WELLINGTON, Fla., January 30, 2025--Jet Set Visas held off Victory Polo to win The Polo School Women's Polo League opener Wednesday at Santa Rita Polo Farm.
By Sharon Robb
Jet Set Visas (Pearl Duncan, Ava Hinkson, Megan Manubay, Jennifer Williams, Julia Kline) defeated Victory Polo (Valentina Villamil, Anna Palacios, Maggie Hill-Smith, Malicia Von Falkenhausen, Becky Schmeits), 5-4.
"It was a lot of fun," said Hinkson, coming off a one-year hiatus for school (Palm Beach Atlantic), family time and "nice horse turnout."
"It's been a hot start to the season for sure," Hinkson said. "The game was really moving. It had a really nice flow to it. It's probably one of the cleanest games I've played out here.
"The girls were all super competitive but all had a good attitude and were nice," Hinkson said. "It was a great group of girls. I think everyone was on the same page. We all had a lot of fun out there."
Ten players, some subbing in and out, competed in five chukkers. The teams were evenly-matched with players of all levels which made for a competitive game which featured five lead changes.
Palacios goal with 3:10 left in the opening chukker gave Victory Polo a 1-0 lead. Manubay quickly came back with a goal for Jet Set Visas to tie the game.
Victory Polo regained the lead (2-1) with Hill-Smith's goal with 4:40 left in the second chukker. A minute later Manubay scored her second goal of the game for 2-2 tie. With 45 seconds left in the chukker, Palacios scored her second goal of the game to give Victory Polo a 3-2 lead.
After a scoreless third chukker, Hinkson converted a 30-yard penalty to tie (3-3) followed by Manubay's goal to break the tie for Jet Set Visas, 4-3. Jet Set Visas never trailed after that. Two minutes later Hinkson saw an opening and went for a long angled shot to score for a 5-3 lead.
Victory Polo had scoring opportunities in the fifth and final chukker but couldn't capitalize. Villamil converted a 30-yard penalty to cut the lead to one with 1:50 remaining but ran out of time.
Manubay led scoring with three goals and Hinkson added two. For Victory Polo, Palacios led with two goals and Villamil and Hill-Smith each had one.
The world's oldest weekly women's polo league features players of all ages and skill level. The league was created by Alina Carta, a polo pioneer and one of the highest ranked women in the U.S. in the 1980s, and Melissa Ganzi, Grand Champions Polo Club President, World Polo League co-founder and avid player.
The league, along with the April WCT Finals at Grand Champions, honors Sunny Hale, the all-time greatest women's polo player and Hall of Famer. Hale is one of the sport's pioneers and first woman in polo history to win the 26-goal U.S. Open in an era when the sport was male-dominated. She was raised to 10 goals posthumously. The part-time Wellington resident died February 26, 2017 in Norman, Okla. due to complications from cancer at age 48.
The popularity of women's polo has skyrocketed now representing 50 percent of registered players in the United States thanks to Hale's vision for women's polo and growing the sport.
The increase has been attributed to educational schools such as The Polo School, leagues and competitions such as The Polo School Women's Weekly Polo League and worldwide exposure to the sport in various tournaments including the Women's Argentine Open and U.S. Women's Open currently underway.
"Through the years women's polo has grown so much," Hinkson said. "The girls have developed so much. The whole industry has developed. It's really nice to be a part of it and see it grow and develop. It's healthy competition.
"There's a need for this league because there are so many different levels out here. You had Anna Palacios who is 5 goals and then you have all different players out here where a 0-goal girl can play beside a 5-goaler."
The league has been a launching pad for several women amateur and pro players and has provided SunnyShips, scholarships honoring the legacy of Hale. Hinkson, Hope Arellano, Alyson Poor and Malicia Van Falkenhausen are among past recipients. Many of the players compete in league play at Grand Champions and Santa Rita Polo Farm and Polo Training Foundation events.
"I think this is such a great place for me to come and work on myself," Hinkson said. "I play different positions and with girls that I love and have grown up with playing. It's nice to come back every year, work on things and just have a good time."
All team entry fees from the weekly league benefit The Polo School, a stand-alone USPA-sanctioned club. The Polo School offers lessons to men, women and children of all ages and ability levels.