This spring, Amelia Shaw ’21 received her second interscholastic varsity letter from the United States Polo Association (USPA) as a member of the Mountain View polo team. 

To earn a varsity letter, participants must meet all USPA eligibility requirements, play in at least four Intercollegiate/Interscholastic games, log a minimum of 100 hours riding/practicing, and compete in an interscholastic tournament. Amelia was one of 71 high school students from across the country—from Hawaii to Massachusetts—to receive this honor.

From Martinsburg, WV, Amelia said she always loved horses growing up and begged her parents to let her take riding lessons. She started doing hunter, jumper, and dressage and competed for about three years. It was through this experience that she met friends who recommended she try polo at the Mountain View Polo Club in Charles Town, WV.

“I took one lesson and loved it, and I’ve been doing it ever since,” she said.

Amelia said she’s been playing polo for about seven years and riding horses for nine. When she started at Mountain View, she was practicing and learning the rules for several years prior to competing. 

“It took me a while to get used to the rules. It was a little easier to pick up because I already knew how to ride, so I was learning just the polo aspect rather than both polo and riding,” Amelia said. “I didn’t start playing matches for a couple of years until my club got bigger.”

Her club started playing in interscholastic tournaments in middle school, and she’s played with many of the same girls over the years as they are now on the club’s high school team.

“Getting to play with my friends is my favorite part; I love my team and it’s fun going around and meeting new people,” she said.

Mountain View competes in the USPA’s east coast region with the season taking place in the fall and early winter, with practices every Sunday.  At Saint James, Amelia also plays on the varsity soccer and basketball teams, so her schedule can be tiring. Her team drives to all of the matches, including some in North Carolina and Connecticut, and the closest team they play is Garrison Forest, still an hour and a half away.

“I may leave campus during sports and go play a match and come back and still have to do homework. Somedays I’ll have a basketball game and then have to go to polo,” she said. “But it’s never too difficult because I love playing polo, and I love playing soccer and basketball, so I find it not as difficult as people may think because I’m doing something that I love.”

Amelia said her team will typically play 5-10 matches per season, depending on how well they do in their regional tournaments. Her team also practices in the spring and summer, and recently, she started going to stick and ball practices, with no contact allowed.  She hopes to start regular practices soon and play a full season this fall.