Polo is becoming popular sport in Oak Brook

For the fifth year in a row, Robert Burgess and Margie O'Connor registered as Oak Brook Polo Club members.

O'Connor, who has been watching polo games since she was a young girl, leaves her Sundays free so she can enjoy a couple matches with her husband.

"I've always liked horses, and I love the athleticism of the horse itself," she said. "And to play hockey on a horse -- the players are very talented."

July kicked off polo season and, through mid-September, Oak Brook Polo Club will join leagues throughout the world in holding matches in their own backyards.

Polo director Karen Martino said the global sport is very welcoming.

This year, especially, she's noticed a lot more interest in watching the activity early on in the season. She's also noted a lot of people are holding adult birthday parties in tents at polo fields.

"Polo's just been very popular this year," she said.

Greg Aguilar of East Moline and Marisela Villalpandro of Rock Island checked out a polo event Sunday during a friend's birthday party, and Aguilar was impressed with the diversity within the sport.

He enjoyed watching an 11-year-old boy play on his dad's team, and appreciated the players on the field, who were from Argentina and Mexico.

"I'm surprised to hear so many languages on the polo field," he said.

Villalpandro likes that it's a sport that appeals to all ages.

"I like the fact that it's a family function," she said. "It's just a great time to be with the family."

Aguilar admits he wouldn't mind actually getting on the field to play some day.

"I'd love to try," he joked. "If I could find a horse big enough."

If you go

What: Polo matches

When: 1 and 3 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 9

Where: Oak Brook Sports Core, 700 Oakbrook Road (31st Street), Oak Brook

Cost: $10; free for children 13 and younger

Details: (630) 368-6428 or www.chicagopolo.com

What you should know

•The object of the game is for the rider to line the horse with the ball after it's hit, pass the ball to a teammate or carry it down the field and attempt a goal.

•The game's played outdoors with four players on each team.

•A match lasts about one-and-a-half hours and is divided into six periods called chukkers.

•The sport's played on a 10-acre field

•Polo is more than 2,500 years old and was first played by the Persians. The sport's been played in the U.S. since the 1870s.

More information

•www.sportpolo.com

•www.parenttoparentofga.org/summer0302.htm