Updates for February

Well well, it has certainly been a very busy time for me! The Brazil project is really picking up and there is a lot of momentum. I have just received the floor plans and I think it will be a great international exhibition game that will benefit both the AACC (Children’s Leukemia) and the Texas Children’s Cancer Center. The Jaipur project with Nacho Figueras and HRH Maharaj Narendra Singh of Jaipur looks incredible and it is set to be the type of day in the polo world that I hope will make international headlines. The Houston Polo Celebration Week is starting to take shape as well and I’m looking forward to sharing this incredible sport with this great city that has become a sort of second home for me. In June, I will be hosting the Jaeger Le Coultre Charity Cup in Malaysia. Malaysia is truly a fantastic destination for polo and individuals such as the Royal Pahang family, Mohamed Moiz and Peter Abisheganadan have been true heroes in championing polo in the country. I hope I have the honor of sharing a field with them.

In Houston, the weather has been really cold and wet recently and polo this morning was cancelled. I have been representing the polo community in other ways though. I attended the unveiling of the new BMW 3 Series at Momentum BMW:

I have also been playing Philip’s horse Lola and the horse is coming along really nicely. My horses come into Houston this Tuesday so I’m really excited to have them close by again. They will begin training and once I return from the UK on the 4th of March, I will begin my pre-season preparations for the Spring 2012 season in Houston and for the summer in Malaysia. The big tournaments I will be playing in Houston this Spring are the Governor’s Cup (6 Goal), Spring Cup (2 Goal) and Officers Cup (8 Goal). I am really excited!

Lots and lots of news!

Sorry I haven’t updated in a while but things have been really slow! I finally have a lot of news to update everyone on so I hope you enjoy this post.

Last night I was invited to the Texas Children’s Cancer Center’s annual gala, Legends, at the George R. Brown Convention Center. It was fantastic being at such a prestigious event as an ambassador for the hospital and I really enjoyed meeting the Cancer Center’s major donors- others who have made a tremendous effort making a difference in the lives of children suffering from cancer-related problems.

It was great seeing Gloria Gaynor, the Pointer Sisters and Nial Rodgers, true Legends of the 1970s era who have made a difference in the community through their status. I hope to emulate them with my own polo initiatives.

This week I will be attending events at Versace, BMW and Asia Society to spread the word of polo and the initiatives that are being done to raise awareness for various causes through the sport.

As many of you know, I have been playing polo with Philip Limon in the arenas of Brookshire. The weather in Houston has decided to actually become wintery and today we played polo in 45 degrees. It was very cold in Brookshire but I enjoyed playing amongst friends.

In other news, I’m happy to announce that I’ve signed for the Cat Springs Polo Team for the 2012 Spring Cup to be played in Houston at the end of March. I am pleased to be linking up with my old teammates Chad Bowman and Raymond Stainback in a final hurrah. Ray’s daughter Luisa will make up the fourth member of the team. I am really excited about the start of polo season 2012 and have worked hard to get into shape.

My polo projects internationally are really taking off as well and the following games are confirmed for the Fall 2012 season:

September 3rd: San Diego

September 9th: Houston

September 15th: Santa Barbara

September 28th: Brazil

Let’s make raising social awareness through polo a BIG DEAL!

La Sarita: Thai Open Champions!

When I got the news that La Sarita had won the Thai Open, I was truly overcome by emotion. The 2012 Thai Open marked the first full 14-goal season that my dad will be participating in following his 1.5 year battle with cancer. There’s no words to explain a fairytale beginning like this. I say beginning because it marks a new chapter in my dad’s polo career and there is no better way to start it off. The Thai Polo Club is a fantastic club that organizes some excellent tournaments and I can’t wait to play in Thailand once again in the near future! A full report of our win can be read at www.equestrian.com.my or by clicking here

(Picture Courtesy of www.equestrian.com.my)

Las Tuesday, I went to BMW Houston as an ambassador for the Asia Society to meet members of the Asian American community in Houston and to celebrate the Year of the Dragon for the Chinese Lunar New Year:

On my side, I have been playing the Winter indoor season out in Brookshire. I am playing for Mr Philip Limon and helping to get his horses fit for the outdoor season which starts in mid-March. Here is a picture of Philip and I together before the game at the ERG Arena on Friday:

On Sunday, we played outdoors at Mark Prinsloo’s place. Mark is a phenomenal guy and his life’s mission is to promote polo amongst the youth and introduce many people to our incredible sport. Here are a few snaps I took (PS. YOU CAN NOW FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: ameerj):

Also, remember, by clicking LIKE on my Facebook page, you will be donating 10cents towards the Texas Children’s Cancer Center. Do it!

Bring It On 2012! My plans for the year…

Here we go everyone! The polo journey of a lifetime for me begins from today till May 2013! There are so many things to get excited about I really can’t wait!

For the year’s appetizer course, the Winter Polo League 2012 begins in Brookshire, TX on the 20th of January. I will be playing with Mr. Philip Limon bi-weekly up until the 23rd of February. Over Spring Break, I will be in Scotland to visit Bella, who is studying there for the semester, and will visit my friends at the Stewarton Polo Club. A artist friend of mine, Greer, has kindly donated a painting to the Golden Goals project that I hope to auction off to benefit the children of the Texas Childrens’ Hospital.

Following Spring Break, I will return to Houston to play in the 4 Goal Spring League 2012. This year, I return witha  new team, Pecan Acres. It was a fantastic 2011 playing with Cat Springs Polo and I look forward to a fresh start with my new team.

Polo returns to Malaysia this summer where I will be playing the Terengganu Open from the 2nd to the 12th of May before returning to Kuala Lumpur to play the Royal Selangor Polo Club International from the 23rd of May to the 2nd of June.

On the 3rd of June I will be hosting the Golden Goals Charity Cup in Malaysia, many thanks to my friend Peter Abisheganadan for helping me with this, I hope it can be a big event.

After the summer, I return to Houston for my final academic year at Rice and will be working with the Asia Society of Texas on a potential charity project as an ambassador of the Houston center. I am really excited about this opportunity because I am an Asian polo player and I am always honored to be working on projects that can benefit my home continent.

The charity games that are confirmed for the Fall are to take place in Brazil, Houston, San Diego and Santa Barbara. I will also be doing an event in conjunction with the hunter-jumpers of Los Angeles in November. Some pending games are in New York and Austin and I will have more news about these later. In January 2013 I will be co-hosting an event in Jaipur with Nacho Figueras and HRH Maharaj Narendra Singh of Jaipur.

What a great year this could be to raise social awareness through polo. The blog is back online, polo is back online, I’m back online. Golden Goals 2012.

Polo In Putrajaya!

Today was a rather unexpected day. Last night, dad made the spontaneous decision to go to play in Malaysia for the day to get some practice in before he heads to Thailand in January to play the Thai Open. Interestingly, I was supposed to start gym training today to prepare for the winter polo league in Brookshire, TX in mid-January as well. However, when presented with the opportunity to play an 8 goal practice in Malaysia, I jumped at the chance!

Dad and I left Singapore at 1:30pm today and got to Malaysia at 2:30pm. Karen, the La Sarita manager and one of our closest friends, picked us up from the airport and we headed straight for the polo field. It was so good seeing some friends who I have not seen in 6 months and see the whole La Sarita organization again.

The game was a lot of fun and I scored four long-range goals, which I was quite pleased about as I am not known to be a big hitter. I feel that my hitting has become much bigger since the fall season in Houston and it was great playing with my dad and we combined very well for two of my goals.

I’m going back to Malaysia alone on Tuesday to play another practice and I’m really excited!

With La Sarita manager Karen Gan

With Nachi Alberdi

Finally- something post worthy!

Well I haven’t been updating the blog recently because there has quite simply been nothing to blog about- the polo season is over which means I have large chunks of the day where I’m not really doing much… my horses being on holiday in Katy is also not helping my cause so I have decided to focus my efforts in planning for my 2012 polo season.

As many of you know, I have signed for Pecan Acres polo team, the same team that I played in the 8 goal for this year. Next year I will be with them for the entire calendar year in Houston. I will also return to Malaysia to play with La Sarita in the last two 14 goal tournaments of the season.

I will also be an ambassador for Asia Society Houston, a society that aims to promote Asian culture and interaction. It is a global association and I am proud to represent Asia and particularly Singapore (and the polo world) in such an distinguished organization. I will be working on a Golden Goals project with Asia Society and I am excited about it.

Right now we have some confirmed charity games that I will be hosting- most notably at the Santa Barbara polo club and in Houston. I’m also considering projects in other places. One place I’d really like to do something is the Empire Polo Club in Indio. I was in California over Thanksgiving and was invited to go to EPC to see this club that I have heard so much about- there is truly no club that comes even close to the Empire Polo Club. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Year-In-Review

In the first bit of news, Wilderness/La Sarita ended the season on a major high after we won the 4 goal final tournament in front of a huge crowd on Farish Field! My teammate, Chad Bowman, go injured in the second chukker and Danika Rice stepped in for him. We were trailing until the end of the third chukker when we equalized to make it 3-3 and in the end, Billy Mudra put in a 60 yarder to put us up 4-3 and I iced the cake with a goal in the fourth minute that gave us an assured 5-3 victory. Pictures will be on my Facebook page soon but it any case, here is my year-in-review.

Golden Goals

 

I launched the Golden Goals program to raise awareness for pediatric cancer research. After my dad and aunt were diagnosed with early stage cancer last year, I was devastated. By God’s grace, both were caught early and are fine now but the experience had a huge impact in the way I thought about the world. I wanted to make a difference through polo and launched a program whereby sponsors donate $10 per goal to the Texas Children’s Cancer Center, of which I am an ambassador. I have 25 sponsors and have scored a total of 108 goals. While this has been a great start for the first year, I want to grow the program in the next few years and strengthen the relationship between polo and raising social awareness.

 

In August this year, I hosted a charity match to benefit breast cancer awareness in Malaysia. The event was covered by Harper’s Bazaar and the success of the match has inspired me to do more next year. I am currently in talks to host charity games in California, New York, Houston and Malaysia.

 

I am honored to have you join me in my journey.

 

Houston Spring Season

 

In the Spring I played for the Wilderness/ La Sarita team in the 4 goal, comprising of Ray Stainback -1, Chad Bowman 1 Billy Mudra 3 and myself. The team was a strong one and we gelled well, putting in some fantastic performances throughout the season.

 

I was also invited to play in the 8 goal for Crystal Cassidy’s Goose Creek and played with my close friends Marcos Bignoli 4 Rodrigo Moran 3 and Crystal Cassidy 0. I ended the Spring season with 22 goals that counted towards the Golden Goals Project.

 

Summer Season (Malaysia & Singapore)

 

The summer high goal in Malaysia was one of transition. At long last, we finally welcomed my dad, Asad Jumabhoy, back into the fold of our 14 goal squad. While we did not win anything this summer, I was just glad to have dad back after all the events of last summer. The squad was Asad Jumabhoy 0 Benjamin Araya 7 myself and Gaston Otamendi 5. Next season, we are expecting some big changes at La Sarita and will be targeting all major trophies once again. I scored 16 goals over the summer before returning to Houston to begin my junior year at Rice.

 

Houston Fall Season

 

This was a defining season in my development as a player because I feel like I have hit new heights in my development. I played in the 4 goal for the Wilderness polo team as well as the 8 goal for Pecan Acres polo. I have been praised for my change in style of play this season and came away scoring a whopping 70 goals and scoring at least one goal in every single match I played.

 

My big moment of the season was the 9-2 win against the Pegasus polo team in the 8 goal where I scored 7 goals in six chukkers.

 

I strive to continue working hard on and off the field. Every time I play, I am fighting for all those kids who have suffered from pediatric cancer and each goal I score brings me joy because I know I am making a difference. Together, we can improve the relationship between polo and social awareness and do more in this world through the sport we love.

 

Here is my powerpoint presentation of my season in pictures.

 

Busy, busy, busy

With Haley, 4 years old, cancer survivor and an inspiration for me. Photo credits: Isabella Adamiak

It has been a very busy week for me polo-wise. The first day of tournaments this week was on Wednesday where we played a round robin between us, Pegasus and Shamrock. We beat Shamrock 4-2 and lost to Pegasus 2-1 but progressed to the final- to be played on Field 1 of the Houston Polo Club this Sunday in front of what is expected to be a record attendance for this year- on goal difference.

I also achieved a new milestone in my polo career on Wednesday. Earlier this year, when I had launched the Golden Goals initiative, I had set myself a target of 80 goals. I scored my 100th goal of the season against Shamrock, cutting a shot from the offside into the goal from an awkward angle. I thought my 100th goal would spark some kind of wild celebration for me but it made me realize that there wasn’t a limit and there never should be. In anything we do, in any project we undertake, we can achieve so much and we should never limit ourselves and our abilities.

The next day, I drove to Pecan Acres at 9am for what was going to be a really event-filled day. I was playing the 8 goal for Pecan Acres and we were playing a round robin of Pegasus-Pecan Acres-Hurricanes. We began the first three chukkers against Pegasus  and were 2-0 down in the last chukker. however, a quick fire hat trick by Hernan Tejera (3 goals) gave us a critical 3-2 win. Pegasus and Hurricanes drew 3-3 and thus, the final game against Hurricanes was a winner-takes-all situation. However, no one could even begin to think about how the next three chukkers were going to unfold.

In the first minute of chukker 1, Hernan dinked a ball to me which I controlled in the air and tapped into the goal. Then, I went into a ride off with Hurricane’s patron, Esther and she took a tumble off her mare. Luckily, she was not hurt and we laughed it off. Hurricanes equalized to bring the score to 1-1. Hernan then had a major accident after colliding with Carlucho Galindo, falling off at high speed, dislocating his shoulder and breaking his collarbone.

The game was halted for about 30 minutes and with the scores level, and with half the players going to the hospital (Esther and the other patron of Hurricanes, Crystal, are doctors), we were unsure whether to toss a coin to determine the finalist or to play with substitutes. In the end, we decided to play on. Then the game turned into an exhibition of attack play. I scored 4 goals in the next two chukkers, set up one for Charly Micheo and Stuart Armstrong added one more. We won the tie 7-2, taking us to the final. We dedicated the win to Hernan, before swooping down on some Argentine asado.

That night, I was invited to two functions. The first was a charity event for Asia Society, a registered organization in Houston that deals with the promotion of Asian culture and raising money for various charitable causes around Houston. I then headed to Porsche’s main showroom in Houston for the launch of the 002houston men’s magazine in which I am featured. The party was a great success and I met (and took pictures with) a ton of very cool people. Remember to pick up your copy of 002houston available city-wide. The story can also be viewed in the media section of my blog.

Tomorrow I play the final of the 8 goal. The team will be Miguelito Torres, myself, Charly Micheo and Steve Krueger. It should be a very strong team and we play Cinco Canyon at 11am at ERG. On Sunday we play the 4 goal final on Farish field at HPC. They are expecting a record attendance crowd and I am really excited about that.

More later.

CHAMPIONS + TCCC Event + Magazine Release

The week could not have been better. I think the nickname for my 4-goal team “Comeback Kings” is certainly apt. The first match of the week was against Cacares polo team on Wednesday out at ERG Farms. Cacares was led by 3-goaler Rodrigo Moran, who has been in imperious form all season and his Argentine compatriot Martin Munoz (2 goals). Cacares attacked us from the get go and we found ourselves 4-1 down at half time. However, through a Herculean effort, we rallied back, scoring 6 goals in 2 chukkers to win 7-5. The epic win last Wednesday put us firmly on course to the final. I spent Friday and Saturday riding all 4 horses with Bella, just to keep their muscles going and to ensure that each horse would be able to perform to its optimum level for Sunday’s final.

My patron, Mr Philip Limon, was kind enough to invite Bella and I for dinner to a new Brazilian restaurant called Chama Gaucho in Houston (which was really, really good!) on Saturday night. I wanted to take the weekend really easy and not do too much so that I was able to play well for the final.

At Chama Gaucha for dinner

It was interesting taking to the field against the Houston Polo Club team at Fulshear Farms. HPC had beaten us several times this season and had a strong core of Bryan Middleton (3) and Kristy Outhier (2). The game started and HPC were instantly on the attack. Much of the first chukker was backs-against-the-wall stuff for my team but we finally conceded to a great shot by Bryan. I managed to pull a goal back near the end of the chukker and almost added another one following a mazy run but shot just wide. By the end of the second chukker, HPC was clearly dominating, with Bryan scoring a terrific 60-yard penalty and Liz Larry scoring from a spot penalty 3 yards from goal.

My team consolidated at half time and we kicked into gear at the restart, with Chad Bowman scoring a great goal after collecting a bouncing ball and firing it through a pack of players. I put in another goal to equalize and when the fourth chukker started, it was game on at 3-3. Bryan Middleton, who was controlling the entire game, put another in after some slack defending by us and we were under pressure from the clock to equalize once again. I managed to provide an assist to Billy Mudra with a long back shot, which he picked up and slotted into goal following some pressure from Kristy Outhier.

The bell went and the final score stood at 4-4, which meant that the dreaded penalty shootout was looming. Each team nominated 2 players to take the penalties. Raymond Stainback to the first one for our team and put in a goal that was dead center of the goal. Liz Larry missed a penalty for HPC and it was then my responsibility to win the game with my penalty. I was very nervous. First, because there was a lot of pressure and second, I was riding Luna, easily my best horse but also, the most highly strung one who prefers having four feet off the ground than on it. From the penalties I’ve missed this season, 4 out of 5 were missed on Luna and the rules state that a horse change is not permitted in a shootout. However, I lofted a high shot straight through the middle of the goalmouth and wheeled away in celebration before the linesman had waved the ‘goal’ flag.

Champions!!!

In the afternoon, I co-hosted some children from the Texas Childrens’ Cancer Center at polo alongside Philip Limon. A big thanks goes out to Philip for helping organize candy, Cynthia for being so great with the kids and allowing them to pat her horse Pelota. Also thanks to Pam Mudra, Penny Dilingham and Allee Messina from the Houston Polo Club for being so accommodating and helping me out with my charity initiatives at the club. Bella- thanks for taking the lovely pictures, all of us can’t wait to see them!

With my young friend Braedon- a true warrior and inspiration for the Golden Goals Project

With Josiah, what a great kid! He's gone through so much with his anemia yet is really energetic and loves life. He has my support and a great family

Thanks for everything Bell

 This week, I will be playing in the 8 goal for Pecan Acres as well as the 4 goal for my Wilderness team. It’s going to be a trying week of polo and school but hey, you got to keep busy to get the most from life.

On Saturday I will be attending the houston002 magazine release party at Porsche West Houston as I have a feature on Golden Goals in it. Please do pick up a copy of the magazine if you are in Houston.

Perfect Polo Weekend

It has truly been a great week for me polo-wise. My mom and sister were in town to watch me play the 4 Goal on Wednesday when we played Shamrock, winning 9-3. I scored 3 goals in the game and it seems like our team has gotten back in the groove following our small bump last week.

I was also fortunate enough to get an invitation from Pecan Acres polo for a spot in the 8 Goal game on Saturday at Pecan Acres, a few miles away from Fulshear. I had a really good game and it was an honor to play with Stuart Armstrong, one of the legends of US polo. He used to be 7 goals (as an amateur) and today, he is still worth 3 goals despite being a grandfather! I learned a lot from Stu on the field and could see the quality of his game in the way he controlled play. I also linked up with my old friends Hernan Tejera and Charlie Mechoa and I was happy to slot into the team quite seamlessly. We beat Arroyo Escondido 12-8 and I scored 3 goals in the game. The match was also part of a charity exhibition for an underprivileged children’s school in Texas and after the game, I met a lot of interesting people and enjoyed a lovely Argentine barbecue with my friend Bella.

Today I played with my 4 goal team in A/F Polo, located in the town of Wharton, about an hour away from Houston.  A big thank you to Bella for waking up early to watch me play! I started the game a little shakily but grew steadily and got better with each chukker. We were initially down 2-0 and ended up winning 9-4. I managed to score 4 goals in the game. Today’s game is a representation of what true polo is- everyone on the field knew each other and were friends and it was friendly, cordial but also very competitive and physical. A big thank you to BU Polo for the enjoyable game.

After the 4 Goal, Bella and I went to Philip Limon’s house where he had prepared a lovely home-cooked meal for his step-daughter, Cynthia and us. It was so good to be amongst friends and in many ways, Philip is very much part of my adopted family! We then went to the Houston Polo Club together to watch the 12 goal where ERG beat Tonkawa in what was a really engaging game to win the Texas Open.

The weekend could not have been more perfect. I wish that every weekend was this action packed with polo!