JOHN GOBIN RETURNS TO OVERSEE GREAT MEADOW POLO 2008 SEASON; Eight-Goaler Brings Exceptional Talent & Experience
Phone: 540-253-5001
Email Address: www.greatmeadow.org
Date Added: 5/19/2008
One of the nation’s most respected and highest rated polo players, John Gobin, returns to manage polo at Great Meadow this year. “We are really fortunate to be able to attract professional talent like John Gobin to head up our polo program again this year,” said Dr. Phillip A. Karber, president of the Great Meadow Polo Club which oversees grass and stadium polo at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia. The site has become most known for its Twilight Polo program which provides polo and entertainment every Saturday night throughout the summer. This year marks the 100th anniversary of polo in Virginia, which was first played just down the street from Great Meadow and special matches are planned to celebrate the centennial.
“Polo players are ranked with a handicap,” Karber explained, “handicaps range from negative two to plus ten. Gobin is rated 8-goals in the arena and has attained a seven on the grass. He has played in the highest matches in the country—the U.S. Open twice, winning the Pacific Coast Open and is three-time champion of the U.S. Arena Open.”
Gobin, ranked as one of the top ten American polo players in the United States, is the first top level professional polo player to head up a Virginia polo club. He began his career at the age of 15 in Rehobeth, Mass., in the arena. At 17 he went to Argentina to train for two years and his professional career began a few years later playing with English player Geoffrey Kent. Last summer, Gobin moved his family to Virginia although he continues to maintain a winter home in Wellington, Florida where he plays high-goal polo.
Great Meadow, host to the premier Virginia steeplechase races and social events -- the spring and summer Gold Cup races, is also home to both arena polo and grass field polo. Last summer more than 15,000 families and professionals from the region gathered at Great Meadow on Saturday nights with tailgates and picnics to watch the night’s two arena polo matches. Many stayed after the matches to enjoy moonlight dancing with a local DJ.
“The great thing about arena polo is that it is an intimate and relaxed setting, and it allows us to play at night,” “It is a somewhat unique event in that people can bring their kids and they can roam around and enjoy the halftime entertainment and the mascot, ‘Polo Bear’ and at the same time the adults can enjoy summer tailgating in a beautiful setting with some great polo play to watch.”
The Twilight Polo season at Great Meadow runs from Saturday, May 31 through Saturday, September 13 with the exception of August 9 which will host a night of bull riding by Twisted K Productions. Tickets for Twilight Polo are $20 per car or $10 a person at the gate. There are also a limited number of seasonal tailgating rail spots and boxes are available by request. Gates open at 6:30pm and the first match starts at 7pm.
For more information about Twilight Polo log onto www.greatmeadow.org or call 540-253-5001.
Great Meadow, a 200-acre green space and equestrian event center, is owned and managed by the Great Meadow Foundation which is a non-profit 501c3 organization. Great Meadow hosts popular events including Twilight Polo, the Virginia Gold Cup, the International Gold Cup, the 4th of July Celebration and Fireworks, as well as weddings and private events.
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