2014 Nationals Information- Online Entries close Friday 9/26 midnight!

The American Polocrosse Association presents NATIONALS 2014, October 10-12 at the Santa Fe Equestrian Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This beautiful site has the space of multiple polo fields, in addition to being a top notch show site for other riding disciplines. It is close to all other things you may need, but in addition to the New Mexican hill backdrop, it is about 15 minutes from downtown Santa Fe. You must make time to visit downtown. It is a city of arts, history and museums. Several historic churches and Native American ruins. the Plaza area is the heart of downtown, and the city is a mecca to artists. If offers one of a kind shopping. Santa Fe is know as a biking town too with paths and trails for all levels of riders. WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO HAVE MASTERS AND WOMEN’S DIVISIONS. If you are interested, WE WANT YOU! Want a more relaxed pace than A or B Grade? Enjoy the fun of competition without those hot shot youths trying their hardest to upstage you! Need to have 9 players to have a division. AWARDS TO SIGN UP FOR: • Horse of The Year: You can nominate your horse for this prestigious award by signing up at registration with these criteria: your horse must have played in 3 sanctioned tournaments during the year (Nationals can be one) and your horse must be playing in the current Nationals. • U21 Best Rider Award: The APA would like to recognize knowledgeable, serious good riders in our sport. Your club nominates you, using these criteria: 1) Candidates will be someone who regularly comes to club practices; 2) Covers the range of someone who trains their own horse to someone who rides loaners; 3) Is a good to strong rider who uses all the aids to ask the horse to do things efficiently and humanely. This is not someone who just looks nice on a horse, nor someone who uses just hands or balances from the stirrups; this is someone who works with the horse in proper communication; 4) Candidates play in Nationals, where the winner will be named; 5) Clubs: send nominations  to Laura Humphreys by Sept. 1. OTHER AWARDS: Aside from 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, Best Player, Best Horse and Best Conditioned Horse, there are rotating awards given; usually during Saturday night dinner. These are picked by previous winners: The Friendship Cup, Best Presented Team, Most Fair and Best Polocrosse Sportsperson, Best Playing Junior, Tricia Cane, Best Umpire and the Big Joey, for the Junior who shows great character, attitude and effort on and off the field. SILENT AUCTION: This is always fun and entertaining, usually done during Saturday dinner. Please make arrangements to donate craft items, art items, decorative items, baskets, services, jewelry etc. and more. Ask a talented person or business you spend with to donate. See what is there! Start a bidding war! Keep track during dinner of who is bidding higher than you are…and go outbid them! This is shopping at its most convenient. At the announced time, bidding will stop, paperwork will be done and owners get to pay up! Members and Clubs will be contacted for a donation. Thanks for supporting the APA! We will notify you who is in charge of the Silent Auction in future emails. EVENT INFORMATION: Play will start early Friday morning. Registration (mandatory for all players) will be Thursday afternoon, probably between 2 and 5 PM. Place will be announced. TEAM DECLARATIONS: PLEASE email your team list and what division you think you will play in to Laura Humphreys no later than September 1st. (BUT I’LL BE ASKING CLUBS EARLIER!) This helps us know who wants to be in all divisions. Remember, ratings will be used to place teams in divisions. Ratings will let us know if there will be an E Division. Format: 6-man teams in all divisions if possible. Games will probably be six, 6-minute chukkas. If your division needs to be a sectional, we will contact you. Masters (over 40) and Women’s Division: This is for recreational players looking for fun without the pressure of the other divisions. Need at least 3 sections to hold the division. D, E Division: For newer adult players playing at a slower pace. Need at least 3 sections to hold division. Junior Division: For players 17 and under. Prizes /entry fee may differ if the division is split for beginner Juniors. Players need to have participated in an APA sanctioned tournament within the 12 months preceding the current Nationals. Those 12 months can include the past year’s Nationals. This is for ratings purposes. Problems? Call or email Laura Humphreys, Nationals Chair. Reminder: The Tournament Committee and Ratings Chair will decide the divisions according to ratings spreads. Divisions cannot be predicted and are dependent on when players get their entry forms in to the Nationals Chair. Please enter online before the deadline! Please have your club inform the Chair of who your team might be…we know things change, but need a numbers count. Entry Fee: $165 per player in A, B, C, D, Masters and Women’s. $125 for Juniors playing in the Junior Division (17 and under). Late Fee: $35 fee added to entry starting September 19th or at registration. No exceptions. Stalls: These are pipe paddocks with a roof area also. Site only allows one horse per paddock, clean before you leave. $20 per night. Paddock/Stalls will be marked with your name, please have your emergency number listed on the entry. We will try to stall teams together; 96 paddocks and then we start filling temporary stalls on the other side of the field area. Need to know umpire horse numbers. Shavings: can be ordered and paid for with your entry. More info later. Stalls/Paddocks Clean Up: STALLS MUST BE CLEAN. Electric Pens: ARE NOT ALLOWED. Umpire Horses: Teams should prepare to bring one each. Services: Hay, grain and shavings are for sale in nearby area: closest is Tractor Supply 3901 Oliver Road, 505.471.9160. In town, The Feed Bin 1202 W. Alameda, 505.982.0511. Phone numbers and store hours will be in the program also. Veterinarians and farriers will be on call. EMT’s will be on site. Camping: CAMPING ALLOWED in or near your trailer. No fires allowed. No water or electric hookup. Arrivals: You may arrive early but you must contact Laura Humphreys before September 15th if you plan to arrive before October 8th. Coggins (for all horses you bring) must be scanned and sent to Laura Humphreys. Please put an emergency phone number to contact you during Nationals on the entry form and on your stall. Trailers: all vehicles to be parked in the designated area. Meals: Friday and Saturday dinners free for players both nights; non-players pay $20 for Friday night and $30 for Saturday night. We will plan to have concessions on the grounds Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Extra meals need to be purchased with online entries. Contact Laura Humphreys after Sept.15th. No meals sold after October 1st. Motel: Best Western Santa Fe: 505.438.3822; $119.99 plus tax. 16 rooms blocked for us until Sept. 1st. The code word to use is ‘Polox’. Reserve early; Balloon Festival is going on in Albuquerque. All players must be current full APA members (not day members). New members may join at the tournament; renewing members (if you have ever been a member) may rejoin. If you have not been in a sanctioned tournament during the past 12 months, please contact Laura Humphreys. Foreign players are guests of the APA for 30 days to play in the US before needing to join. Present APA policy states that there will be one foreign player allowable per US team in the regular format for placings at Nationals. Registration: Thursday afternoon under the APA Tent or in the clubhouse; to be announced later. Rules Clinic: Thursday late afternoon about 5 PM under the APA Tent or in clubhouse. DEADLINE: Have entry information and fees in online by September 17th. Late fee starts Sept. 18th. Final close date for online entries is September 26th. Ads/Sponsors: If you would like to be an APA sponsor, we will give you space in the program. Con-tact Laura Humphreys for rates and your computer ready ad at lhumphreys@americanpolocrosse.org no later than September 1st. Advertise your club or let your friends know you support them! MORE INFO TO COME TO APA MEMBERS and CLUB CONTACTS BY MASS EMAILS: divisions, umpire horses, and more. FACILITY RULES: please observe: • Trucks, trailers and cars to be parked in a designated area. • Ride your horses in the warm up arena only or on the bridle path around the property. Not on any fields until you play. Helmets required. Facility requirement. • NO DOGS or other pets ALLOWED ON THE PROPERTY AT ALL. • No open fires; no smoking in stable areas. • No glass bottles near the fields. • Clean stalls/paddocks before you leave. • Do not block roads on site with vehicles. • Departure from event needs to be by Monday noon, October 12th, unless otherwise notified. Directions to Santa Fe Equestrian Center: From I-25, take exit # 276 for NM-599, towards Madrid. Turn left onto NM-599, Veterans Memorial Highway. In about 3 miles, turn left onto NM-284/56, Airport Road also known as Paseo Real. In just under 3 miles, South Polo Drive is on the right. Drive in to the property, and look for trailer parking. You will see the huge po-lo fields….paddocks are to the left down the perimeter road; if full, the temporary stalls are to the right. DEADLINE: Have entry information and fees in online by September 17th. Late fee starts Sept. 18th. Final close date for online entries is September 26th. August 18th: Online entries go live!!!! September 1st: send team declarations to Laura Humphreys (lhumphreys@americanpolocrosse.org) September 1st : deadline for program ads September 1st : deadline for Best U21 Award sign up by your club to Laura Humphreys September 1st: deadline to book motel at reduced rate September 15th : deadline for entry form and fee online; late fee begins September 18th September 15th : deadline to tell Laura early arrival date (for arrivals before Wednesday, October 8th) Septmeber 26th: last day to enter!!!! Late fee applies October 1: last date to purchase extra meals; please go online or contact Laura to do so. Fill out the entry form and pay online at www.americanpolocrosse.org. Online Registration opens on August 18th. Questions? Ask Laura Humphreys at 843-825-2686 or email at lhumphreys@americanpolocrosse.org to download a pdf of this information click here