This weekend, Bart and I got to experience something we had never done–or even considered doing–before. Our friend’s birthday was this past week, and she and her husband invited a number of us out into rural Virginia for an evening of polo games. When I first got the invitation, I was unsure about exactly how enjoyable this evening might be. But they are our good friends, and we figured we could at least have a good time visiting with them regardless of the activity, so we said, polo? Yolo. And we accepted the invitation.
Rural Virginia, particularly the areas just west of the Washington, D.C. area, may seem a little backwoodsy at first glance, but in reality there is a LOT of old money, and specifically that related to raising horses. Therefore, it’s no surprise that a sport like polo would be played in the area. And apparently, the Great Meadow polo club is a place for movers and shakers from around the Beltway to see and be seen.
Given that it’s a bit of a highfalutin pastime, the polo venue wasn’t itself super swanky. It was a dirt arena with a few bleacher seats on one end and a grassy area for spectators to sprawl with picnic blankets and camp chairs. Admission was charged by the car (we actually all used a Living Social deal for 50% off the entrance fee), and (non-VIP) parking was in a gravel lot. However, it was hard to miss the impromptu Porche car show in the paved VIP parking lot next to the arena–apparently all the Porche drivers like to park together in a row when they come out on Saturday. They probably didn’t use a Living Social voucher for admission, either. Plus, Porche was also a sponsor and had a full-page ad on the back page of the program.
However, while I saw plenty of men and women who looked like they just walked out of a Ralph Lauren ad, most of the people there were really just normal-looking folks. Most were probably like us, just out on Saturday night with their kids or friends and taking in something a little different. It was the first polo match for pretty much everyone in our group, at least. And even if you were sitting next to a true blue blood, they didn’t seem particularly snobby or affected. Everyone was friendly and having a good time. My final impression of the event was that polo felt a whole lot like a western rodeo but with brie and Merlot instead of corn dogs and beer.
We were there for “twilight polo,” which consisted of three games that went from early evening until a bit after dark. The 11 of us made a cozy picnic spot with multiple camp chairs, a blanket, and a ton of yummy snacks like hummus, crackers and cheese, and of course birthday cupcakes. The weather was absolutely perfect for an evening outside.
Knowing absolutely nothing about polo other than it involves horses, Bart took the liberty of doing a little Wikipedia research during the drive out there so we had a little better idea of the rules. Basically, you don’t need to know much more than that the riders hit a ball across the field and try to score a goal. We learned a few more rules, but once we set up our picnic, I really just sat back and observed, and that was sufficiently enjoyable to me. The main attraction was really hanging out with friends, and it was a great casual venue to chat as much as we wanted while also having some action to observe on the side.
Am I now a polo aficionado? Maybe not. If I see polo on TV, will I stop to watch the game? Unlikely. Do I come from money and drive a fancy sports car? Not so much. But I still enjoyed our unique evening of polo with friends, and I would do it again if invited.
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