POLO WORLD Nigerian polo problems are surmountable – Ogolo
Michael Ogolo is the captain of the Port Harcourt polo club which hosted the recent ‘Golden Jubilee Polo Tournament’ to reflect the 50th Anniversary of the creation of Rivers State. The skipper speaks to Fever Pitch on how he overcame his fear of horses and solutions to some of the challenges facing the sport in Nigeria.
How would you rate the recently concluded tournament in Port Harcourt?
The just concluded 2017 Polo tournament in Port harcourt was tagged, Golden Jubilee Polo Tournament to reflect the 50th Anniversary of the creation of Rivers State. For rating the tournament, it turned out alright, but could have been much better. More teams would have participated if Port Harcourt Polo club had remained with the National Polo body.
Tell us how you got involved with polo in the first place?
I started playing polo since 2008. Had my first play outside Port Harcourt that was in Katsina in 2009. I have always been scared of horses growing up. As a child on holiday to my mother’s home town, Benue State, we saw a loose horse around and people were scared of getting close to the horse. We concluded that it was a mad horse. That mental image was always present and available to get me scared of horses. Having become a man, I summoned up the courage to ride on a horse when I visited a friend at the Port Harcourt Polo Club in 2008. I had gone to see Mr. Edmund Altraide, of blessed memory, in order to get a payment for a job I did for NDDC. My friend that accompanied me just got on a horse and was riding. Just like that. I said to myself that there is no way I am going to be afraid of a horse any more. So I later came back to learn how to sit properly on a horse and got hooked on the habit. It became my passion, though very expensive. Today I have risen to become the Captain of the Port Harcourt Polo Club.
At PH polo club are there tutorials for upcoming players in order to attract a new set into the sport?
Yes. There are free tutorials. If anyone picks the interest to learn how to ride, we will provide the person with someone who can teach the person especially one of our grooms. We even encourage our members who do not ride to learn how to.
The game of polo is mostly associated with the north; do you think PH can become a major hub?
Yes. Port Harcourt, as at today in Nigeria, is a major attraction for the game of polo for the singular reason of having one of the best Polo Playing turfs, to be modest. Most Polo Players in Nigeria like to play at our tournaments. The game of Polo is played mostly by the Northerners in Nigeria because of the weather. When it rains down south, the field becomes slippery and not suitable for horses and riders. I have spent 3 months with a broken ankle bound in pop cast because we attempted to play when it was drizzling on the pitch of the Port Harcourt Polo Club. Therefore, if we have some drier season, we can host more tournaments and mini tournaments that will make the game more attractive down here.
Who are your role models in polo and why?
My role models in Polo include fantastic and skillful players like one of the world’s best, Adolfo Cambiasso. Our Nigeria’s best, Bello Buba. The Badamasi brothers, Abdulmalik and Idris. The reason being that they are very skillful with the horses and on the ball. You just need to watch them play polo and you’ll love them
What’s your take on Nigerian polo and how can we move forward?
Nigerian Polo, to me seems to be like the Nigerian problem of not having concerted efforts geared towards development and also blaming one another for what all of us are failing to do.
While it is a game of those that have the wherewithal to put up teams and enjoy themselves, I believe that this class among kings can look beyond themselves.
I say this with a sense of responsibility to all Nigerian Polo patrons and players because some have taken the playing of polo as a source of livelihood. More of these players will join if we make it conducive for all. We can move forward if the development of Nigerian players is top priority on our minds as we play from tournament to tournament.