How to Grow the Sport

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There are some great dialogues going among the comments made to various posts, comments many readers fail to open and read.  On occasion, I will post these comments, and this is such a case.  You will find an initial question from tiger87, a response from backhander and a comment from brokenmallet.  Enjoy.

 

tiger87

Since you are such an ardent opposer of the USPA, let us all hear your ideas of how to grow the sport, PLEASE?

 

backhander
 

Let me make it clear, I am not opposed to the USPA or the PTF. I am opposed to some of the control freaks who are manipulating the USPA and the PTF. I am opposed to employees who are either unqualified or lazy, and I am opposed to people who are power hungry and will sacrifice the good of the USPA and the PTF to maintain that power. I would like to think that doesn’t include everyone in power, but that is a decision that should be made on a case by case basis.
You ask me my ideas on growing the membership knowing that you aren’t going to consider any suggestions. Fine, I’ll share a couple of ideas.
First I would reorganize the USPA (we’ll leave the PTF for another day). There is no sense in growing the membership if the administration and leadership drives them away. The organization needs to be (and I know I am repeating myself) transparent and accountable.
Reviewing the paid employees would be an important move so that you might realize who you have working for you and what they are capable of doing. I would make certain that aside from the Executive Director I had a second in command, someone who could take over in case anything happened to the ED. As it stands now, there is no one else who has the information that the ED has. Built in job security.
I would reorganize the committee structures. I would require a mission statement from each of them; a status report from them on a monthly basis; and readily jetison any member who was not contributing. I would publish their monthly status reports on the website and openly solicit any suggestions or criticisms.
I would also gauge the progress of outlined projects and hold the committees and committee members accountable.
I would once again get behind promoting international competition, embracing the Westchester Cup and the Camacho Cup. I would wholeheartedly promote the competitions having my Marketing Director actively solicit corporate sponsorships and develop ongoing relationships with these sponsors.
I would take a deep look into Englands schools and universities polo programs and find out how they managed to grow their programs to many times the size of ours in such a short time. I would copy a number of their organizational formats that would allow many more school polo club members the opportunity to play and compete (check out the SUPA site).
I would coordinate the support of the existing schools and universities with area clubs and schedule visits from instructors throughout the year. I would also require that the colleges and universities established a legitimate playing schedule throughout the year that would allow them to play a full season of matches before any regional competition.
Although I don’t believe that the schools and universities do anything significant to grow the membership, I would establish a tracking system that would be able to tell me just what the return was on my investment of time and money for the program.
I would establish a “bible” of polo instruction coordinating a number of different methods that were abridged into one standard teaching format and I would stick to it. I would not allow anyone to list themselves as a Polo Instructor on the USPA site without completing a course and a test and receiving credentials from the USPA, and would require a certain number of donated hours every year to mainatin those credentials.
I would look at establishing a training center (I think I would try to negotiate for the use of the Broad Acres Polo Club, at this time) where I would work out a format for training players, grooms, arena polo, field polo, riding lessons, etc. This would all be done in conjunction with the “polo training bible” I mentioned earlier. I would vigilently monitor the program there, and before I thought about creating another such center, I would have to know that the first one was self sustaining and generating new members as well as training current members.
I would solicit the membership for horses to be donated to the center and have my marketing director solicit an “official” feed, tack and any other items that would help maintain ans subsidize the association-owned horses. I would then develop a club membership program that would allow for the lease of horses after the polo student or player’s progress was deemed acceptable by the club manager.
The ability of a person to be able to join a polo club; take lessons; particpated in league and tournament play (primarily arena polo) would allow young professionals who are in the heart of their earning years to be able to participate and compete without making the demanding time and money sacrifices that more serious polo would ask of them.
I know that there was a membership study done, but considering that it was done by people unfamiliar with the game and that the USPA loses about one third of its membeship every year (many of which were one-year members) I woud think that the study was flawed, but would review what it said and share my findings, forecasts and future plans with the membership.
I would take a look at some of the “age-old” volunteers and Executive Board members and realize that it was through the judgement and shoices of many of these people that the USPA is in the state it is today, and I would remove them. I would re-establish the Constitution Committee and get rid of the constitution czar. I find the concept of a one-man Constitution Committee laughable. I would recruit young, interested members into leadership positions and give the association a much needed infusion of new blood and I would abolish the practices of the Nominating Committee, which in my mind merely perpetuates the lineage of bad leadership we have been saddled with for so many years. I would suggest that the Constitution Committee re-think the measures that were taken a few years ago that stripped the Circuit Governors of their power and when their power was restored, I would hold them accountable. I would stress to the membership that the position wasn’t a popularity contest, and if the Circuit Governors didn’t perform, they would be replaced.
I would create a Public Relations position that would assist each and every club and would work on placing articles in major publications on an ongoing basis. That person would also be required to assist in helping to promote each and every major USPA tournament (including the I/Is) with the media contacts that they have developed.
Well, tiger87, those are just a few things I would do for openers. Your thoughts?

 

brokenmallet
 

Attention Tiger…I’d like to see a response from you concerning the above post by backhander. Since you have labeled him an ardent opposer can one assume that you are, therefore, an ardent supporter? If such is the case please share with the rest of the polo world your position on the topics so aply proposed by backhander. In my humble opinion he has covered all of the bases quite well and you and the rest of your cheerleaders for the USPA might want to follow some of his well thought out advise. Unless, of course, your suggestions are better.

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