WTI Magazine #80    2016 June 17
Author : Marco Elser      Translation by:

When one thinks of Newport, one thinks of the Great Gatsby and the huge villas designed by the most famous architects of the time. The Breakers, Chateau-sur-Mer, The Elms, Marble House, Rosecliff, are just a few of the most famous mansions which were built during the golden era of the late XIXth century. When one thinks of Newport, one thinks of the Americas Cup and the sailing champions who competed. It is considered the most important sailing competition in the world, dating back to 1851.

Currently, teams are spending enormous amounts of money to try to get the best tactical advantage possible. Industrialists, businessmen and others have attempted to secure the lifting of the Cup.

Newport is also the location of the Tennis hall of Fame. All the best tennis players in the history of the game are recognized here. From Andre Agassi (inducted in 2011) to Nicola Pietrangeli (inducted in 1986), scores of amazing athletes will be forever remembered in the annals of the world's greatest racquets game.
Newport also has another exclusive sport that has been played since the beginning of the XXth century: polo... It is considered the king of sports and the sport of kings. Polo encompasses riding ability, teamwork (similar to football/soccer) and golfing ability (hitting a small ball with a long mallet). Newport Polo www.nptpolo.com has been organizing international polo matches for over twenty years.

We the Italians had the fortune of being able to sponsor the Italian team in 2014 and will do so again in 2016. "We the Italians", the name of the team that has been captained by Marco Elser, will be travelling once more to Newport to attempt to beat team USA on July 9th in Newport. Over four thousand spectators are expected. In Europe, polo lasts four chukkers (time periods) in most matches/competitions. In the US, however, the matches last six chukkers. This can be very demanding on the riders, especially as the horses are not theirs (unlike most sports, it is very unusual to travel with one's horses; this can be done with golf clubs, skis, tennis rackets, etc)

We the Italians will once more accompany Marco and his teammates to represent Italy in the match on July 9th. Please get in touch with him if you want to have complimentary tickets (they are limited in number though). He can be reached on marco.elser@arpc.it