AG E N DA
youth polo Young Myopia players Reed Miller, 18, in action; Grace Grotnik, 18, below.
Rising Stars
Myopia’s young players laying the groundwork for a strong future.
/ by Bill Burke
if it’s sunday during polo season, you’re likely to find Reed Miller at Gibney Field. Since he was a toddler, Reed would typically be knocking a ball around the edges of the pitch with a foot mallet with his friend Grace Grotnik. Now, he and Grace are among Myopia Polo’s young rising stars, who, along with others like James and William Grayken, Stephen Burr, Augie Grotnik and Landen and Benji Daniels, are evolving into the next generation of polo players who hone their skills in South Hamilton. “Myopia has had a strong youth program and a strong youth presence for a long, long time,” says Amanda Snow, director of player development for the United States Polo Association (USPA), the sport’s national governing body. “The culture of the club is so focused on family polo and 16 myopia polo 2020
the youth that it keeps churning out strong players.” Like Miller, who was named an All-Star during the National Youth Tournament Series (NYTS) qualifier at Myopia last season, and has been a part of the program since his youngest days. “What I like most about playing polo at Myopia is the community,” Reed Miller says. “I like teaching and helping people move up. I like playing with the juniors—you can really see the difference your coaching makes.” Miller, an 18-year-old, thirdgeneration polo player who developed under the tutelage of mentor Federico Wulff, followed his father, Kurt, onto the field—something of a natural progression. His father and mother, Jackie, met at Myopia. As he grew up around the sport, Jackie and Kurt Miller decided to see if polo was something Reed wanted to pursue.
After learning the sport in the junior program at Stage Hill Polo, he paired up with his father on his Longmeadow team for the duo’s first tournament together. This past season, Miller was a part of the NYTS Eastern Region team, under the guidance of coach Nick Snow, which took the championship and earned the Cecil Smith Cup title with a 6-5 win over Florida at New Bridge Polo & Country Club, in Aiken. “I was very excited to play in the NYTS Championship,” Miller says. “I had played at the regional level for the past four years, and this was the first year I was chosen. The main difference between playing in NYTS and at Myopia is that NYTS is all juniors, 19 and under, and everyone makes a difference on the team. When it’s all kids, every move you make counts. It’s a great opportunity.” Facing the Eastern Region squad that day was a talented side from Florida, which included a pair of faces familiar to Myopia players—Benji and Landen Daniels. Part of the wellknown polo-playing Daniels family, both scored for the Florida team in the finals. The brothers play often at Grand Champions Polo Club, in Wellington, Fla., but when the summer
