While winter activities in Colorado can feel limited to snowsports and indoor pursuits, the Broadmoor Winter Polo Classic is bringing something different back to Colorado Springs. On Feb. 24, polo players from around the country will trot their polo ponies into the Norris Penrose Event Center for the resurgence of polo at the Broadmoor and in Colorado Springs.
This year’s Broadmoor Winter Polo Classic will hardly be the first time polo has been played on grounds owned by the historic property, but until the Polo Classic was revived last year, it had been many decades since the last official match. Polo at the Broadmoor has its roots in the 1920s, when Spencer Penrose leveraged the sport as a marketing opportunity for the new luxury hotel. Previously thought of as an upper-class sport, Penrose instead built a grandstand at his newly renovated polo grounds, opening matches to hotel guests and townspeople alike.
While the sport was popular, the Great Depression ground much of the local economy to a halt, putting a pause on polo at the Broadmoor. There were attempts to revive the game after World War II. Broadmoor archives show flyers for tournaments in 1948 and ’49, promoting the game as “Hockey on Horseback” and “The Best Summer Polo in the U.S.” And the Colorado Springs Polo Club reactivated in the early 1960s and hosted tournaments for several years with high ambitions.
“I’m dead sure that with the support of the townspeople and merchants we can become a hotbed of polo in the country,” club president Col. Hugh Nevins told the Gazette-Telegraph’s Leisuretime magazine in 1965. But the sport soon disappeared again locally — until recently.
Players from around the country will be a part of this year’s event, including some of the best. Erica Gandomcar-Sachs is owner of the Denver Polo Club, a Colorado State University alumna and currently one of the top-ranked female polo players in the world. Vincenzo Sangaline comes from the Aspen Polo Club and is a U.S. Open Polo Championship tournament veteran and player in the World Polo League. And Nicholas Francoeur, U.S. Air Force Academy alum and U.S. Space Force officer is currently a member at the Denver Polo Club and also serving as the event’s operations partner.
“There’s a special historicity to playing polo at the Broadmoor,” Francoeur says. “Given the types of people that have played there, from Roosevelt to Penrose himself, being a part of the group of players who get to play at this institution for the first time in [so many years] is mind-blowing.”
Francoeur’s military experience gives the match special meaning. “Historically-speaking, polo and the military together have been synonymous with Colorado Springs, especially in the 1920s,” he says. “After the Great Depression, polo in the state was mostly played in Denver and Aspen, as well as Colorado State University. However, in the last five to 10 years, popularity has been increasing dramatically once again. For me, coming back here after being stationed elsewhere has been a homecoming of sorts, bringing polo back to the Springs, especially to the military community.”
The 2024 Broadmoor Winter Polo Classic will be played at the Norris Penrose Event Center, where the stadium will be transformed into a polo arena, with a playing surface that is 300 feet long and 150 wide, or approximately the size of a football field. Guests can purchase upscale concessions and beverages on-site, including drinks from whiskey sponsor Distillery 291 and an exclusive polo-themed cocktail.
There will be two teams — the Penrose Polo Team and the Emerald Valley Polo Team — who will play four chukkers (periods). At halftime, spectators will be treated to a performance showcasing the Colorado Top Hands Drill Team, a co-ed, all-ages horse-riding drill team with diverse backgrounds.
Spectators who have never attended a polo match before can expect to experience a thrilling match of both athletic skill and impressive horse handling and performance. The stereotype of polo spectators might be large hats and brightly printed dresses akin to other horse events like the Kentucky Derby, but expect a more laid-back atmosphere in Colorado Springs and be ready to bundle up. Francoeur explains that the sport of polo should be — and is — accessible to anyone.
“We will have an announcer during the match to explain what’s going on so everyone can enjoy it,” he says. “We’re all here to enjoy the game and all the excitement the sport has to offer.”
Want to Watch the Broadmoor Winter Polo Classic?
The gates open at 1:30 p.m., and the match starts at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 24. And, yes, there is a special Winter Polo Package for a stay at The Broadmoor. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit winterpoloclassic.org.
How to Polo Like a Pro
First time at a Polo match? Here are some terms to know.
Chukkers: The term of play in a polo match, which is seven and a half minutes long. There will be four chukkers at the Broadmoor Winter Polo Classic Polo match — but tied matches can sometimes go into overtime. Chukker comes from the Hindi word for “circle” or “round.”
Polo Ponies: While the name is deceiving, the animals used to play polo are indeed full-sized horses. The term pony alludes instead to their impressive agility. Polo ponies are switched out throughout the match so that the horses get a break — they can gallop at up to 30 mph!
Bump: Polo is a physical game, and players are permitted to ride aggressively and close to each other, throwing the other player off balance to spoil a shot.
Sticks: Sometimes also just called mallets, they’re the tool that polo players use to hit the ball from the saddle.
Goal: Score by hitting the ball between the two goal posts — and it still counts if it’s pushed across by the pony!
Tail Shot: Hitting the ball below and behind the pony’s rump, a tricky shot that requires a lot of skill from the polo player.
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