In the face of the pandemic, the University of Idaho’s Horse Polo Club has been struggling to garner student interest.
By this point in the year, the club usually has about two dozen potential recruits showing their interest in the sport. According to President Aléna Perriguey-Krings, the club only has four potential recruits who are not yet committed members.
This brings in concerns about maintaining membership, with the club falling short of their average 12 committed members.
“(COVID-19) has really devastated our club in its own unique way,” Perriguey-Krings said. “We’ve just really been struggling with recruitment.”
The Horse Polo Club has been taking new approaches to recruit this year due to the pandemic by hosting a Facebook Live event and participating in Palousafest Deconstructed.
Despite these efforts, they are behind in recruiting new horse polo members. The alternatives to in-person events simply have not been effective for the club.
With multiple members nearing graduation, Perriguey-Krings is concerned about the longevity of the club in the coming years. Perriguey-Krings is one of these seniors graduating in the spring.
“We just aren’t seeing those numbers go up,” Perriguey-Krings said. “I would love to see this club carry on and thrive even after I’m gone.”
Perriguey-Krings has been a member of the club since her freshman year, discovering it through UIdaho Bound. Many other members found out about the club through similar means, with public events being a main source for recruitment.
“I would love to see our club have more general awareness,” Perriguey-Krings said. “Polo is a unique sport that we are able to offer and provide.”
As for training, practices have been going on normally. All practices are held outdoors, making social distancing easy to maintain.
“We’ve been lucky to follow a rather normal routine,” Perriguey-Krings said. “We’re out riding, there’s plenty of space to social distance outside. Everyone’s been pretty good about wearing masks.”
The club is seeing changes in the games they are able to play. Opponents at other universities face COVID-19 related travel restrictions that make it difficult to play. Others cannot host, leading to fewer events.
As of now, there are no confirmed upcoming competitions. Perriguey-Krings hopes students look into horse polo, even as beginners, trying out a sport unique to UI.
“For anyone looking for something new and different, it’s a very exciting and thrilling sport,” Perriguey-Krings said.
Haadiya Tariq can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @haadiyatariq.