she is one of the top rated players in the APA by giving the largest and one of the best clinics ever held in the Carolinas with 45 mounted participants.
October 2003 was a great month for polocrosse in the Carolinas. It started with CPC hosting the IYEP Aussie team in Charleston, SC. We had a great day of practice and play and several super days in and around Charleston. Many thanks to the Charleston Pony Club for helping sponsor this program. CPC voted Manny Diemer as the official club coach. Ryan Murphy and Billy Shuttles were elected to serve as the club selectors. This was also the month that we received permission to use the CHP as our permanent practice field – way to go Dana! Finally this is the month that a new APA polocrosse club formed in the Carolinas. The Palmetto Polocrosse Club (PPC) officially joined the APA. The charter members of PPC got their start in polocrosse with the USPC and CPC polocrosse programs in the Carolinas.
As opposed to other organizations where break-ups can be traumatic, the CPC mission is to spawn several more APA polocrosse clubs in the Carolinas. The intent is to eventually form the Carolina Polocrosse Association or League from the various Polocrosse clubs in North and South Carolina. The envisioned end state is a Carolina Polocrosse Association or League consisting of 4 or more polocrosse clubs that offers its members many opportunities to practice and play competitive polocrosse without having to leave the region. It is also our intent to provide a defined season; tournament series; League Championship Tournament; League Awards; inter-club, regional, national and international exchange programs; clinics; youth programs; camps; traveling teams; financial/sponsor support; etc… for our membership.
2004:
Carolina Polocrosse Club currently has 50 dues paying members. We hold practices monthly and intend to increase the frequency of practice to bi-monthly this year and, hopefully, to weekly in 2005. Our practice schedule, schedule of events, and additional information can be found on the CPC website at: www.carolinapolocrosse.com
Major events for 2004:
1-2 May: CPC MEGA Clinic at Mullet Hall Equestrian Center, Charleston, SC
22 May: Palmetto Polocrosse Sectional Tournament at Mullet Hall Equestrian Center, Charleston, SC
12-13 June: CPC Tarheel Sectional Tournament at the Pinehurst Harness Track, Pinehurst, NC
21-23 July: USPC Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, KY
28 August: USPC Carolina Regional Polocrosse Rally at the Pinehurst Harness Track, Pinehurst, NC
29 August: CPC “School Daze” Open Sectional Tournament at the Pinehurst Harness Track, Pinehurst, NC
