With the countdown on, Team Canada is making its final preparations for its attendance at the 2007 Ridley Polocrosse World Cup. The competition will be held over a weeklong tournament from April 23 to 29 in Warwick, Queensland, Australia.
Australia, the defending champion, will be host to seven competing nations from Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Zimbabwe.
Competition has been keen for the eight available spots on Team Canada with the nod going to Jacquie McArthur from Okotoks, Pam Bergen from Aldersyde, Kayla Hicks from Millarville, and Lesley Plant from Calgary on the women’s side; and Sean McArthur from Okotoks, Al Hicks from Millarville, Kris Miller from Blackie, and Bruce Greenslade from Canyonleigh on the men’s side. Manager Chris Thompson from Okotoks and coach Charlie Grills from Australia will be there to round out the support team.
During the last World Cup in 2003, 25,000 spectators came to cheer on the teams, but this year it is estimated that over 40,000 people will be taking in the action along with televised and Internet broadcasts.
An Australian panel has evaluated numerous horses from all over Australia to find the best Polocrosse horses the country has to offer. With 200 horses selected, it was only the second time in Australia’s peacetime history that so many horses have been sourced.
Each nation will draw a pool of 12 equally-graded horses and will be allowed to ride for one hour every day during the week leading up to the competition. This ensures that the host nation does not ride their own horses and that each nation will have equal horsepower.
Canada is still a young country to the sport of polocrosse and has a lot of catching up to do, however; we have improved immensely since 2003 with the help of a full-time Australian coach the past two years.
Canada has sent multiple teams down to the United States over the past four years to seek competition as well as a team to South Africa and, in return, we have played host to numerous teams from Australia, South Africa, and the United States.
A-grade, the highest level in polocrosse, requires a horse and rider combination with endurance, agility and great zeal for the game. However, between picking up a racquet for the first time and competing in an A-level game, comes a gratifying horse sport available for anyone on any horse to play at a variety of levels.
Polocrosse, as its name implies, is a cross between the fast-paced game of polo and the strategically demanding game of lacrosse. The great expanse that polo is played on (300 x 160 yards) dwarfs the field size of the polocrosse field, which is 160 x 60 yards (or one-fifth of a polo field). This makes for a very controlled and strategic game.
Polocrosse also differs from polo in that players are only allowed to use one horse for an entire weekend tournament. Polocrosse has adopted a racquet similar to a lacrosse stick and a sponge rubber ball with a diameter of about four inches. The ball is carried and passed down to one of the end zones where the ball is shot between two goal posts infinitely high and two-and-a-half metres apart.
Polocrosse Canada will be operating a booth at the trade fair held in conjunction with the World Cup and are looking for parties interested in promoting their products or services.
If you are interested in the learning more about the competition, visit the Polocrosse World Cup website at www.polocrosse.com. au/worldcup.
If you are interested in joining the club or sponsoring our Canadian team, please contact Allen Hicks at (403) 931-3610, email: alan@polocrossecanada. com or Jacquie McArthur (403) 938-5577, email: jacquie@polocrossecanada.com.
