Rodger and Mary Rinehart

DirectorsShockey Gillet, ChairmanJake Flournoy, PresidentNick Barry, SecretaryPeter Henderson, TreasurerJocelyn AtkinsonDavid ChristopherJoel GibbonsGeorge GreenhalghWil HarrisLJ LopezSteve Orthwein, Jr.Christie ReedKathy RhoadNancy SchlichtingEvie ScottKris Wooten

Directors EmeritusEarle BettsDan ColhounDavid HamarJeep HoldenDick LathamStillman McFaddenR. C. RiemenschneiderRobert RinehartBrad SchererJeff SchlesingerDerek Sifton

Coach & ManagerLouis J. Lopez, Jr.

Club Office(434) 979-0293info@vapolo.org

Above - Mauricio Lopez (Right UVA) Brandon Van Loon (Left Cornell)Below - Coach Lopez, CB Scherer, Mauricio Lopez, Todd Thurston, Felipe Viana

Virginia Men’s Team Wins2011 National Championship!

The Virginia Men’s team entered this year’s National Championship as the No.1 seed. They did not disappoint with a 33 to 5 win over UConn in the semifinal round,and a 28 to 14 win over Cornell in the finals.

This team started its quest towards revenging last year’s loss early in the year byremaining focused, determined, and unselfish. Our team consisted of 6 players, all ofwhom were committed to the goal of winning a national title. All 6 committed to arigorous practice schedule that included being responsible for keeping their own stringof horses fit and sound throughout the semester. Each player was rotated into differentteam combinations in order to allow the strengths and weaknesses to be identified, andthen further developed. The horses themselves were also put to the test as the top 7horses would be requested by the USPA to participate in the National tournament aswell. Our starting lineup consisted of Felipe Viana, Mauricio Lopez, CB Scherer. Ouralternates were Todd Thurston, Austin Burdick, and Tyler Burdick. Felipe Viana, andCB Scherer were named Collegiate All Stars, and our Men’s String was voted the bestplaying string in the tournament.

SPRING 2011

FROM THE COACH:

Lou LopezLouis J. Lopez, Jr.Coach and General Manager

Rotunda Club $2,500W. Earle Betts, III

Carrie S. Camp FoundationJoel and Bunny Gibbons

Jean M. McKeeverStrother and Evelina Scott

Players Club $1,000Oscar and Jocelyn Atkinson

Dan ColhounDiana C. Crowley

Thomas and Jennifer EddyDavid M. ForbesSherlock S. Gillet

Wil HarrisW. Peter Henderson

Tom HuberStephen Orthwein, Jr.

Christine B. ReedKathryn and Billy Rhoad

Stephen & Nancy ThurstonKris S. Wooten

Chukker Club $500Edward AtkinsonAaron E. CohenJames R. Dunlap

John M. Egloff, Jr.Michael K. Fox

Henry JavorLJ Lopez

Alan W. NashTristan Phillimore

Leo J. RoccaJeffrey A. Schlesinger

Brian E. Stengel

Many thanks to all thosewho contributed to

the 2010 Annual Fund.

There have been a number of changes made to the Virginia Poloprogram based on student surveys received by the board over the past fewyears. We have taken this feedback and have attempted to implement changewhere change made sense, keeping with our mission statement whichcontinues to be relevant. The main structure of the club has remained thesame. The students have elected officers that attend meetings and keep ourclub in compliance with the University of Virginia’s CIO bylaws. Withinthe club itself, there are 3 sub-groups. There is a men’s varsity, women’svarsity, and club polo groups. Each group has 2 elected co-captains thatrepresent each group. They are responsible for organizing a practice schedulefor each group. There are two formal coached practices and a home gamefor each group every week. The co-captains meet with me on an as neededbasis to handle any issues that might arise.

Each group is also assigned their own string of horses that they areresponsible for. They schedule their own string for games and practices.Any vet care, time off etc. is also the responsibility of each group.

General barn chores are handled equally by each member. Eachmember is assigned to a stall muck team (of 4), and a feeding team (of 2).Each muck team is responsible for cleaning stalls one day per week, and thefeeding teams have similar assignments.

This new system of organization allows all Club members morequality time at the barn.

We were also fortunate this year to have Rob Rinehart provideadditional coaching to all three groups. This additional support wasappreciated by all. The teams benefited greatly from this and the resultswere immediate. I would also like to thank LJ Lopez for his umpiring of thegames, as well as his help at nationals this year.

I am currently looking for new horse donations as I continue toupgrade our string. It is our goal to provide the best possible polo experienceto all those interested in playing polo while at the University of Virginia.

Thank You!

Summer Clinic & LessonsHitting Technique, Horsemanship

& Game Fundamentals

(434) 409-2637 llopez@vapolo.org

Right Photo - Isabella Wolf (Left UVA) and Jessica Cross (Right Cornell)Special thanks to Amy Wisehart for the tournament photos.

Although we have reached only one-third of our$6 million endowment goal, already the income from thecash portion received so far, has this year provided forreplacing our fencing to the tune of $55,000.

Replacement and upgrades to our facility is a cur-rent reality as we are approaching 30 years at Forest Lodge.

As student dues only cover $2000 of the $8500cost per student, and annual giving does not provideenough, we need to fulfill our goal of $6 million.

Looking forward, we will be able to fund an as-sistant manager/coach upon completion of the drive. This need is becoming more obvious.

We thank the many who have made this first stepa reality and hope that everyone is aware of this neces-sary endeavor and will soon participate.

o Network for polo opportunities

o Network for career opportunities

o Keep in touch with old friends

o Stay in the loop with what is going on at VA Polo

Look for Virginia Polo on Facebook andVirginia Polo Alumni on LinkedIn.

Stay connected!Stay connected to an impressiveinternational network. Join theconversation on Facebook andnetwork with the Virginia Polocommunity on LinkedIn.

These tools are useful for somany things, here are a few:

VA Polo’s Endowment EnsuresOur Future at Forest Lodge

Virginia Women Finish Strong as No. 2 in the NationThis was a very exciting year for the Virginia Women. It

was a year that started off slow for the girls as they struggled withsome early losses to Kentucky and Cornell. Their commitmenttowards improving their individual skill levels, as well as thedevelopment of their team dynamic, elevated them to earning thenumber 2 seed for the National Tournament. Starters Isabella Wolf,Julia Steiner, and Kyle Sheehan, along with alternate VictoriaFriedrichs worked extremely hard at developing a chemistry thatwould ultimately create the team dynamic that would serve themwell as they faced Kentucky and Cornell at this year’s Nationaltournament. An overtime win against their year long rival Kentuckyproved to all that the Virginia Women had earned their spot in thefinals. Many felt that this match up was the most exciting and hardfought contest in the entire tournament. In the final match, Virginiafought hard against the powerful Cornell squad leading at one pointin the middle of the third period. The 18 to 10 loss to Cornell hasonly strengthened their commitment towards their ultimate goal ofwinning a National title.

for additional informationDick Riemenschneider

Endowment Committee Co-Chair703-777-1403

The Virginia Polo community has a lot to celebrate. The 2010/2011 academic year was a success bymany measures:

• Overall club membership was at a healthy level.• Va Polo hosted two Interscholastic and one Intercollegiate tournament.• Our Varsity Women’s team were 2nd in the Nation after competing in the Finals at Cornell.• Our Varsity Men’s team won the National Championships.• Our string of ponies are well cared for and known to be of exceptional quality.• The Junior program continues to introduce polo to young players.• Club members participated in fundraising through magazine ad sales and telethons.• The results of our year-end member survey indicated over 90% of our members will join next

year because of the positive experience they had.

I want to thank our coaches Lou Lopez, LJ Lopez and Rob Rinehart for their help. Additionally, CaptainsMauricio Lopez, CB Scherer, Meg Greenhalgh, Julia Steiner, Kylie Sheehan, Katie Becker and Ashley Hartneed to be recognized as an integral part of our organization for their leadership and extra efforts to ensurethe program was enjoyable.

Va Polo is a great way for students to leave the academic environment and learn about horsemanship, polo,teamwork, responsibility, time management, etc. I am very pleased with where the program is especially inlight of the current economic environment.

Va Polo is fortunate to have active and knowledgeable board members, who also deserve many thanks forvolunteering their time. The Board is working on new projects that will positively impact the organizationfor many years. You will hear more details soon.

Va Polo has been at our Forest Lodge facility for approximately 30 years. As such, it is time to replace theoriginal fencing. This project will cost approximately $55,000 and provides safety and security for ourhorses. Donations can be made at www.vapolo.org/support.html, by mail or by phone pledge.

Thanks to everyone for their help. If you have any questions or comments about our program, please feelfree to contact me.

Sincerely,Shockey Gillet, 410-825-3722

FROM THE CHAIRMAN:

Virginia Polo relies on its supporters to operate each year. We are thankful for all of you who make a point ofcontributing to the Annual Fund that pays the bills and keeps the program strong. Here are a few data points toshow you how crucial annual giving is to the program:

Together we keep VA Polo affordable for all students

We need to raise $60,000 from our supporters eachyear to help pay for expenses. A few annual costs:

• Feed: $45,000

• Shoeing: $15,000

• Vet: $13,000

• We’ve seen a decline of over 30% in donationsthe last two years, which isn’t enough to cover ouroperating costs.

• Only 10% of the VA Polo community donates tothe program each year.

• We are less than 10% of the way toward ourannual goal of $60,000.

• Student dues only cover 20% of total costs.

No gift is too small, together we can support theprogram. Contribute online today, while you are thinkingabout it!

Ask most people about me, and one of the first things they will tellyou is about the fairly ridiculous schedule I kept during my four years atUVA. When Mr. Jefferson recommended devoting several hours a day tophysical exercise, I took him very seriously. In addition to attending class,and completing the homework and reading that came with it, the last fouryears of my life have been a constant flurry of marching band, ballroomdancing, salsa dancing, swing dancing, and polo. I enjoyed every second ofit, and now, a month out of school, I miss all of it.

However, out of all of these fun and crazy activities, I find myselfmissing polo the most. I will be able to find somewhere to dance for as longas I love dancing, and I will always have opportunities to play my clarinet. Iwill even most likely be able to ride horses for the rest of my life, but, fornow at least, my time playing polo seems to be over. In comparison, dressageand trail-riding seem incredibly dull and totally lacking in any action and the“adrenaline flow” that I loved when on the polo field.

Although I had ridden horses since the age of eight and had competedin Eventing for most of that time, I didn’t know what to expect when I beganto play polo. I quickly learned that there was a lot to it. I’m very comfortableon a horse, but neck reining, the hitting position, and riding off were all newand difficult for me for several weeks. Learning the rules of the game tookeven longer, and learning to identify all of the ponies and knowing theirpersonalities and quirks took the longest. Cleaning, mucking and feeding,also a part of the polo experience, provided me with time to get to know thehorses and other polo players even better, and enabled me to truly feel like Iwas a part of the UVA Polo family.

Polo provided an amazing outlet for me at school. On days I washappy, the horses were unfazed by my dancing while I tacked them up orhosed them off; although I can’t imagine the other riders appreciated mysinging very much. On days when I had simply too much swirling around myhead and I was unable to focus on schoolwork, riding helped me to calmdown and clear my head. On those all-too-often days where I was frustratedor irritated with a group member or an exam grade, the ball never seemed tomind when I whacked it extra hard. No matter what my mood, poloconsistently provided a place for me to relax and escape from the pressuresof my schoolwork.

Horses have always been a major part of my life, and I know thatthey will continue to do so even as I leave UVA and the now-familiar VirginiaPolo facility that became my favorite place in Charlottesville. Although Idon’t know if playing polo will be in my future, I sincerely hope that I willhave the opportunity to play this amazing sport again soon, and it is also myhope that Virginia Polo will continue to provide riders like me with a place tolearn and enjoy the sport of polo..

Stick and Ball Club $250Robert W. Donahey

Hilary and Henry LongHarry G. Powell

Allen & Elizabeth RiderRobert H. Rinehart

Michael and Jean Steel

Hot Walker Club $100Frank S. Butterworth

Linda CalderoneDavid H. Feldman

Elizabeth HendersonGregg E. Johnson

Esther M. LangenbergJohn and Ann Ryan

SupporterThomas and Kathleen Almy

Savanna C. BarryPat and Jerry Conners

George and Cynthia KahlePatrick and Deborah Madden

John R. McGauley, Jr.Sarah K. PergolizziHarriet F. Phillips

Daniel and Susan SemegenRobert E. L. Scouten

Donate by mail:Payable to Virginia Polo Fund

UVA FundPO Box 400314

Charlottesville, VA 22903

All gifts count towardUniversity giving totalsand are tax deductable.

Thank You!Many thanks to all those

who contributed tothe 2010 Annual Fund.

REFLECTIONS by Lindsey Hellmuth

www.vapolofund.org

The Virginia Polo Center in Charlottesville, Virginia provides University ofVirginia students, both men and women from all walks of life, with the opportunity toexperience the sport of polo.

In keeping with the philosophy of the founders, the program strives to instill ineach student the merits of responsibility, hard work, dedication, the rewards offellowship, working as a team, and the ability to compete in an intercollegiate sport onthe national level. These are valuable lessons that endure in the students personal andprofessional lives after college.

This is a student run organization with members equally sharing responsibilityfor the athletic success, work ethic, and outstanding reputation of our polo legacy.The Board of Directors are dedicated to providing overall management, professionalcoaching, and long-term financial support for future generations.

Virginia Polo is not supported by the University of Virginia and relies primarilyon outside sources for its financial well being.

1082 Forest Lodge LaneCharlottesville, VA 22903