The border vidette., 1932-04-09
GOAL. GOAL. ARIZONA. AR'ZONAI

4
Two fast riding young men bear
down on q ball that is rolling
temptingly close to the goal. The
blue shirted rider urges his
mount q little faster, his mallet
describes slow back ward arc;
there is sharp, hard crack, aud
the horses veer to one side.
Goal, Arizona!
! tits q practice afternoon :.
the University of Arizona polo
field where the first squad 10 De
ing whipped into shape to finish
one of the most trying schedules
in collegiate polo history. As
the riders jog back to the center
of the field the casual visitor
notices that the style of riding
is distinctly western. The rider
shows the effect of several years
on the range; that one has army
training.
For polo is not rich mans
game at the state university.
Instead it is one of the grea test
sport Jewellers the student body
has ever had. With two sche2.
uled games against Will Rogers
and his famous Midwic team
for the first part Of April,a game
with q group of stars from the
movie colony later on, and TIE
concession By national sports
writer's that Arizona ia second
only to Yale in collegiate polo
circles, the university team
pauses to take stock and dis
coveres it has climbed to such
dizzy heights independent of
any financial support from the
school.
Any young man with the urge
to ride can compete for q posi-.
tion on the polo team at the
University of Arizona. That
democratic attitude toward the
sport has always been maintain.
led by Capt. Gene Manger,- polo
coach and Col. 81. @. Tatum,
military commandaut.% But the
building of great team with
little finances has been slow
problem.
Polo began in an uncertain
way at the University. Of Arizona
ia 1922. At that time the play.
ers con6ned their games to an
area close to Arizona. Ia 1923.
lead by the first great Wildcat
star, Jimmy Hearon, the team
made an eastern invasion and
startled the polo sport world
east Of the Mississippi by carry.
ing off many honors. -
Polo interest began to build
up gradually from that time on
until. under the sponsorship Of
Will Rogers, the team was en-.
abled to receive enough money
to make another tour ia 1881.
The players, Louis Brown, Viii.
lie Drift, L. E. Smith. Harry
Wilson, and Russell Spicer, had
to borrow horses on the trip and
eastern columnists, quick to
recognize an unusual thing, soon
dubbed them the "horseless polo
team" And that attitude char.
acterized the status of polo
throughout its collegiate history
at the university. 1t was never
allowed to expand beyond the
limits of public support.
The u. S. Army, through the
military department at the uni.
versity, has been in charge Of
polo since it's inception. The
horses are regular army mounts
and the instructor in polo is q
regular army officer. The re.
mainder of The financial supper +
for the polo team comes from
personal contributions and the
gate receipts 1T the games. The
latter have been mounting stead.
lily and according to this years
records the greatest polo team
of them all has already paid
for ITSELF"
A spirit is beginning to grow
among the squad, q spirit that
Clarence Buddington Kelland
characterized as real gentle.
manly democracy" when the
team we're guests at dinner
with him. Aud now the polo
team has new friend who IL
arranging some important west.
ern matches for them, Louis
Stoddard. president OF the Unit
ed States Polo Association. Mr..
| Stoddard says that one thing he
likes about the Arizona polo
team is the fact that it is being