Los Polistas Encourages Women’s Golf Empowerment

On Bombay’s coldest winter day, the First Ever Los Polistas, International Women’s Polo Cup 2019 was played at the Amateurs Riders’ Club (ARC) and the Mahalaxmi race course. There was an exhibition match and the first ever all-women polo tournament match.

Being a special occasion, Rhea Parekh launched her polo fashion brand – Los Poloists, or her idea was to completely concentrate on the courage, dedication and patience of the polo player. “I have always been enamored by polo as a sport from a young age as I started riding. My father is a polo aficionado and has great regard for the players as well. I decided to contribute by looking for the perfect way to bring the sport and my passion for design together. That’s how Los Polistas was born; it celebrates the sport and the player, offering designs that fit everyone’s personality, style, passions and budget. With the international Polo Cup, I found the perfect way to bridge the two opportunities,” said Rhea.

There were two teams as part of the polo match, Team USA (Caraysil), was comprised of the players – Carolyn Stimmel, Ashley Parekh and Anna Winslow. Team India (Sternhagen), was comprised of Rinaa Shah, Megan Judge and Cindy Halle. Los Poloists’ purpose was to promote women’s polo in the city. The honorable chief guest the Police Commissioner of Mumbai, Mr Subodh Kumar Jaiswal.

Out of respect to the match and the teams, the respective teams’s country flag was hoisted. With a challenging 3 polo chukkas, both the teams ended in an 8-8 draw. ‘The woman of the match’ award was presented to Anna Winslow for her excellent performance.

As a special treat, a fashion show was arranged to launch the Los Poloists collection. Warina Hussain, the gorgeous Bollywood doll was the showstopper for Los Polistas. She stunned the guests, attired in polo pants and a signature Los Polistas logo tee. Warina said, ‘I am delighted to be present at the launch of this unique equestrian line, a first for India, inspired by the polo player. Clean lines, quality and detailing are the mainstay of the label. These work for any woman to combine elegance with understated style.’

Los Polistas connotes a sporty, confident and empowering polo life. It delivers fashion and luxury class with comfort. It is perfectly suited for athleisure or sporty evening or horse riding. The polo collection is available in various lights to bold colors, with sharp silhouettes. It is a must collection for the sporty male and sporty female’s wardrobe.

Rhea’s sister, Ashley Parekh, is a 16 year old. She is the youngest female polo player in India and was awarded the “Debutant Polo Player” award. Ashley said she was feeling very motivated. “This is in fact a great idea as it has also created awareness about the sport throughout the country, giving encouragement to female polo players. Polo is an amazing sport and it’s not just for men. Women can play as well and women are equally good at it. There is always space for more players in this game,”

As it got very chilly after the match and fashion show, everybody was in high spirits, having delicious starters by St. Regis, with flowing wine, vodka or whisky. As Gurkha cigars were one of the exhibitors, I was lucky to have the rum infused GURKHA cigar with whisky. I met some lovely people.

ARC hosted the Women’s International Cup, an initiative also pioneered by ARC. It was co-hosted by St. Regis, Mumbai, Edelweiss and Ciroc.

The president of the Amateur Riders Club, Mr. Shyam Mehta stated, “It’s never too late to make a beginning. As to why we have not done it so far, I think women’s Polo has started picking up now in India and we decided that we should show the people in Mumbai that women can play Polo and women should play Polo.”

The Amateur Riders’ Club (ARC) was established in 1942 and is one of the oldest and largest private civilian riding clubs in India. Situated in the heart of Mumbai, it is a hub for riding throughout the year. The club provides riding lessons for all ages and organizes activities such as show jumping, polo, dressage, plot tent pegging and lots more.