“The sport of kings” – this is what they call polo in these parts, which is played on special fields nine times larger than football fields. Obviously, only the powerful can afford to own such gigantic plots of Hawaiian land, as well as keep and care for thoroughbred horses.
But for spectators this spectacle is available, and every Sunday anyone can feel like a member of a country club or even a royal retinue, joining this bohemian polo party. In fact, there are a minimum of attributes of high society here, because there is not even a dress code, and you can come to the stadium in a classic Hawaiian “get-up”, that is, in a T-shirt, shorts and “flip-flops”, which the local public does with pleasure.
The stadium announcer constantly reminds us of the family atmosphere of this country club: when commenting on the game, he “roots” for all the players on both teams, diluting his commentary with phrases like: “Don’t worry, Kai, that was a difficult maneuver, and we still love you.”
It is the horse control that is the most labor-intensive element of the polo game. On the other hand, when this graceful animal gallops past you in a cloud of dust, and the player hits the ball with a relish with a hammer-shaped stick, you begin to truly savor the spectacle of this game of kings. This is not hindered by the fact that during the match, the organizers generously treat the public with such local delicacies as shrimp, pineapple and pumpkin pie.