SARASOTA – The sport of Kings becomes the sport of Queens this weekend on the Suncoast.
The Women’s International Polo Network is breaking barriers and making history.
“What the WIPN is doing is getting women’s polo on the map more,” said Amy Trytek. “And it’s a great website to bring women together and find out where they can find they can get the best polo and where all the events are going on across the country .”
Trytek, Director of Operations, helped organized the first Women’s Polo Florida Circuit here in Sarasota.
“It allows them to play come down to Florida play and go from club to club as oppose having to try and get teams together in different areas,” said Trytek.
Dawn Jones the wife of actor Tommy Lee Jones has been playing Women’s Polo for the past 24 years. She says it was her husband who helped introduce her to the game.
“Well I initially met my husband about 24 years ago on a film set in West Texas and I discovered my husband enjoyed playing polo he’s been playing for a few years before I met him,” said Jones. “I decided that it would be really great if he and I could share the sport together and here we are 24 years later really loving the game.”
Jones says she came down to Florida for the first of its kind women’s polo Florida circuit tournaments. “So the reason why I’m involved in polo and what’s motivating me is I’m seeing a significant growth in the sector of polo in women’s polo. Not just in the United States but around the world,” she said.
Jones says she’s seen a spike of registered members in the United States Polo Association go from 22% to 38%.
“I love seeing all these women playing and I want to try and help create some kind of an infrastructure or structure of tournaments that they can participate in,” said Jones.
The polo tournament benefits Just for Girls, a nonprofit organization that encourages women’s leadership. Sunday the women will play in the finals of tournament that has a tailgating theme of Thinking Pink to raise funds for breast cancer.
The finals of the tournament is Sunday at the Sarasota Polo Club. The gates open at 10 and the first match of the day starts at 1. General admission is $12 and children 12 and under get in for free.
