Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Meet the First All-Black National Championship Winning Polo Team ... #BlackHistoryMonth

”Growing up in West and North Philly, I encountered many people who had no idea what they wanted to do with their lives and others who locked themselves into only a few options. ...I knew that if I could apply myself, I could see what I could become” – Daymar Rosser


There are several articles floating the web about this team. Some recent.. some a couple years back. I did my best to compile information from each to make this post as current as possible. Brothers Kareem (older) and Daymar Rosser (end left, end right, Brandon Rease middle) were offered a chance to ride horses from Lezlie Hiner in exchange for working in the barn of her no-profit organization, Work to Ride. That moment changed their lives. During high school years, they formed a team and played warm-up games with polo programs from Prestige universities such as Cornell, U Conn, Harvard etc. These guys SHOWED OUT. For example, the beatdown against Harvard is something still discussed as they won 20 -3. In 2011, the Philly Fairmount Heights based first all-black Polo team went on to become the First African-American team to win the National Interscholastic Polo Championship. That same year, Kareem was deemed the Polo Training Foundation Male Interscholastic Polo Player of the Year. That would only be the beginning of their success as each player went on to win more and more. Fast forward to present day. Kareem, who yields journeys to Africa and Asia, is now a Junior at Colorado State University with a major in Business and coaches on the side as he is now too old to participate in Work to Ride. Brandon Rease graduated from the Academy at Palumbo. Daymar attends Rhode Island situated Roger Williams University. As these three have paved the way, other black youth (including young ladies) have taken interest and joined the team. Again I say... Our faces can be anywhere. Inspired and Proud.

No comments:

Post a Comment