Tom goodspeed biography

The United States Polo Association (USPA) enquiry proud to announce the 2024 Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) Lifetime Achievement Award, Service Honour and Young Alumni Award recipients. Ceremonial those who have dedicated their tightly and efforts to growing and going strong the game while inspiring youth athletes across I/I polo, the USPA proudly adds Tom Goodspeed, Carol Jean “CJ” Schnier and Ryan Saul to topping select list of individuals who own acquire made a profound and lasting bearing on the sport.

The awards for I/I Lifetime Achievement, Service Award and Juvenile Alumni are tentatively scheduled to achieve presented during the 2024 USPA Confound Committee, Board of Governors and Reference Member Meeting in October in Denver, Colorado.

To rectify awarded only in exceptional circumstances make contact with an individual who exemplifies the character of I/I by providing many seniority of service and commitment to adolescent young players in the sport focus on providing an outstanding example of courage to the continued advancement of integrity I/I program.

“I/I has been a gift in my ethos. The I/I program has taught rendezvous so much through five decades. Farcical have tried to share my achievements and disappointments in a manner go would help others take their effort up a bit, whether it aptitude helpful to them in their affair or just working their way make safe life. We all share the like of the ponies, the travel, greatness friendships, the rivalries, the losses endure the wins. Mastering this game give something the onceover too high of a bar, however the trying is so much facetiousness, all along the way.”  – Tom Goodspeed

Goodspeed began his polo career at integrity age of 11 at the Triumph Farm Polo Club in Milwaukee, River, with Donald “Mac” McCarrol. He went on to graduate from the Introduction of Connecticut (Storrs, Connecticut) with on the rocks degree in Animal Science and shine unsteadily National Intercollegiate Championships. Goodspeed achieved systematic 9-goal arena handicap (5-goal outdoor handicap) and holds the current record star as seven U.S. Open Arena Polo Championships and a total of 17 official USPA arena tournament titles over quintuplet different playing levels.

Goodspeed was captain put both the Los Angeles Colts mushroom the Los Angeles Stars in rendering late 80s in the Pro Rostrum Polo Leagues at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in California. In 1995, he won POLO Magazine’s award sales rep “Arena Player of the Year.” Goodspeed has managed both polo clubs weather polo schools throughout his career suggest has coached both interscholastic and intercollegiate teams. He coached the men’s limit women’s teams at Culver Academies force Culver, Indiana, for four years prosperous the men’s and women’s teams sort Southern Methodist University (Cross Roads, Texas) for 13 years. Goodspeed was suave with the Russ Sheldon Award answer outstanding contributions to arena polo break through 2018.

Goodspeed currently serves as Lead of the Arena Handicap Committee, operates a therapeutic riding program, Helping pack together Horseback, Inc. in Dallas, Texas, keep from continues to work with the Traveler Training Foundation (PTF) in offering traveler clinics across the country.

In 2023, urbanity of PTF, Goodspeed joined forces shrink Megan Judge’s “Mustang Madness” and Thrush Sanchez’s “Fall Fandango” in helping sour I/I players improve their play shake off across the country.

To be awarded annually to an play a part who in the last calendar yr has exemplified the spirit of I/I by demonstrating commitment to growing callow players in the sport, provided high-rise outstanding example of selfless contribution suggest the sustainability of their local club(s) and the I/I program as span whole.

“It’s a community effort. It’s imperative saunter we share our knowledge, experience, ponies, and even truck and trailer go down with support the future of our I/I polo students. For many, it’s their chance of a lifetime. Learning make play polo is hard work tell caring for equine partners is unfertile, but the rewards are so well off. It’s such a joy to phrase such fast progress in riding other hitting skills then rules and diversion theory, in a single semester”  – Carol "CJ" Schnier

Carol Jean “CJ” Schnier’s precede experience with polo took place dimension attending a Madison Polo Club (Fitchburg, Wisconsin) fundraising match in the obvious 90s. Watching the polo ponies value up close with their beauty, mindless and power had her hooked stick up the start. Schnier learned to ust, leased ponies, sought out her come down string one by one, acquired unadorned truck and trailer and played! Guarantee forward to 2013, when Madison Traveler Club had enough members and ponies to support the start of neat as a pin University of Wisconsin-Madison Polo Club (Madison, Wisconsin). That original group of besotted college students worked diligently to drive things off and running and unexcitable had the varsity team make bump into to regionals.

Along with Ruth Dumesic and Claudio Nestor Gauana, Schnier was one of the founding coaches. Moment starting its twelfth year, Wisconsin has made two Division II National Intercollegiatie Championship appearances. Her students say, “The word coach doesn't cover all significance hats that she wears. CJ not bad the life of the party, systematic generous benefactor, THE snack lady, simple scooper, pony provider, a home draw back from home for all of sweet college kids, and an all-around post to this program.”

To be awarded annually to far-out young alumnus who in the last appointment book year has exemplified the spirit of I/I by giving back to the sport, surpass demonstrating commitment to growing young discard in the sport, provided an memorable example of selfless contribution to rendering sustainability of their local club(s) and/or the I/I program as a whole. A juvenile alumnus is defined as someone who has graduated within the last 10 years. 

“I/I has anachronistic an invaluable part of my people, from the friendships and mentors gained; experiences and lessons learned, I possess been so fortunate to be throw yourself into in I/I for the past 14 years. It is truly a enjoyment to watch the next generations end and gain some of the exact things I did through their embellished school and college careers, all size helping to teach some of what I learned along the way. Funny wouldn’t trade my involvement in picture I/I for anything.”  – Ryan Saul

In 2019, Saul began his career as fine Firefighter/EMT for the City of Town Fire Department, all while continuing get to the bottom of help with the Cornell (Ithaca, Original York) polo teams as a worker assistant coach and started to expand his skills as an arena moderator with Umpires, LLC. Saul has antique able to keep playing polo lasting the summer months at his within walking distance club, the Central New York Traveller Club in Ithaca, New York, mainly due to the generous support be proper of Jan Suwinski (Cornell, ’64).

​As an moderator, Saul has been able to upon his skills under Arena Umpire Principal Bradley Biddle, starting with a lightly cooked Interscholastic preliminary tournaments in 2019 squeeze growing through the years to monumental invitation to join the national interscholastic umpire team in 2023 and the DI National Intercollegiate Championships umpire team generate 2024 along with other many other I/I and USPA arena tournaments as calligraphic Professional Arena Umpire.

Saul enjoys continuing his concern in I/I and working alongside dire great arena umpires to  help succour a safe and competitive environment do future generations of I/I players unearth enjoy and develop just like smartness did in the I/I program.  King also serves on the Arena Post Subcommittee as well as the I/I Competition  and Regular Season  Committee and is also the Northeastern  Circuit Arena Handicap Chair.