After failing to gain recognition as an official club sport, a group of student polo players will plead their case to the Undergraduate Council of Students Student Activities Committee Monday in hopes of becoming an official student activity.
Polo team representatives will present their constitution to the committee, which will decide Monday night whether to approve the group and finalize its decision Wednesday, according to Student Activities Chair Ryan Lester '11.
Last February, a group of Brown students decided to start an informal polo team, but not until this semester has the team taken significant action to become officially affiliated with the University.
Polo Team Captain Steven Holman '11 said he thinks the team will receive some money to help cover its expenses, but he is not yet sure what agreement will be reached.
Team members take regular lessons at a cost of $50 per person per lesson at the Newport Polo Club in Portsmouth. Holman said he realizes the team will probably not be able to get enough money to fully cover the cost of the lessons, so he anticipates that the team will have to charge membership dues and try to get sponsors. Team members currently pay for each lesson out of their own pockets or work for the club as compensation.
"The $50 fee is kind of expensive but it's actually a really good deal," Holman said, adding that access to horses is included in the lesson price.
Polo is played on horseback by players with mallets who seek to knock a wooden or plastic ball into the opposing team's net.
Earlier this year, Holman and others on the team looked into becoming a club sport affiliated with the Department of Athletics. Recreation Coordinator David Longo said one of the main reasons the polo team was denied recognition as a club sport was that the team did not have "a history of organizational and competitive success," mostly because the team is relatively new. Before granting teams club sport status, Longo said, the department wants to be sure the team will be a continuing organization on campus.
"If we are going to invest in a club sport, it is important that the team is organizationally and structurally sound," said Longo, who encouraged the polo team to organize more competitions to add to its presence .
Longo said student-run teams on campus can either be club sports or student activities. Since club teams are directly affiliated with the Department of Athletics, Longo said there are certain benefits associated with club sport status including administrative support and some need-based financial support.
There are also two tiers of club sports teams on campus. First-tier teams do not have varsity counterparts, whereas second-tier teams do. Longo said that if polo were to become a club sport, it would be in the first tier because Brown does not have a varsity polo team. Before making polo a first-tier club sport, the Department of Athletics wants to be sure it meets all the requirements.
In order for a team to become a club sport, Longo said there must be a reasonable amount of interest, proof of adequate facilities, an official coach for potentially high-risk sports and a record of organizational success. Longo said the polo team showed that it had enough interest, but added that he feels the team does not completely meet other requirements.
Because the polo team practices at an off-campus facility, Longo said there could be potential liability issues with transportation. Holman added that the polo team's coaching situation is up in the air because the current coach is leaving to play professional polo.
The polo team, which has six regular members and a few less-committed students, hopes to compete in a regional competition if the team can pay the entry fee, which Holman estimates to be about $500. The team also hopes to arrange competitions with other schools such as Vassar, Yale and Cornell.
But Holman's eyes are set on a loftier goal - to have the team compete in a polo league. "We're not really at that level yet," he said.
Despite the denial of club sport recognition, Holman remains optimistic about the team's situation. "We're really excited this year, and hopefully we'll have a good first year," he said. "We want people to come out and try it. There's no experience necessary and it's a lot of fun."
