LIFESTYLE INTERVIEW: MIKE AZZARO
World Class Player Makes The Case For More Attention For Polo
Polo has never been so accessible, and for just $10.00, you are guaranteed a great afternoon for the whole family! Daniel Somogyi, the general manager for the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club is totally right on the spot: Polo is mainstream, and not only for the rich and famous.
A few weekends ago, I got invited to cover the Robert Skene Trophy, and I drove the whole family, my wife Roxanna and our boy Felix, to the polo field. The atmosphere was pleasant and joyful. There even was a clown at the end to entertain the little ones on the blanket of grass near the field where horses were already running full speed, trying to catch their moment of glory.
You truly get the notion that, for people into Polo, this is not just a passion but a real meaning of life, for the energy and level of excitement unfolding during a game is deeply moving. It’s as if that little bubble of paradise would bring players, horses and the audience as one. The field being so close to the seating area, it is common to have the players rushing to us and almost giving us the impression of being part of the game, of being in the heart of the action, in the eye of the storm. No wonder you end up as exhausted as the players when the final second of the game is gone. Then it’s time for the players to jump onto the podium and get their happy accolade of success.
Before we see you at the polo field next weekend, let’s have Mike Azzaro (one of the best players in the world!) inspire us with a few final words:
Emmanuel Itier: How is your season this year? How is it to be in Santa Barbara?
Mike Azzaro: Well, I wasn’t there last year, but every year I come to Santa Barbara is a great time. To play polo in Santa Barbara is always a great get-away from other parts of the country–it’s paradise here. Also, the competition is good, the polo field is great, and it’s such a pleasure to be here.
EI: They say that the toughest thing in life is not to get there, to get to the high level of playing you are at, but to STAY there. Is it true? How do you stay at your high level of playing?
MA: It’s a lot of hard work and training. The main support in my career is underneath me, it’s my horse. Seventy-five percent is my horse, and the rest is me. You have to keep training new horses. Getting there is difficult and staying there is even harder.
EI: What do you think has changed with the game?
MA: Well, right now there are more athletes. Now you have the amateur players, and they are training in the gym and they are having physical therapy. Also they are finding more and better horses. The quality of polo has escalated to a great level. It’s a real challenge. And today, like every weekend, is great fun to watch and to play.
EI: What’s the next frontier for polo?
MA: I would believe that the next thing is to go wider on television, and it would be great to have professional games on the air. We need to have a new level of spectacle on TV with the best players and the best horses.
EI: So far, what was your best and worst memory in your polo career?
MA: Well, the best is when I was 18 and it was in England. I was playing the Cornetion Cup. I was five goals at the time. At the beginning of the game, one of the players got hit and they called me in. I was just sitting as a spectator. This was truly a unique moment in my life. And we won the gold cup and my career took off from there. That was a great time. There are no really low times. I lose as much as I win, but I learn from my losses…
EI: So you just need to keep riding and riding…?
MA: Yes, keep on riding!
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