Speak softly and carry a big stick was President Theodore Roosevelt's mantra. The many kids participating in South Florida junior polo have also taken up that stance. Kids too little to reach a cookie out of the counter-top cookie jar on their own are being spotted atop large (and small) ponies and horses, carrying long mallets. So far this year, 127 kids have participated. Monthly tournaments see up to 100 kids between the ages of 4 and 17 competing in one of several different levels from lead-line to walk/trot to four-chukker matches played flat out.

The action takes place on one of the nearly 100 polo fields located in South Florida, including those on the grounds of International Polo Club Palm Beach, Gulfstream and Grand Champions.

The names on the rosters are not that different from those on the 20- and 26-goal teams competing, including Arellano, Astrada, Biddle, Bollini, Cambiaso, Collardin, Criado, Daniels, Escobar, Ganzi, Gonzalez, Merlos, Monteverde and Weisz.

The action got started early this year with Grand Champions Polo Club holding its Grand Champions Junior Polo Open with 35 kids divided into three brackets in November.

Two teams played the low-goal division with three-a-side on a shortened field. Two teams played the medium-goal action while the high-goal attracted five teams. "You've got to restock the pond," said Dale Schwetz, USPA umpire turned announcer and cheerleader for the day, "and this is a great venue for this kind of competition."

India's Timmy Sharma was impressed by the players' ability to carry the ball at speed. "This is unbelievable. When I think of the way I play it is almost embarrassing." The end of December had the Major Collins Memorial Tournament with 39 kids divided up into five divisions. Nicolas Escobar, Juan Cruz Collardin, River Blake and Matias Gonzalez were named MVPs for their respective divisions. Best Playing Ponies were Joaquin Avendano's Pink Panther; HorseGate's Soxio, ridden by Matias Gonzalez; Joseph Schwarz's Christmas Tree; and Brinkley Erb's Cellulite.

On January 16, The JoAnna Moaco Memorial was held at Gulfstream Polo Club. Sixty-eight kids played on 17 teams divided into five divisions. Alex Photo's Juan Bollini Jr., Steven Jenkins, Johnny Lavine and Ayaan Quraeshi won the advance division in an action--packed round robin over Blanco TX and Wrightway Regional Polo Club. The 30th Annual Avendano Memorial was scheduled for President's Day at IPC while the Buzz Welker Memorial will take place March 19 at Grand Champions.

Alex Webbe contributed to this report.