FRICking Amazing

Congratulations to the KL Academy of Polo FRICsters who made their polo debuts in club chukkas this morning: Dato’ Sri Raza Khan, Shahridzal Mohamed Raffi , Kayser Khan and Amir Khan.

They were the 23rd to 26th graduates since KL Academy of Polo started. It was a great day for all of us, especially those who scored.

Additional to the 26 rookies who have passed their polo test, there are another three who have passed the practical, but have not yet taken the KLPC Rules Test.

If you had told me when we started playing polo again this year that KL Academy of Polo would produce over twenty rookie players that passed their polo tests by this season, I would have been hard pressed to believe it.   I’m still astonished.  Having been able to get only five graduates during the Covid lockdowns, I had set myself and KLAP a target of ten new players this season.  So, to get 26 rookies pass their polo tests is an awesome result for the year.

I’m having to suppress the FIGJAM thoughts that keep surfacing in my mind.

Of course, it is never down to just one person.  Our Friday Instructional Chukkas (and the make up Saturday, Sunday or Wednesday instructional chukkas) have been a huge success.  Charlie Wood, Samsuri Ismail, Shariffie Hamdi, Federico Bachmann, Nicolas Petracci, Gines Bargallo, Agustin Andrada and guest starring Benjamin Araya, we all helped train the 56 newbies that played in instructional chukkas in the last year.

That is not a typo – 56 newbies have played in instructional chukkas in the last twelve months alone.

Having Charlie Wood here this summer made a difference.  Not only is he a fantastic coach, but it also opened the door to some newbies, who may have wanted to try polo but may not have wanted me personally as their coach.  Hard to believe, but it happens.  (There, FIGJAM, take that!)

KL Academy of Polo’s investment in nice ponies has really paid off.  It makes a huge difference when you are learning, if you can play confidently on ponies you know are safe and that you love.  The best complement is when established polo players with ponies of their own, rent one of ours and then ask if it is for sale.

Today, Shahridzal, Kayser Khan and Amir Khan all scored on their debuts.  Dato’ Sri Raza Khan was not far off, and I’m sure I only have to play with him once (we were on opposing teams today) for him to score.

It has been an awesome year, and we have had great support from the club.  Opening up the stick and ball ground more regularly has allowed us all the train more.  The committee has been so supportive of FRIC’s and KL Academy of Polo. The President / Polo Captain, HRH Tengku Baderul has sportingly come to watch many FRICs, take Track Tests, and encourage players.

Let’s not forget KLAP also made it into the Malaysian Book of Records with the 1st Malaysia Youth Polo Tournament.  With our resurrection of the Pony Club, the Youth Tournament and all these new players, the Kuala Lumpur Polo Club has a newer, younger vibe.  I’m very happy to be able to give something back to polo, starting up students who really want to play this amazing game.

It really is the King of Games.