KAMUELA — The Mauna Kea Polo Club’s 4th Annual Carlos Rivas Memorial Polo Tournament on Nov. 27 will benefit three island hospice organizations: Hospice of Hilo, Hospice of Kona and North Hawaii Hospice, Inc. The event, held on the Waikii Polo Field, is also an important local recognition of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.
This year’s tournament will be the round robin United States Polo Association Sportsmanship Cup tournament with three teams of the best Mauna Kea Polo Club players. Some of the team players will include Jed Ednie, Jason Lau, Kaulike Rice, Stephanie Kiely, Lorie Bergin and Kenny Shamel — skilled players who will spearhead their teams. The tournament will have six chukkars of high-speed polo.
Bob Hogan, a well-known Hawaii polo player and polo announcer, will emcee the tournament.
The hospice benefit honors Carlos Rivas who brought polo back to the Big Island in the ‘70s when he started indoor polo at the Waikoloa Village Stable arena. He announced indoor polo on Oahu at the Honolulu Stadium in the ‘50s when the Maui polo team played on Oahu. The tournament is a fitting tribute to one of Hawaii’s great sports announcers.
The three teams are sponsored by Ponoholo Ranch of Kohala, Welding Services Hawaii of Kona and The Rice Partnership of Honolulu and Maui.
The Waikii polo grounds will open at 11 a.m. and picnickers are welcome. Admission is $10 per person and tickets can be purchased at the Waikii Ranch gate on game day.
Info: Jed Ednie, president of Mauna Kea Polo Club at jednie@hotmail.com or 960-8223