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.
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