Comment Interview
Carlos – in his trademark colourfully strapped hat – riding Noni-Noni in 1993, playing for Ellerston Black. Below: with his older son Carlitos, 19
“My father was a great teacher. He said that when players get nervous they start rushing, so you have to train yourself not to rush”
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me. The biggest compliment of my life came when Juan Carlos Harriott told me I was the most versatile player he'd ever seen – and coming from him that meant a lot. In those days I was shy with the press, and wasn't as well known as I am nowadays, even though I'm far from being the world's best today! Professionals now have help with publicity and business, and looking back it was a mistake not to have help. And though I was making good money, I could have made more – but then everything was about having a good team and organisation more than about how much you made. I used to come with my own grooms, but with David Morley and Chris Bethell [David Jamison's managers] what they had was already really good, and those two were very much key to our success – and the fact we were one of the first teams with a private field.
What testing times have you had in polo? The pressure does get to you, and some players have a moment where they say, “I've been doing polo for 17 or 18 years, but what else have I done? Is it worth it?” I think Cambiaso went through that a few years ago and you could see he wasn't having fun. It happened to me one year, when I won three Opens as well as the Triple Crown. After the final at Palermo I thought, “I didn't enjoy that”. You never imagine it could happen to you. I thought, “This is bad; I'm winning and not enjoying it,” and I quit
16 July 2010
www.polotimes.co.uk
Palermo. From the top there's only one way! Today, doing the embryos and getting involved in different businesses is satisfying, as well as playing.
What were your parents like? My mother's still going strong at 90. She knows a lot about polo but actually she taught us all about life, manners and so on. My father, Guillermo, was a great teacher to me and Memo and to Antonio Herrera: his students could make a 37-goal team. He was one of four eight- and nine-goal brothers, who together made the final at Palermo and won the US open. There was no situation in polo my father didn't know about – and he'd never give you a compliment.
He'd talk about how to handle pressure using mental tricks. He'd say that when people are nervous their arms get shorter. So taking a penalty, you have to avoid letting your brain fool you, and just go for it. Also, he'd say that when players get nervous they start rushing, so you have to train yourself not to rush.
What do you think of today's polo as a spectator sport? Polo's rules are not made for spectators but for players, and lately the game has not been so fun or exciting, with too many stops and fouls. Cambiaso has been a great asset for polo, but somehow he changed the game
– and whatever rules you make he will win because he's so good. But the latest interpretations of the rules on turning the ball have made a difference. I’d go further, and make the dribbling and walking rules harsher as this is what slows the game down. I was consulted on the rules for Polo in
the Park last year, and a lot of the ideas implemented by Daniel Fox-Davies came from me. I thought it worked well, being fun, accessible and non-stop. [Editor’s note: see pages 20 and 40 for more on PITP.]
What future polo plans do you have? I want to organise tours to polo countries, where I take four patrons to play and go sightseeing. I'm hoping to run one this October to India. I'd also like to create a tuition system, from how to hold the mallet to teaching 10-goal players how to hit penalty shots. Within the system we'd use film and technology. I'd like to see the same system used across the world and across levels. F
◗ Have you followed Carlos Gracida over the years, in England, Argentina or America? Tell us your favourite moments from his career by writing to
letters@polotimes.co.uk
Photographs by Yolanda Carslaw and Kay Carslaw
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