Team Sponsors, Rosters Announced For St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship That Gets Under Way Wednesday
ASPEN, Colo., December 17, 2024---Let's get this party started.
By Sharon Robb
Team sponsors and rosters were announced Monday night during the St. Regis Draw and traditional champagne sabering to kick off the 12th annual St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship.
On Wednesday, Aspen Valley Polo Club, The Agency, Edmiston and St. Regis will compete in the St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship opener in the heart of Aspen at Rio Grande Park.
The teams are:
Aspen Valley Polo Club (15): Sarah Siegel-Magness, Jesse Bray, Geronimo Obregon).
The Agency (17): Grant Ganzi, Pierre Henri Ngoumou, Jason Crowder.
Edmiston (17): Teo Calle, Nic Roldan, Sugar Erskine.
St. Regis (16): Nacho Figueras, Tony Calle, Alejandro Novillo Astrada.
In the qualifying round, Aspen Valley Polo Club, opens play against The Agency at 12:30 p.m. and St. Regis plays Edmiston at 1:30 p.m.
Figueras, the sport's ambassador and first St. Regis Connoisseur, returns as captain of the St. Regis polo team. Figueras has played a role in the snow polo event's growth and development.
Four other teams will compete for the Maroon Bells Cup. The teams are Hennessy Paradis, Petrossian, Casablanca and Arhaus.
Hennessy Paradis (James Byrd, Taggart Mills, Jason Crowder) plays Petrossian (Kevin Schmeits, Becky Schmeits, Sugar Erskine) at 2:30 p.m. and Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, Miles Rich, Pierre Henri Ngoumou) plays Arhaus (Britt Burtz, Nacho Figueras, Vinny Sangaline) at 3 p.m.
Between the two tournament qualifiers, the Celebrity Chukker at 2:15 p.m. will pit Lugano (Nacho Figueras, Michael Calle, Grant Ganzi) against Sterling Club (Sterling Jones, Mike Sang, Jason Crowder).
Gates open at noon. Games are free for spectators standing around the arena fencing. VIP tickets remain on sale for the star-studded event. Ticket information can be found at aspenvalleypoloclub.com.
St. Regis' traditional champagne sabering dates back to 1904 when hotel founder John Jacob Astor IV would nightly have a bottle sabered on-property to celebrate the transition from day to night. Astor was inspired by the glamour of sabrage, an act which had been made famous by Napoleon Bonaparte, who opened champagne with his saber in both victory and defeat.
For the 12th consecutive year, Aspen Valley Polo Club owners Melissa and Marc Ganzi will host the world-class event which has joined St. Moritz as one of the world's top snow polo tournaments and one of Aspen's major international sporting events.
"Aspen is the most magical place, with incredible things to experience, mix in snow polo and Aspen becomes an even more unique travel destination,” Melissa Ganzi said.
The event is one of the world's top snow polo tournaments, only snow polo tournament in North America and final stop on the 2024 World Polo Tour.
Last year Casablanca won its first World Snow Polo Championship. In front of a soldout crowd, Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, 3, Hilario Figueras, 5, Nic Roldan, 9) held off Aspen Valley (Jason Crowder, 6, Marc Ganzi, 1, Adolfo Cambiaso, 10) in a hardfought 8-6 victory.
Other past winners are: 2022, Blade & Bow (Grant Ganzi, 3, Hilario Figueras, 6, Tommy Biddle, 9); 2021, Richard Mille (Sarah Siegel Magness, Jesse Bray, Pablo MacDonough); 2020, World Polo League (Riley Ganzi, Hilario Figueras, Alejandro Novillo Astrada); 2019, Richard Mille (Edouard Pan, Pablo MacDonough, Louis Jarrige); 2018, Richard Mille (Marc Ganzi, Martin Pepa, Pablo MacDonough); U.S. Polo Assn.; 2017, (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Nic Roldan); 2016, Flexjet (Melissa Ganzi, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Juan Bollini); 2015, U.S. Polo Assn. (Grant Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Juancito Bollini); 2014, Piaget (Marc Ganzi, Jeff Hall, Nic Roldan); and 2013, St. Regis (Nacho Figueras, Nic Roldan, Brandon Phillips).
Go Rentals, the sole preferred rental car provider for the World Polo League, is also a major sponsor for the St. Regis World Polo Snow Polo Championship.
The sport was first played on a frozen lake in St. Moritz, Switzerland, created by Swiss hotelier and polo visionary Reto Gaudenzi in 1985 and has been growing in popularity ever since, attracting thousands of spectators and top players from around the world.
Snow polo is a modified version of regulation polo. Games are played on a snow-packed field surrounded by fencing to keep the ball in play. Teams have three players instead of four as in typical polo. Play consists of four chukkers. The horses have special cleated shoes to provide better traction. The ball is larger and lighter and a specific color for visibility on the snowy surface.
With a vision for the community and surrounding areas, philanthropists Marc and Melissa Ganzi resurrected the club and polo in 2014. Since then polo has increased in popularity in Aspen and surrounding cities during the summer.
The club's offerings are various weekly grass and arena tournaments, Arena & Asado Nights, Kidz Polo, Kids Wheelie Polo, Gymkhana, Christmas In July, The Polo School at AVPC and Polo On Demand. In addition, the club offers practice sessions for teams competing in the club tournaments on more than six world-class fields. There are also indoor and outdoor polo arenas. There is the Polo School for all ages and ability levels and operates in Carbondale.
