Dawn to dusk
Records set for longest game, most chukkers played
Polo America’s Dawn to Dusk Chukker Challenge on November 6 at Stormbranch Equestrian Club in Aiken, South Carolina set a world record for longest polo game. Fifty-plus polo players and over 200 horses played a 32 chukker 11-goal polo game. Play began at 8:00 a.m. with temperatures in the low 30s. Approximately eight hours after the first throw-in the game came to an end. The final score was Land Rover Columbia 49 and Grand Champions Polo Club 47. Melissa Ganzi and Luis Escobar each set new individual world records for playing 30 consecutive chukkers.
regularly for over 62 years. “This is all new territory. There was a
PHOTOS BY MARY A. WALDROP The event was organized by Randy
Russell. It is the only known record for longest game. A search on the Guinness World Records website yielded just one polo-related result: Pablo Moreno Wilson of Chile set a record in 2003 for Most durable polo player for playing polo
26 POLO PLAYERS EDITION
rumor that an eight chukker polo game in Argentina went into eight overtime chukkers,” said Russell. “In regard to continuous play in a polo game, 30 chukkers has to be the record since no one has ever played a 32 chukker polo game.” The Universal Record Database
accepted the records and it is hoped Guinness World Records will too. Russell said, “Guinness supplied us with an ID number. I had the Dawn to Dusk Chukker Challenge aired live on Atlantic Broadband and recorded to send to
Guinness. I will be sending them the DVD, scoresheets and newspaper clippings as documentation.” Ganzi began preparing for the event
well in advance. Her fitness trainer set up an endurance routine for her and she practiced eight or nine chukkers as much as possible prior to the event. To be sure she would be comfortable, Ganzi brought 20 horses to play, including a few of her favorites. She saved her daughter Riley’s horse, Baby, for the last chukker. “I felt very strong in chukkers 13-27,” said Ganzi. “It was sometimes hard to keep a rhythm of play because the players
