By:
Paolo Manuel C. Fule
Dedication, resiliency and perseverance amidst
difficulties are qualities that polo player Eduardo Lopez has in store for his
sport that he can apply to his life. Let us take a glimpse of this young
athlete’s career and more in this interview.
Born Eduardo Galang Lopez on
October 13, 1997 in Santa Rosa, California to Mr. Alberto Lopez and Ms. Lorna Lopez, the 6-foot tall De La Salle
University Entrepreneurship student is fond of playing polo.
Paolo: When did you start playing the game and how did you
get into this kind of sport?
Eduard: I started playing Polo when I was 7 years old. My mom
and dad played a lot of Polo in Santa Rosa California in the Wine Country Polo
Club. So growing up as a kid in a ranch my parents and I rode horses a lot. I
started actually hitting a ball properly when I went to Argentina because My
dad got me some polo lessons down there for a couple of months. I moved to the
Philippines in 2006 and met Bobby Aguirre. He also has two sons who play. Cole
and Augustus Aguirre. When I arrived here they mounted me till this day. They
taught me a lot about horses and the game and they are still teaching me
whenever we are all together at their stables riding together. They taught me
that one of the most important things about the sport are the horses.
Paolo: What do you think could possibly your greatest
achievement in this sport?
Eduard: My biggest achievement is learning about horses every
day. You may think it's all about winning games all the time. Yeah that's
important but what's most important and what makes me feel like I've achieved
something is making the horse better. Keeping the horses in shape and training
them is a great feeling. I only used to think about just playing and not caring
about the horse. Now I feel like if I'm making the horse better in every aspect
then I'll become a better player myself. To learn about horses takes years and
I'm am very far from being a great horseman but every day I try to learn at
least something new about horses cause they are the most important aspect of
the sport. If you take care of the horses then they will take care of you on
the field.
Paolo: Why did you choose polo?
Eduard: I chose this sport because I enjoy it. With Polo
you're on an 800-pound horse flying down a 300-yard field hitting a ball.
You're riding off the other players and blocking off defenders to create space
for your teammates. You're going one way very fast then stopping the horse and
turning the other way to catch your opponent. You're scoring goals by tapping
the ball in between the goals or taking shots from tight angles. It's like a
mixture of all sports into one. The adrenaline rush is great. It's like you're
on a formula 1 race car flying down the field while hitting the ball. You
prepare the horse for competition and yourself as well. So the whole
preparation and culture of polo is great. I chose this sport because it teaches
you a lot about discipline and responsibility but most especially because it's
a sport that you can enjoy and never get sick of.
Photo courtesy of Paolo
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