Credit: Taylor Ejdys
September 24 was a historic day for Philadelphia. It was the culmination of nearly a year of planning, to bring the first Philadelphia Polo Classic and the Sport of Kings to Fairmount Park. There were rows of pristine white tents set against an almost too-blue sky, and beautiful horses and polo-themed cocktails and fancy hats and well-behaved dogs and kids chasing each other around the tents and across the field. There was the renowned Argentine polo star Nacho Figueras, along with Kareem Rosser, a polo phenom from West Philadelphia. And there were earnest young men and women, eager to take the field on behalf of Work to Ride (WTR), the legendary haven where they first fell in love with horses.
Inspiration is the Point
To say that WTR has saved lives is an understatement. But it is also what the organization’s founder, Lezlie Hiner, set out to do more than 30 years ago. She turned her love of horses and her innate “mother hen” instincts into a program that has wildly surpassed the humble confines of the Chamounix stables, WTR’s home. Hiner’s vision of a place where kids from under-served and often violent neighborhoods could feel safe has inspired many kids to believe in themselves and in a future not limited by their pasts.
“It both changed and saved my life,” Rosser says. “It showed me there is life outside the place where I grew up.” WTR participants are required to work at the stables in exchange for riding lessons, and to keep their grades up in order to stay in the program. They’re also expected stay involved with the program after they “graduate” at 18.
Rosser, now a board member of WTR, a financial analyst and an author, chairs the non-profit organization’s capital campaign, and led the planning for this event. He has known Figueras for years, and Figueras has been a staunch supporter of WTR. He got involved immediately when Rosser first conceived the idea of showcasing WTR’s players in iconic Fairmount Park. Proceeds from the sold-out Philadelphia Polo Classic, sponsored by Mars Equestrian and B&D Builders, benefit WTR. Rosser says the capital campaign’s goal is $10 million, and they’ve raised $8 million already. The money will pay for critical improvements to Chamounix’s aging facility.
Rosser is a compelling and passionate booster for WTR, and his memoir, Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport that Changed Their Lives, is an unflinching account of growing up in an often chaotic and violent home, discovering a most unlikely refuge in the stable at Chamounix and defying the stereotypes pasted onto kids growing up in poverty. “It’s an organization that turns dreams into reality,” he says. His book is an inspiring read, as well as a tutorial about polo.
As the Eagles’ mascot Swoop danced and posed with the people coming to watch the polo matches, there were three women who came to Fairmount Park on a mission. “We are part of a book club,” Linda Pace explained, “and we chose this book to read back in February. We came here just for this,” she said, holding Rosser’s book aloft. Pace and her friends Jean Cyprien and Octavia Woodmans laughed about the audacity of their decision to come to the polo match. “We’ve never done anything like this before,” Cyprien said. “But it’s a phenomenal book and we all said ‘okay, let’s do it.’” “It” was flying from their homes in Savannah, GA and New Orleans, LA to Philadelphia, just to be part of a day that was so important to a young man whose life story touched them so deeply. “It’s amazing how they come back to give back,” Woodmans said, reflecting on how many WTR graduates were involved in the Polo Classic.
Four Teams, Two Matches
WTR graduates, along with polo players from nearby clubs, competed in two matches of six chukkers—or periods—each. The first match, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, featured Kathy Whitman, leading a team of WTR players wearing orange J&J shirts. Whitman has played with Christmas Tree Farm’s Polo team in Toughkenamon, PA. Team WTR featured Peter Stanish, who plays with Lancaster Polo. The J&J team won the match 7-4.
The second match featured a fierce sibling rivalry as Kareem Rosser captained the WTR team and his brother Daymar played on the other team, captained by Figueras. The two teams played to an 8-8 tie. Shariah Harris, another WTR graduate, seemed to be everywhere on the field, exemplifying what Kareem Rosser had once said about her. “I’ve never seen a tougher player than Shariah.”
Harris went to Cornell University on a scholarship and captained their polo team for three years. In 2017 she was the first African American female to play 20-goal polo. Daymar Rosser and his team at Roger Williams University won the United States Polo Association National Intercollegiate Polo Championship in 2017. The Rosser brothers and Harris, along with several WTR alums, have racked up armloads of awards and championships since their early days at WTR.
From fielding the first African American polo team in America in 1999, to winning the National Interscholastic Polo Championship in 2011 and 2012, WTR riders have shattered barriers, as well as preconceived notions about polo.
The biggest winner of this day turned out to be WTR, as thousands of fans—old and young—got to see the game, stomp the divots, enjoy the atmosphere and meet the extraordinary WTR competitors, like Kaela Prescott who started at WTR when she was 12. “I’m in my third year at Del Val University, studying equine management, instruction and training,” she said. “Polo wasn’t my best thing,” she explained. Her preferences were jumping and flat work when she was at WTR. But these days, Dressage is her “best thing.” She is on Del Val’s Dressage team. She confessed to being a little nervous about the polo match but thrilled to be able to support WTR.
For his part, Kareem Rosser remains focused on the future. “I want our program to quadruple in size. I hope this event expands every year.” He wants the Polo Classic to be a multi-day event, “to give the people of Philadelphia something to look forward to and to draw in people from around the world and attract good people who want to make a difference.” His admiration for Hiner and her single-minded dedication to “her kids” and WTR is boundless, and his connection to WTR is visceral. “At eight years old I began my journey here as a student,” he said. “I’m so grateful for everything the organization has done for me. Being around horses has allowed me to see life differently.”