Steve Lewandowski the Voice of San Diego Polo

Whether on the field swinging a mallot or in the press box behind a mic, one thing’s certain; Steve Lewandowski has made a career out of his passion - the game of Polo.

On any given Sunday, you’ll find Steve Lewandowski in the press box at the San Diego Polo Club, which has had a presence in San Diego for over 100 years. This summer’s 14-week season will mark Steve’s 20th year as the resident announcer for the Club. This title, as well as ‘master of ceremonies’ and ‘auctioneer’ are accomplishments that Steve is quite proud of, but also a bit surprising coming from a self-professed late-bloomer.

“I didn’t start playing polo until 1991,” says Steve Lewandowski. “I was 32 at the time and introduced to the game by an old girlfriend, who was a 3rd generation polo player.”

Prior to that, Lewandowski admits having little experience, let alone training with horses. As he puts it, his only horse-riding experience was “a horse-driven hay ride at a high school Halloween party.” Not exactly the horse ‘pedigree’ you’d expect from an internationally-known and respected Polo Announcer, yet in Steve’s opinion, this is the charm and beauty of polo. By contrast, when most people think of polo, certain cliché's come to mind: high society, wealthly Ralph Lauren-looking blue-bloods...anything but “accessibility”. But this, says Steve, is the biggest misnomer:

“People think polo is about the movie, Pretty Woman. They don’t realize how family oriented and accessible polo is. That’s the biggest shock people find is that it’s not as snooty as they expect. There’s a lot of great, good people involved with the club. People are almost disarmed when they meet the regulars. Our biggest challenge is getting people to the club so they can overcome these misconceptions because its a lot of fun, both socially and athletically."

San Diegans curious about the game need not be shy. As Steve Lewandowski put it, "Polo is the best kept secret in San Diego county, and it shouldn’t be. The first lesson is free, so you have nothing to lose. You just show up and play; they have the horses, helmets, mallots, ball. They teach you how to get on the saddle and where to hold the reins. The most insidious thing they do is let you play a scrimmage the very first day! From the outside looking in, it looks like you’re going about 2 mph. But when you’re a neophyte to polo the way I was, it feels like you’re going match 2. It’s exhilarating to be able to move the horse and hit the ball. The horses they choose for the school are “bomb-proof”. They know what to do. When you wind up to swing, they move their head. I can’t think of a more enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon.”

Polo Enthusiasts agree. But the game that stands alone as the oldest team sport in the history of mankind didn’t start amidst a backdrop of beautiful people in designer hats sipping champagne and stomping divots. The history of the game presents a darker side that Lewandowski enjoys sharing:

“No matter where I’m at in the world, I go on the assumption that most of the crowd is experiencing polo for the first time, so I always give a little history. The origins of polo go back to 650 b.c. under the reign of King Darius the 1st of Persia. Back then, the chukker ball was actually the decapitated heads of their opponents! Obviously, the balls didn’t go as far, and it was tough if you had to use a bunch of ball in one game.”

Thankfully, a tamer version of polo evolved. The Indians were playing it when the English colonized, so the British Cavalry officers brought it back to England in the 1850's. From there, Polo came to American shores in 1876, our centennial year, and was first played at the Meadowbrook Country Club in New York which is still open today.

It’s hard to imagine that only 70 years ago the U.S. had its own Cavalry that utilized the game of polo to maintain cavalry warfare skills. Steve points out, there are a few gentlemen still involved with the San Diego Polo Club, now in their 80’s, who were part of the ROTC cavalry in the 1940’s. This footnote represents of a different era and rich history, indeed.

Speaking of, Steve Lewandowski has his own unique journey that led him from the field to the press box. The same year he started playing polo, he was asked to fill in as announcer for a Del Mar arena game. A talent agent in the crowd took notice, and the rest you could say, is history. Steve continued to play polo for many years, but it was at that moment that he realized he could passionately participate in polo from behind the microphone. He’s been giving fans the play-by-play ever since.

Steve just came from Cabo San Lucas and has announced all across the U.S., including Ireland and Mexico. He has an open invitation to announce in England and was recently chosen as the English announcer for the World Cup of Polo, which is the highest level of international polo at the amateur level and quite an honor. In 2008, he was the English announcer for the World Cup held in Mexico City. It's easy to see when speaking with Steve that Polo is more than a hobby. Polo has become his life passion, making this, his twentieth season, more meaningful than ever.

"It’s become much more than I ever imagined," says Steve Lewandowski. "My day job has always been insurance; life and annuities. The other half is microphone work, radio and TV voice overs, master of ceremonies/auctioneering work, public speaking and of course, polo announcing. Also, I just did a show that will be on the history channel and the military channel this fall. It’s called, “Taking the Office”. It was filmed on the USS Midway, and it corresponds with...historical footage, interviews with veterans and the impact that U.S. Presidents have made on foreign policy. I was a former naval officer, so I was chosen as the host. I feel the Polo Club has opened all those doors. There’s so many influential people involved with the San Diego Polo Club, you get to do what you love and have success too."

Although he no longer plays the game, Steve Lewandowski still gets the same ‘rush’ from announcing. “I still can’t wait to get there every Sunday,” he says. “I show up early and stay late because it’s so much fun.”

If you would like to see Steve “in action” or experience your first polo match, come down to the San Diego Polo Club on any given Sunday, now through October 3rd. Who knows, you might experience your own epiphany like Steve, and find yourself on the field, mallot in hand, ready to swing....

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