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Roldan Helps Steer Audi to Win at U.S. Polo’s East Coast Open

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Nic Roldan helps lead the Audi team to a resounding win over KIG during the East Coast Open Polo Championships last Sunday at Conyers Farm. (John Ferris Robben photo)
Nic Roldan helps lead the Audi team to a resounding win over KIG during the East Coast Open Polo Championships last Sunday at Conyers Farm. (John Ferris Robben photo)

By Liz Leamy
Sports Correspondent

Nic Roldan, a talented and powerful high-goaler said to be on route to star playing status, helped steer Team Audi to a resounding 11-6 victory over Kazi Investment Group (KIG) in the preliminary round of the prestigious annual East Coast Open Polo Championships last Sunday at Conyers Farm.

“Nic is incredible, his horsemanship is fantastic, he is well mounted and it’s really something to watch him hit the ball in the air,” said Bob Puetz, U.S. Polo Association executive director of services, whose organization helped coordinate the event in conjunction with the Greenwich Polo Club. “He has great power, strength and consistency.”

Roldan, an amicable Argentinian eight-goal (out of 10) player in his late 20s, turned on all the right switches during this important playoff game.

And that was a good thing, as this represented one of nearly a dozen qualifying preliminary matches that helped kick off this celebrated three-week event that will conclude Sept. 6.

Throughout the match, which drew more than 2,500 spectators, Roldan knocked in nine of Audi’s 11 goals, which helped him earn the coveted Most Valuable Player award at the conclusion of the afternoon.

“We tried to put on a show out there,” said Roldan, whose girlfriend, Jessica Springsteen, daughter of rock icon Bruce and a nationally ranked equestrienne, was said to be on hand. “We had a system and we stuck to it. I think that is important.”

Roldan, meanwhile, was a big hit with the crowd.

“A player like Nic Roldan is dynamite to watch, he’s a real performer and takes over the game like a true star,” said Ashley Oberman of Westchester, a regular attendee of the Greenwich Polo Club. “For me, that is what this is all about.”

A premiere polo destination

The United States Polo Association seems to have hit the proverbial ball out of the park in terms of choosing Conyers Farm as this year’s site for the East Coast Open event.

Since the tournament kicked off more than a week ago, Conyers Farm, known for its enchanting beauty and close proximity to New York City, has been abuzz with players, officials, workers, sponsors, vendors, spectators, security detail, newscasters and national and local media.,

Nic Roldan and the rest of the Audi faction grab control of the ball against KIG during Sunday’s match at the Greenwich Polo Club. (John Ferris Robben photo)
Nic Roldan and the rest of the Audi faction grab control of the ball against KIG during Sunday’s match at the Greenwich Polo Club. (John Ferris Robben photo)

And it appears that all seem impressed by the beauty and functionality of the locale.

“This is one of the most beautiful fields in the country,” said Puetz of the U.S. Polo Association, which is located in Lake Worth, Fla. “I don’t think there is any better facility for this event.”

“The Greenwich Polo Club is perfect for this tournament,” said Mariano Aguerre, the veteran nine-goaler who has been with White Birch for more than 20 years. “The East Coast Open is the most competitive tournament of the summer. It’s very important, the playing is excellent and having it here is great.”

The event’s three sponsors, Audi, Town and Country, and Lancome, all of whom partnered with the U.S. Polo Association and Greenwich Polo Club to help make this event happen, also seemed delighted at the prospect of being here at this venue.

During the match on Sunday, these corporate sponsors hosted spectacular showcases for their brands in massive tents alongside the grandstand that were packed with guests all afternoon.

Rick Fuller, area general manager for Audi of America, who was in charge of overseeing his company’s stunning car display along the sidelines, was excited about his company becoming involved with the East Coast Open tournament and Greenwich Polo Club.

“We have really enjoyed being here—it has been wonderful in every regard,” said Fuller. “This is a great partnership for us and good for all the brands involved. There are so many new, interesting and innovative opportunities here for everyone.”

Brant raises the bar

For many years, the East Coast Open had been held at the Two Trees Farm at the Bridgehampton Polo Club on Long Island.

This season, however, the tournament was moved to Conyers Farm because that site, home to the BPC for more than 20 years, has been sold.

Peter Brant, the newsprint magnate and Greenwich Polo Club founder whose White Birch team played at Bridgehampton for years, then joined forces with the U.S. Polo Association and several other colleagues and corporations so that Conyers Farm and the GPC could host the tournament.

So far, this seems to have been a golden decision on all fronts for this historic 20-goal event, which was originated back in 1905.

This year, the tournament features six high-goal New York metropolitan-area teams—White Birch, Audi, Airstream, KIG, McLaren Greenwich and Turkish Airlines—all of them battling against one another in a series of rounds in the hope they will earn the coveted Perry Cup.

Meanwhile, media coverage of the Greenwich event is reaching a national audience, since many of the matches are being streamed live on ChukkerTV.

The final games will be broadcast by NBC Sports.

According to players, the tournament is a main event in every way.

“We’ve spent the whole summer preparing for this tournament and want to do the best we can out there,” said Hilario Ulloa, the renowned star nine-goaler for White Birch.

Last Sunday, Ulloa and Aguerre spent the afternoon watching the teams and ponies play from the grandstand in order to further prepare themselves for upcoming matches.

“It is good to watch the other teams’ strategies and see the way they play,” said Aguerre, who helped White Birch score a win against McLaren Greenwich in the preliminary round last Saturday.

Aguerre and Ulloa also spoke of the vital role their team patron, Brant, has played in helping make the tournament happen, a sentiment also echoed by Peter Orthwein, a longtime Greenwich Polo Club patron and player whose team, Airstream, defeated Turkish Airlines in the first round last Saturday.

“Peter Brant built this club,” said Orthwein.

The spectators, meanwhile, appreciated the quality of the play and the beauty of the setting.

“You can see why Conyers Farm is so popular—the players and horses are amazing,” said E.J. Ross of Madison, Conn., a former dressage competitor who attended the match with her mother, Diane Ross. “This is definitely a cultural phenomenon that involves so many interesting elements, all for the sole purpose of polo.”

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