Four GPL Polo Pros Bring Panache To The Field By Carrie Wirth
The allure of the International Polo Club Palm Beach has imprinted Wellington as the winter home for legions of world-class polo players. Now, as the 2015 season gallops toward its annual mid-April finale with the United States Open Polo Championship at IPC, the club is putting the final touches on a special event that it has never before hosted: the International Gay Polo Tournament. Featuring top-rated pros and Gay Polo League (GPL) players from around the world, this year’s sixth annual event will be held April 9-11. The tournament will also include four top polo pros. The four pros competing in the match are all highgoal polo veterans who bring a fun and fascinating mix to the event. Rarely will spectators ever be able to see them in action together. Joining pros Joey Casey and Charlie Muldoon are two of the top women polo players in the world: Caroline Anier, who is flying in from France, and Sunny Hale, who The New York Times has called “the most famous female polo player in the world.” They are icons in high-goal international polo, a sport traditionally dominated by men. “Every year, the organizers of the International Gay Polo
Tournament explore ways to change the experience on the field and on the sidelines,” said Chip McKenney, founder and president of the Gay Polo League. “This year, we are extremely proud of engaging two of the top women professional polo players in the world. Our league is about inclusion and equality, and we value the participation of Sunny and Caroline.”
Sunny Hale playing in the Malaysia Ladies Championships in the Women’s Championship Tournament. PHOTO BY BILL BARBOSA
Caroline Anier in action at the Eldorado Polo Club.
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april 2015 | wellington the magazine
Sunny Hale Hale, whose mother, Sue Sally Hale, was a pioneer in women’s polo in this country decades ago, exemplifies the support the GPL tournament enjoys from all segments of society. “As a single straight woman, I was absolutely honored to be asked to participate as one of the professional players in this
PHOTO BY LACEY WINTERTON