Royal Polo Match

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Food table and royal hosts at the 3rd Annual Royal Polo Match in 2017

The Royal Polo Match also known as the Royal Polo Exhibition or the Polo Meet and Greet is an annual event hosted by the Kingdom of Shiloh and Westarctica. The event is open to the general public without cost, and has been developed as a method for Their Royal Highnesses to meet with members of the public in the informal setting of the Will Rogers Polo Club in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, California.

The event was suspended in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and has not been held since.

History

Assembled attendees of the First Annual Royal Polo Match

2015

The first Royal Polo Match occurred in 2015.

Grand Duke Travis and King Timothy of Shiloh provided food beverages, seating, silverware, and luxury place settings for the event. The polo match took place a few days after the King and the Grand Duke were guest speakers at a romance novel convention in Las Vegas and one of the authors featured there was also a special guest at the polo match.

2016

In 2016, attendance was down slightly, but the event went forward as planned.

Damien Kramer, who would later serve as the Captain-General of Calsahara, attended the event as a guest of the Grand Duke and Prince-Consort Dinny.

2017

King Timothy and Grand Duke Travis posing with a polo player

The 2017 gathering was the first year that an event tent was provided. The Flag of Westarctica was flown from the leg of this tent, and attendance was higher than any previous year.

Several notable guests were present, including: Baron Stogner, Sir Sam Green, Nevada State Assemblyman Stephen Silberkraus, and renown film industry set decorator Kristen Gassner.

2018

On 15 July 2018, the gathering was held an hour later than previous events, so guests only watched two polo chukkers, plus a youth chukker. The King of Shiloh expressed solidarity with Westarctica's environmental goals and provided a large stainless steel water cooler to eliminate reliance on plastic water bottles. Chicken fajitas were served with a variety of seasoned rices and toppings.

After the match was over, Grand Duke Travis invested the Baron of Bastanchury as a Knight of the Snowflake in recognition of his work creating and maintaining Encyclopedia Westarctica.

2019

The fifth annual Polo Match was held on 18 August 2019. Although typically held in July, the date was moved to later in the season due to MicroCon 2019 occurring in late July.

Only two chukkers were played due to the early team not having enough players on hand to participate in a match. King Timothy and Princess Samantha provided Italian food in the form of meat lasagna, vegetarian lasagna, and garlic bread. A total of ten people attended the event, including two knights of the Snowflake. The polo match coincided with a meeting of the St. Andrews Society of Los Angeles, an organization devoted to Scottish culture and history, and several society members visited Westarctica's tent to ask about the unusual flag.

Activities

Horses running during a chukker at the 3rd Annual Royal Polo Match

Although attendees have sometimes been under the misconception that the Match requires them to ride a horse, the match itself is actually quite incidental to the event. The royals and their guests merely watch the polo match played on the field while enjoying food, drinks, and dessert. Members of the public are often engaged through these events and it serves as an excellent opportunity to share the world of micronations with people who might not otherwise have shown interest.

Suggested attire for the Royal Polo Match is Kentucky Derby attire or "Connecticut Casual."