Four years after becoming a U.S. citizen, Jason Wates made his first appearance representing the United States and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Jamaican-born polo player was a member of the winning team that knocked off Mexico, 6-4, to win the XIII FIP World Polo Championship Zone A Playoffs on rain-soaked U.S. Polo Assn Field Sunday at the National Polo Center.
Wates and teammates Quinn Evans, Cody Ellis, and Steve Krueger qualified for the XIII FIP World Polo Championships, which the U.S. lost to Spain in the last world championship final in 2022 in Wellington.
“Being able to be a part of that with my family is a huge honor,” Wates said. “I’m excited not only to have been able to represent well but to have been invited to represent. It meant a lot to me that the organization thought of me and called me. I am honored to be a part of it and happy we could win.”
Wates, who is 3-goal rated, also played a key role as a member of the 2023 Park Place team that won its first-ever U.S. Open with a 12-11 victory over Valiente. He played for Park Place again in this year’s U.S. Open.
Wates, 35, has lived in the U.S. since he was 16. He grew up in a polo-playing family at the Kingston Polo Club before moving. After leaving high school in Jamaica, he got a job in polo, grooming and riding for Adolfo Cambiaso. He eventually worked his way up and was able to turn pro, competing in 8-goal to 22-goal tournaments including the FIP playoff.
Despite rain during the four-chukker playoff, Wates and his teammates controlled the game against Mexico’s talented foursome of brothers Carlitos and Mariano Gracida alongside their cousins Alejandro and Andres Gonzalez.
Team captain Steve Krueger, coming off his U.S. Open finals debut with BTA, was named Most Valuable Player after scoring three goals including a 30-yard penalty conversion. Corona, played by Cody Ellis and owned by Gonzalo Teves, was Best Playing Pony.
“It’s great to win and qualify for the world championships,” said veteran Team USA coach Tommy Biddle, who played in the first FIP qualifier in 1986.
“Just to see the guys advance and get there is really good. It’s always great playing for your country. You always have that little extra oomph representing your country.”
Mexico, coached by legendary Hall of Famer and former 10-goaler Memo Gracida, had no answer for Team USA which frustrated them late in the game.
Team USA, despite missing several scoring opportunities in the opening chukker jumped out to an early 2-1 lead. The rain came early in the second chukker as Mexico shut out Team USA, 2-0, and took a 3-2 lead after the second chukker.
After halftime, Team USA regained its lead, outscoring Mexico, 3-1, for a 5-4 advantage going into the final chukker.
The biggest challenges for Team USA were the rain and playing on horses they had never played. Horse Master Felipe Viana rated the 68 horses donated by various players including Pablo Dorignac and Pamela Flanagan-Devaleix of La Fe, to equal conditions and fair play.
“The only problem with the rain was that it kind of slowed our team’s flow down a little bit,” Biddle said. “I felt like for the majority of the game we were dominating the play, they just weren’t finishing goals.”
In the opening qualifying games earlier in the week, Team USA defeated Guatemala, 19-3.5 and Mexico topped Guatemala, 15-5.5 to set up a much-anticipated final.
The FIP World Polo Championship is the premier international tournament organized by the Federation of International Polo (FIP), featuring players rated 10 to 14 goals. In 1982, to broaden international polo and gain Olympic status, Marcos Uranga created the FIP. Argentina leads with five world titles.
The host location and date of the XIII FIP World Polo Championship is yet to be determined. Defending champion Spain automatically earned its place in the championship. Remaining teams still have qualifying zone tournaments to play.
On May 16, a select group of players will represent the United States in a non-FIP event at the Nedbank International in Johannesburg, South Africa. The roster includes Steve Krueger, Alan Martinez, Cody Ellis, and Matias Gonzalez. Biddle will serve as head coach.
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