Photo by Barbara Perenic
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The Orthopedic Foundation Polo Cup photographed Sunday, September 19, 2021 at the Bryn Du Mansion in Granville, Ohio. (© Barbara Perenic for James DeCamp Photography | http://JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)
The Orthopedic Foundation’s fourth Annual Charity Polo Cup aims to bring professional, amateur and local polo players together for an afternoon of friendly competition and fundraising.
The Orthopedic Foundation, a nonprofit founded 25 years ago, is dedicated to the mission of education, prevention and research surrounding orthopedic and neurological disorders, says chairman Mark Gittins. The Annual Charity Polo Cup, which takes place Sept. 11 at the Bryn Du Mansion in Granville, is the foundation’s largest annual charity event.
“It’s grown significantly each year,” Gittins says. “Its purpose is really to support research, orthopedic and neurological care in the communities as well as prevention and seminars for people that are afflicted with those types of ailments.”
The game of polo itself is family-friendly and fairly easy for new spectators to understand, which makes it a great opportunity for a charity event, says Horace Henriot, owner and head pro for the Play Polo Club and polo ambassador of the Charity Polo Cup.
Henriot says the City of Granville has embraced the game of polo in the last 20-30 years. Members of Play Polo Club play at the Bryn Du Mansion every Sunday and participate in several events during the year. Like the Orthopedic Foundation’s polo cup, having a charitable tie is just part of the game.
“Most polo games are played for honor in the sense,” Henriot says. “There’s a cup, but if there’s money to be made, that all goes to the charities.”
Polo is also unique in that it’s easy to learn and inclusive of differing athletic abilities, and polo
players can be of any experience, age or gender, Henriot says.
“One of the things that makes the sport really exciting is that the real athlete is the horse, it’s not really the player,” he says. “I have people that are 60 years old and just started the sport. So, you don’t actually have to be in great shape to actually be able to participate.”
At last year’s Orthopedic Foundation cup, about 25 players and three teams competed. Henriot says he hopes to have three or four teams competing again this year. Although the teams haven’t been chosen yet, Gittins says to expect a mix of professional and amateur players competing in the match.
“It’s a mix and it’s the interesting thing about the sport of polo, it’s one of the only sports that really is a pro and amateur combination,” Gittins says. “It has professionals, but you know, you also have some local people. It’s very unique in that it has people that you will know there.”
The Annual Charity Polo Cup is one of the largest attended polo events in Ohio. Last year’s event attracted around 1,000 attendees to the Bryn Du Mansion and raised $50,000 for the foundation, Gittens says.
Although the goal of this event is to raise money for the Orthopedic Foundation, Henriot says he also hopes this event will expose more people to the game of polo.
“We really value being able to do charity events because it is a way to not just play for yourself but to allow people to enjoy it and play for a cause,” he says. “If there’s a way that funds can be raised for a good cause while we enjoy playing polo, that’s a win for everybody.”
This year, Gittins says the Orthopedic Foundation hopes to double last year’s donations to raise $100,000, which will go toward funding research in areas such as spine pain, Parkinson’s disease, tremors, and hip and knee arthritis. A portion of the proceeds from the Annual Charity Polo Cup will also benefit the Arthritis Foundation.
There are more than 100 types of arthritis that may cause joint pain and stiffness, including fibromyalgia, gout, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, osteoarthritis, which affects the hands, hips and knees, is the most common.
About one in four adults in the U.S. is diagnosed with arthritis, although the risk of developing arthritis increases with age, it is more common in women than in men and those with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
The Arthritis Foundation aims to ease the process of diagnosis and treatment by providing
resources to aid in self-management including recipes and nutrition, physical activity, pain management and emotional well-being.
Since its establishment, the Orthopedic Foundation continues to work toward expanding its board and mission in order to extend its impact in the communities it aims to serve.
Orthopedic and neurological conditions are incredibly prevalent, and Gittins says the organization networks with Ohio University and The Ohio State University in an effort to expand its reach.
“Over half the people that we see in our lives – every one out of two people that we’ll come in contact with today – are afflicted with one of those conditions,” Gittins says. “It doesn’t kill people, you know, such as heart attacks or cancers, but people end up suffering because of pain, disability.”
For more information on tickets, participation, sponsorships or volunteering, visit www.theorthopedicfoundation.com.
Chloe McGowan is an editorial assistant and Claire Miller is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at cmiller@cityscenemediagroup.com.
