by Phillip D. Johnson
The Kings of the Arena make a Highly Anticipated Return to the World’s Most Prestigious Beach Polo Pournament
The Polo Life, LLC presents the ninth annual La Martina Miami Beach Polo World Cup, the world’s largest and most prestigious Beach Polo competition, taking place from April 25th to April 28th between 20th and 22nd Streets on the sands of South Beach, Florida. Tickets are now on sale at www.miamipolo.com.
The Polo Life is a private company created in 2003 in Miami Beach, FL with the goal of integrating the sport of polo and the polo community with the lifestyle and entertainment new generations have grown accustomed to. Since 2004, The Polo Life, LLC has produced the Miami Beach Polo World Cup, the world’s largest and most prestigious Polo Tournament on the beach attracting some of the world’s best men and women polo players. The inaugural Chicago Beach Polo World Cup took place in 2011 and the event has plans to expand internationally in 2013. For further information on The Polo Life, visit www.thepololife.com.
More than 10,000 people attend the Miami Beach Polo World Cup over four days each year and the tournament attracts professional polo players from as far as Russia, Switzerland and Malaysia, as well as the very best from South America. Each year, the Miami Beach Polo World Cup is produced by the event’s founding organization, ACT Productions, based in Miami Beach, owned by President and CEO, Bruce Orosz.
The four-day, globally renowned sporting event, considered the most coveted of its kind, features top polo players from around the world competing in two tournaments for both men and women. The La Martina South Beach Women’s Polo Cup V takes place on Thursday, April 25th featuring eight women’s teams in a one-day series of round-robin championship matches. Last year’s winning team of Cecelia Cochran and Alicia Harden will defend their title as 2012 champions, while competing against the highly touted Pamela Flanagan, Cristina Hosmer, Tiffany Busch, Stephanie Kraml-Suttle and Lynn O’Connor, among others, who are all expected to play in this year’s tournament. La Martina, Mastercard, W South Beach Hotel & Residences, The Raleigh, The James Royal Palm, GREY GOOSE Vodka, HEYS USA, Cheeki Brand and E! Entertainment, will all be Women’s Polo Cup team sponsors.
The La Martina Miami Beach Polo World Cup IX – a three-day men’s tournament, now in its ninth year, starts on Friday, April 27th through Sunday, April 29th. Six teams will include some of the world’s top-ranked players, including England’s Jamie Morrison, Holland’s Vincent Mesker, past Miami Beach and Chicago Beach Polo winner, Guille Usandizaga from Argentina, Costa Rica’s Luis Escobar, 2009 MVP John Gobin and last year’s MVP, 9-goaler Kris Kampsen. La Martina, Mastercard, W South Beach Hotel & Residences, The Raleigh, The James Royal Palm, GREY GOOSE Vodka, HEYS USA, Merchant Hub and Small Luxury Hotels Of The World will also sponsor competing men’s teams. The traditional post-event awards ceremony will be held at the end of each tournament to commemorate both women’s and men’s competition winners, during which sponsor representatives will present trophies to the men’s and women’s World Cup finalists.
“This year’s La Martina Miami Beach Polo World Cup is one step closer to our 10-year anniversary and we are very proud to have La Martina as our new Title Sponsor – a valued partner that has been with our event from the very first year,” said Bruce Orosz, president and co-founder of The Polo Life, LLC. “All eyes are on this year’s tournament as we continue to expand our Beach Polo concept internationally. We thank all of our patrons, sponsors and supporters with helping to take our vision for The Polo Life to new heights.”
This year’s La Martina South Beach Women’s Polo Cup V and La Martina Miami Beach Polo World Cup IX is sponsored by Mastercard, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, GREY GOOSE Vodka, Aventura Mall, Maura Wasescha, Cheeki Brand, E! Entertainment, Comcast, Equinox, jetBlue, The James Royal Palm Hotel, The Raleigh (SBE Entertainment Group), W South Beach Hotel & Residences, HEYS USA and LUHHO Magazine, with support from the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and Miami Beach Visitors and Convention Authority. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami (who will receive a portion of funds raised through ticket sales from the event) and Irie Foundation are the tournament’s official partnering charity organizations.
La Martina is synonymous with the sport of Polo. It was born out of polo and grew along with it to develop in the La Martina culture, brand and lifestyle that is so well known today.In the short time span of twenty five years, La Martina has been transformed from a small artisan business in the exclusive world of polo, to a global enterprise matched against top designers in the highly competitive fashion world. In 1980, La Martina established its first office in Buenos Aires and started searching for new ways to provide the polo world with comprehensive services. Initially, La Martina excelled in the production of professional technical equipment for polo players. Then La Martina widened its scope by adding stylish, casual clothing design and production to its portfolio. La Martina’s strategy has been the promotion of the sport of polo simultaneously with the development of brand recognition. This synergy is reflected in everything carrying the La Martina brand name. Nowadays La Martina has exclusive stores in more than 20 countries including the United States of America, Europe, Russia, Dubai, among others. La Martina also sponsors more than 90 international events. For more information, visit www.lamartina.com.
“We are delighted to announce our sponsorship of this year’s Miami Beach Polo World Cup,” said Mr. Adrian Simonetti, President of La Martina. “At La Martina we approach our business in the same way that a high goal polo player approaches the challenge of playing polo; with passion, devotion, and the utmost commitment to excellence. We are dedicated to offering the very best products within the sport of polo – a sport which is fast, competitive and demanding, but which also represents a whole way of living, a culture, a lifestyle – and, in keeping with this, our products can be used both on an off the polo field. This desire for excellence is what we call ‘La Martina’s commitment.’ We are proud to continue our long-standing association with the Miami Beach Polo World Cup and look forward to the events in South Beach.”
Attendees at this year’s Miami Beach Polo World Cup will once again experience the annual series of nightly VIP events that form an essential part of the 
four-day festivities. An evening fashion show by La Martina in the VIP tent on Saturday night will be televised on E! Entertainment Latin America, and the event will see the inaugural participation by Miami’s own DJ Irie, who’s Irie Foundation will be an official beneficiary non-profit organization alongside Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami.
As part of the daily experience at this year’s event, Aventura Mall will be the official retail partner for the design and in charge of the creation of the retail village within the venue between 20th and 22nd Streets on the sands of South Beach. Existing retailers at Aventura Mall will have a presence at the retail village, allowing attendees to browse and purchase dozens of the their favorite brands, including the latest from TAG Heuer, while taking a break from watching some of the world’s top polo players. Courtesy cocktails will be provided by GREY GOOSE Vodka in the VIP tent throughout the four days.
General admission to both competitions and adjacent retail village is free, and concessions will be available to purchase. A limited number of VIP tickets are available that allows entrance to the shaded Grandstand, where complimentary food and beverages are served. Ticket prices are $100 for Thursday, April 25th and $130 for Friday, April 26th through Sunday, April 28th. Children 12 to 18 years-old pay half the adult ticket price and children younger than 12 years-old receive free admission. A percentage of all ticket sales will go to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, the tournament’s official charity partner. A three-day VIP pass can be purchased for $375. A four-day VIP pass can be purchased for $450 at www.miamipolo.com.
For more information on the tournament and the events or to purchase VIP tickets, visit www.miamipolo.com or call 305-538-3809. For further information on The Polo Life, visit www.thepololife.com.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sAztAG6gGEU
PHOTO GALLERY
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La Martina Miami Beach Polo World Cup IX 2013 Event Schedule
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
7:00 pm-9:00 pm: South Beach Women’s Polo Cup V Welcome & Cocktail Hour, The James Royal Palm Hotel (BY INVITATION ONLY)
Thursday, April 25, 2013
10:30: Doors open, National Anthem, South Beach Women’s Polo Cup V
11:00 am-5:00 pm: South Beach Women’s Polo Cup V Match Play
5:00 pm-5:30 pm: South Beach Women’s Polo Cup V Award Ceremony
7:00 pm-9:00 pm: Miami Beach Polo World Cup IX Player Unveiling, The Raleigh Hotel (BY INVITATION ONLY)
9:00 pm-12:00 am: Miami Beach Polo World Cup IX Kick Off party, The Raleigh Hotel (BY INVITATION ONLY)
Friday, April 26, 2013
12:30pm: Doors open, National Anthem
1:00 pm-5:00 pm: Miami Beach Polo World Cup IX (Men’s) Match Play
9:00 pm-12:00 pm: Miami Beach Polo World Cup IX Private Event & Fundraiser (BY INVITATION ONLY)
Saturday, April 27, 2013
1:00pm: Doors Open
2:00 pm-5:00 pm: Miami Beach Polo World Cup IX Match Play & Fashion Show by La Martina
9:00 pm-12:00 am: Miami Beach Polo World Cup IX invite only event, W South Beach (BY INVITATION ONLY)
Sunday, April 28, 2013
1:00 pm: Doors open, National Anthem 2:00pm-5:00pm: Miami Beach Polo World Cup IX Final Play- Offs
5:00 pm-6:00 pm: Miami Beach Polo World Cup IX Cup Finals
6:00 pm-6:30 pm: Miami Beach Polo World Cup Award Ceremony
6:30 pm-7:30 pm: Miami Beach Polo World Cup IX Farewell Party in the Miami Beach Polo Tent (BY INVITATION ONLY)
credit: The Polo Life