Every two years, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Commons transforms into a fitting venue for the sport of kings, and this year was no exception.
Niagara Polo returned to the historic Commons on Saturday, welcoming crowds to watch two polo matches featuring players from the Toronto Polo Club.
Guests dressed for the occasion, honouring the game’s rich history and its historical context in this part of the Niagara Peninsula.
Barbara Worthy, community engagement co-ordinator with the NOTL Museum, considers the Commons a historic and special place.
“We witnessed soldiers training here,” she said. “That game, which is so precise, allowed them to practice in a very rustic world.”
Continuing the tradition is about more than the match itself.
“It allows us to have a fundraiser that supports the museum and everything it does, using history at the core,” she said.
Credit: DAVE VAN DE LAAR
Teams from the Toronto Polo Club took over the historic Commons during Niagara Polo on Saturday, Sept. 12, in a charity match for the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum.Kim Tsoi, a player on the VRG Capital team, was named Most Valuable Player after the first match.
Tsoi, an orthopedic oncologist in Toronto, began playing polo about 10 years ago. This year marked her first Niagara Polo appearance.
“It was an amazing event,” she told The Lake Report. “It’s a really nice way to showcase the sport that we all really love to play.”
For Tsoi, polo complements her work as a surgeon and provides a way to relieve stress.
“It makes me better at my job to be honest, just to step away and spend that time with the horses,” she said.
Tsoi said people love polo for a number of reasons, but part of what makes the sport special is the relationship between player and horse.
“Having that partnership with an animal is an amazing feeling,” she said.
For some guests, the polo match was an opportunity to dress the part.
Mandi Gould, the Shaw Festival’s associate of corporate sponsorships, came dressed in red-and-white vintage wear.
“Every day is Canada Day,” Gould told The Lake Report.
Her outfit consisted of vintage reproduction pieces and a hat from Beau Chapeau on Queen Street.
Gould told The Lake Report she regularly dresses in vintage clothing, but put together a unique outfit for the occasion.
The polo match featured a best hat contest, which encouraged attendees to get creative with their headpieces.
Credit: DAVE VAN DE LAAR
Vicki Craig’s coral chapeau is a bright spot of joy. Many attendees came to the match donning fancy hats, a part of polo match tradition.Tracy Scott travelled to NOTL from Vancouver for the match and brought eye-catching headwear with her.
The hat consisted of a headband decorated with real peacock feathers, which Scott attached herself.
“My daughter works at an alpaca farm rescue so she gave me those,” she said.
Scott said she was able to put the piece together the day before.
Ann Jaanus of Stevensville said the secret to her floral hat was an expert use of zip ties.
Jaanus used a Dollarama Halloween hat as the base, weaving different Dollarama flowers and garland through it.
“Go big or go home,” she said.
Whether attendees came to watch the game, admire the historic fashions or enjoy the halftime entertainment, all funds raised went toward the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum’s operations.
