WHATSOC? Polo!

Another sporting Whatsoc for you today, with the Soton Tab spotlight thrown on Southampton University Polo Club. We caught up with current President Ellie Hawkins.

What is Polo all about? 
In a nutshell polo is “hockey on horseback”. There are two teams consisting of 3 or 4 players, trying to score goals against each other. But it’s actually much more complicated than that. Our coach describes it as chess at 30mph, it’s a game of tactics, skill and nerve, and its highly addictive! At SUPC we get people playing polo, from beginners to seasoned players, organising lessons, tournaments and socials.

Many people think polo is quite a posh sport, what are your thoughts?
As a sport it definitely has that reputation, but here at the Uni Polo Club we try to make it as accessible as possible, and have attracted a wide range of members. Despite the jokes I get, I definitely can’t be called posh; I have two part time jobs to fund my polo playing, not from the bank of Mum and Dad!

How often do people make really poor jokes about water polo?
Honestly, not that much! We get the “don’t the horses drown?” joke but that is far and few between!

Can anyone join in the fun? 
Definitely! We actively encourage complete beginners, most of our club members started at Uni. The coaching we receive is amazing, and can take someone who doesn’t know one end of a horse to the other, and have them cantering in their first lesson! And thanks to some decent funding this year we have managed to drive down the costs of playing polo, it literally couldn’t be cheaper than playing with the University!

What successes has your team had? 
Whilst we haven’t brought home any trophies recently, we have successfully competed in the highly competitive Uni League at our local club. Winter and Summer Nationals also feature on our competition calendar.

What’s the best thing about your club?
That’s a difficult question, there is so much that is good about the Polo Club! I suppose because we are a small club, we are really close (please don’t read clique!), I’ve made some amazing friends through polo. Apart from that I would have to say it is the sport itself, polo is such an amazing sport to play, and I am grateful for the club just so that I have been able to experience it!

What’s the most fun social your club has had and why? 
The Winchester Christmas fayre and ice skating has always been a popular and fun social that we’ve been to in the last few years!

Where can I see the team play? 
We normally train and compete at Druids Lodge Polo club, which is near Salisbury. Nationals normally take place near Bristol or Rugby.

Does your society have any weird traditions or stories? 
I wouldn’t say we have any weird traditions, but I can’t remember the last social where we didn’t end up at Manzils.

Jesters or Sobar? 
Well this is a bit biased, as I actually work in Clowns, so definitely Jesters! Socials do tend to favour Jesters at the moment as well.

Soton Tab or Wessex Scene?
Soton Tab of course!

For more information on Southampton University Polo Club, check out their website here