The most important facet of an athletic season is to peak at the right time. This is especially true in a year-round sport such as polo. Therefore, the men’s polo team looks to have a solid fall season in order to prepare for the spring campaign.
“The season’s a marathon, not a sprint,” said head coach David Eldredge ’81. “We’re building towards the spring, when it really counts. I train my team to peak come playoff time.”
“Because the real season starts in the spring, we’re not only working on becoming a better team, but we’re also sizing up our opponents, so we know we have what it takes to beat them when it counts,” said freshman Max Constant.
November may be far from the spring, but neither the crisp air nor UConn could stop the Red from an impressive performance last Friday at home, as Cornell earned a 20-11 win at the Oxley Equestrian Center.
“With our talent and great coaching, we know we have what it takes to compete at the national level,” Constant said. “If we become coherent as a team and play off each other’s strengths, we should have a successful season.”
Eldredge feels that all the components of a championship contender are in place. He knows the talent is there, and expects that the pieces of the puzzle will come together by the end of the season.
“I really like the talent of this team,” he exclaims. “We have Max, who’s an up and coming star, [junior] Bobby [Harvey], who’s one of the top three players in the country and [junior] Rich [Weidel], who is a really good athlete with a tremendous attitude and a limitless learning curve. Knowing we have the skills, we have to pace ourselves and fuse at the right time.”
Harvey wears the No. 2 jersey, which gives him offensive, defensive and game management responsibilities. As the on-field general and off-field leader of the team, Harvey is happy with the team’s play so far.
“We’re 2-1 in NCAA competition this year,” Harvey said. “We’re a young team. It’s Rich’s and Max’s rookie years, but we have aspirations to win it all this year. The building process takes time just like any other sport.”
According to Weidel, the building process is already under way.
“We’ve played Boston U., Virginia, and UConn and we’re playing better each time we ride out there,” he declares. “We’re just starting to rock and roll.”
Constant credits the staff for the athleticism and conditioning of the team’s horses, which are crucial to the team’s success.
“I think we have the best horses in the country,” he said. “If it weren’t for all the people taking care of the horses, the games wouldn’t flow the way they do.”