Aspen Valley Polo Club Kicks Off Summer Season With Weekend Independence Cup, ChukkerTV Challenge Cup
CARBONDALE, Colo., July 5, 2025---The much-anticipated summer polo season at Aspen Valley Polo Club opens with the weekend's Independence Cup and ChukkerTV Challenge Cup.
By Sharon Robb
The 12th season kicks off with world-class polo and unforgettable summer vibes. After a month off, horses and players are excited to return to the well-manicured polo fields in high altitude.
With stunning views of the mountains, the fun begins on Saturday at 11 a.m. MST with 3 Graces Polo (Rebecca Cohen, Juan Bollini, Nacho Novillo Astrada, Nic Roldan), making its AVPC debut, against Sopris (Jason Crowder, Sugar Erskine, Tomacho Pieres, Santi Toccalino). The Chukker TV Challenge Cup is Sunday at 11 a.m.
Among season highlights are the new AVPC Beach Club on Sundays starting July 13; Twilight Polo Series featuring Tuesday Night Arena and Twilight Polo, an exclusive series from July 29 to August 26 at the nation's fastest growing club; and Aug. 17th Summer Polo Charity Classic to benefit Aspen Valley Health Foundation.
Other highlights are the Aug. 21-24 Triple Crown of Polo-Aspen and Silver Queen Invitational doubleheader, July 10-13 Craig Sakin Memorial and August 26 Aspen Arena Series Final.
The remaining summer tournaments are the July 17-20 Basalt Handicap, July 24-27 Emma Challenge Cup, July 31-August 3 High Alpine Cup, August 7-10 Mount Sopris Cup, August 7-17 Rocky Mountain Open, August 14-17 Carbondale Classic and Aug. 28-31 season-finale Maroon Bells Cup.
Unlike any other summer polo destination in the world, the local culture offers shops, incredible culinary scene, art, music and nightlife in addition to hiking trails, mountain biking, river rafting, golf and fly fishing.
Last year Aspen Valley Polo Club celebrated its 11th anniversary and enjoyed its best season on the Rocky Mountain circuit, highlighted by the Summer Polo Charity Classic. A record crowd including 250 VIP guests, enjoyed food, music, polo, auction and vendors during an exciting day of polo. Last year's event raised the most money in a single-day polo event in the United States. The event hit the $1 million mark with about $700,000 going to Aspen Valley Hospital operations. It was the second time the event hit the $1 million mark since it was created in 2016.
This year's Summer Polo Charity Classic is scheduled for Sunday, August 17th. The day will feature polo, champagne, caviar and luxuruous food by Caribou Catering. For those interested in purchasing tickets, sponsoring a table, donating an item for the live auction or volunteering for the event, contact Amy Kaiser Pendarvis, Events Coordinator, at 970-544-1126 or apendarvis@aspenvalleyhealth.org.
During the 2024 summer season, there were nine different team champions illustrating the parity and competitiveness of the 2024 summer season.
Last year's Independence Cup winner was Santa Rita (Haley Schaufeld, Grant Ganzi, Tomacho Pieres, Juan Bollini) and Casablanca (Marc Ganzi, Martin Jauregui, Nic Roldan, Grant Ganzi) won the ChukkerTV Challenge Cup.
If you can't make it to the games in person, Wellington, Fla.-based ChukkerTV (CTV sports) will live stream the entire 2025 polo summer season Mountain Standard Time with announcer Dale Schwetz calling the action. Aspen Valley Polo Club is the only USPA club to live stream its entire summer schedule.
With a vision for the community and surrounding areas, philanthropists Marc and Melissa Ganzi resurrected the club and polo in 2014. Since then polo has increased in popularity in Aspen and surrounding cities with the club's offerings of various weekly grass and arena tournaments, Arena & Asado Nights, Kidz Polo, Kids Wheelie Polo, Gymkhana, Christmas In July, The Polo School at AVPC and Polo On Demand.
In addition, the club offers practice sessions for teams competing in the club tournaments on more than six world-class fields. There are also indoor and outdoor polo arenas.
Aspen Valley Polo Club caters to men, women and youth polo players at all levels. Its' expert staff can customize a complete playing experience including horses, pros and certified umpires in addition to lessons and practice sessions as part of its' Polo On Demand program.
For more information on leagues or Polo School contact Polo School Director Juan Bollini at 561-346-1099.
