The need to create an equal opportunity base for polo in America led to the development of The Polo Training Foundation. It was officially launched on January 20, 1967. First and foremost, the Polo Training Foundation is dedicated to cultivating the future of polo in America while making it accessible and fun to everyone.
The Polo Training Foundation has been committed to excellence in the great sport of polo for over 50 years. The PTF supports polo training at all levels. The Foundation’s many programs include beginner clinics designed to teach young people the principles of polo, intercollegiate /interscholastic tournaments and clinics, and international player exchanges. Through its activities, the PTF seeks to encourage the highest standards of sportsmanship and to promote international good will through polo competition.
Polo is a challenging sport both mentally and physically and teaches hard work, dedication, sportsmanship, teamwork and leadership skills. Through the PTF the youth of America is given opportunities to grow and flourish. Whether they want to learn the game or they desire the stepping stones to make it to the top of the sport, the Polo Training Foundation is the place to do it.
Churchill once proclaimed that “a polo handicap is a passport to the world.” The PTF was designed to utilize that handicap and thus continue the polo education of the Junior Players while also creating new friends and memories.
Board of Directors:
OFFICERS & DIRECTORS
Melissa Ganzi, Chairman
Anthony L. Coppola, President
Gillian Johnston, Vice President
Leighton Jordan, Secretary
Joseph W. Kozlik, Treasurer
HONORARY DIRECTORS
George Alexander, Jr.
Ian W. Angus
Eugene Burk
Daniel W. Colhoun Jr.
Karlene Beal Garber
Orrin H. Ingram
Richard C. Riemenschneider
To serve to 2023
Anthony Coppola
Melissa P. Ganzi
Karl Hilberg
Gillian Johnston
Leighton Jordan
Bill Kirton
Clifford M. Sifton
Patricia Yunghanns
To serve to 2022
Olexa Celine
Lyn Jason Cobb
Glen Holden, Sr.
Kenneth R. Mayer
Jesse Pruitt
Thomas A. Sikes
Dayna Dixon Stueck
John Walsh
To serve to 2024
Olexa Celine
Joseph W. Kozlik
Raymond Noh
Virginia Orthwein
Richard C. Riemenschneider
Jennifer A. Rodriguez
James J. Zenni Jr.
Michelle Whitman
PTF Junior Board
Ava Rose Hinkson, Chairwoman
Lea Jih-Vieira President
Anna Hale, Vice President
Patricio Fraga Errecart, Secretary
Kelsey Burhans
Zachary Cobbs
Grant Ganzi
Jack McLean
Winston Painter
Maeve Reicher
Hannah Stowe
Catherine Stueck
Vlad Tarashansky
Teghan Torrey
Jack Whitman
Cory Williams
Executive Director: Jennifer McLeavy (JMcLeavy@polotraining.org)
“The PTF is a big part of why I fell in love with polo.”
Jack McLean
UVA polo team