Chicago Chosen as International Host City for the GREY GOOSE® Chicago Beach Polo World Cup

CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time in Chicago, a new thunder rolls the sands of Lake Michigan…The GREY GOOSE® Chicago Beach Polo World Cup! On Saturday, October 1st and Sunday, October 2nd, players from around the globe will travel to the Windy City to compete in a prestigious tournament of beach polo right on North Avenue Beach. Located directly in front of a beachfront bar and grill, this luxury affair will give spectators and up close and personal look at the "Sport of Kings!"

Sprouting from a seven-year history in Miami Beach, the GREY GOOSE® Chicago Beach Polo World Cup promises to be every bit as popular as the south Florida event.  "This year we attracted over 15,000 spectators to the Miami Beach tournament," said Polo Life's Bruce Orosz, the creator of the Miami Beach event, "and we expect the reception in Chicago to be every bit as enthusiastic."

With the event sponsored by GREY GOOSE® Vodka, Don Miguel Gascon, Fogo de Chao, Amstel Light and Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago, North Avenue Beach will be completely transformed in anticipation of some of the most exciting polo action Chicago has seen in years! The custom-built beach arena, roughly about the size of an American football stadium, will be bordered by a beachfront bar and grill on the west and Lake Michigan on the east. With the condensed size of the playing arena, (approximately 100 yards by 50 yards, one tenth the size of a polo field) the game will drop the action right into the laps of spectators with the Chicago Skyline and Lake Michigan as backdrops to this one-of-a-kind sporting environment. With V.I.P. suites, social tents, pop-up shops, fashion shows and more, Chicago's elite will gather to watch, enjoy and toast polo ponies and players alike!

The two-day international polo tournament will host a field of eight teams.  Four teams will compete in World Cup play while four women's teams take to the sandy North Avenue Beach to compete for the North Beach Women's Polo Cup.  Events throughout the weekend include exclusive GREY GOOSE Vodka® Behind the Blue Door polo experiences, a player presentation press conference, polo games Saturday and Sunday, and various private social gatherings.

GREY GOOSE® Vodka Behind the Blue Door Experience:

Wednesday, September 28th:
12 pm – 4 pm – Trade Engagement Group

Thursday, September 29th:
4:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Media Polo Clinic
7 pm – 11 pm – Consumer and Media Reception

GREY GOOSE® Chicago Beach Polo World Cup Events:

Friday, September 30th:
7 – 9 pm – Press Conference-MEDIA ONLY
9 – 12 midnight – Kick Off Party

Saturday, October 1st:
11:30 am – Doors Open, Opening Ceremony
12 – 5 pm – Match Play & Fashion Show
7 – 11 pm – After Hours with hors d'oeuvres and cocktails courtesy of GREY GOOSE® Vodka

Sunday, October 2nd:
11:30 am – National Anthem
12 – 4 pm – Match Plays & Finals
4 – 5 pm – Award Ceremony
6 – 9 pm – Closing Party

Although some historians cite the origins of the Chicago Polo Club as dating back to the World's Fair in 1893, newspaper accounts date Chicago's polo roots back even further to June 4, 1876, three weeks before General George Armstrong Custer's confrontation with the Sioux Indians at Little Big Horn. Chicago's polo history is steeped in tradition and looks to keep adding to that rich history with the inaugural beach polo tournament this fall.

"I've played polo all over the world and after walking the location of the beach polo event, I can't think of anything more exciting than playing on the shores of Lake Michigan in front of a throng of local spectators," said David Wigdahl, a former six-goal world class player and Chicago native.

Wigdahl has played on winning teams in the U. S. Open Championship, the United States Polo Association’s Gold Cup, the America Cup and the Butler Handicap, to name a few, and will be fielding a local team in this fall’s beach polo tournament. He will rival Argentina’s Usandizaga brothers (Guillermo and Gustavo), and be joined by Chicago’s own Ben Rosenfield and Louisville’s Chad Middendorf. Brandon Phillips, hailing from Canada’s national team will unite with Argentine five-goaler Mauricio Devrient and Simon Garber, and Michigan’s Scott Devon will be entering a yet to be named team that will round out the competition. On the women’s side, Nigeria’s Neku Atawodi will compete with Brazilian model and polo player Paula Chermont. Both divisional championship teams from April’s South Beach Polo Women’s Polo Cup will be competing, including MVPs Tara Lordi and Libby Scripps.

"We're expecting the GREY GOOSE® Chicago Beach Polo World Cup to take its rightful place in the lineup of beach polo venues that include competitions in Australia, India, England, Italy, Argentina, Germany, France, Spain and Thailand," said event producer, Lou Vasta.

As tribute to the host city, The Polo Life will contribute partial proceeds to benefit the 100 Club of Chicago, which provides support and assistance to the families of fallen police officers and firefighters in Cook County and Illinois Education Foundation, which provides last-dollar community college scholarships to low-income, high-potential students.

V.I.P. passes are $250 each (two-day) and $150 each (one-day/Saturday or Sunday), which includes dining and bar. General admission is $20 and to inspire a potential new generation of polo enthusiasts in Chicago, children under 12 are free. For tickets, schedule and other information about GREY GOOSE® Chicago Beach Polo World Cup, please visit www.chicagobeachpolo.com.

About the Polo Life, LLC

The Polo Life is a private company created in 2003 in Miami Beach, Florida with the goal of integrating the sport of polo and the polo community with the lifestyle and entertainment that the younger generations have grown accustomed to. Since 2004, The Polo Life, LLC has produced the Miami Beach Polo World Cup, the world's largest and most prestigious Polo Tournament on the beach attracting some of the best male and female polo players from around the globe. The Polo Life will soon be taking the event to other U.S. cities, beginning with Chicago in 2011. For more information, please visit www.thepololife.com.

About GREY GOOSE® Vodka  

Every aspect of the creation of GREY GOOSE® is focused on crafting vodka of unmatched quality. The creation of GREY GOOSE begins with the very best ingredients from France – soft winter wheat from le grenier a ble (the breadbasket of France) and spring water from Gensac, Cognac, that is naturally filtered through Grande Champagne limestone. A unique distillation process brings out the naturally superior characteristics of these ingredients. From field to bottle, the expertise of the GREY GOOSE Maître de Chai (Cellar Master), Francois Thibault, ensures an unparalleled smoothness and exceptional taste. The GREY GOOSE portfolio is comprised of GREY GOOSE Vodka, GREY GOOSE La Poire, GREY GOOSE L'Orange and GREY GOOSE Le Citron flavored vodkas. During the past 10 years, GREY GOOSE Vodka has helped charities to raise more than $1 billion dollars.  www.GreyGoose.com.

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©2011 GREY GOOSE, THE GREY GOOSE BOTTLE DESIGNS AND THE GEESE DEVICES ARE TRADEMARKS AND/OR REGISTERED TRADEMARKS.  IMPORTED BY GREY GOOSE IMPORTING COMPANY, CORAL GABLES, FL.  VODKA 40 % ALC. BY VOL.; FLAVORED VODKAS 40 % ALC. BY VOL.- DISTILLED FROM GRAIN.

About Don Miguel Gascon

Established in the heart of Argentina's wine capital in 1884, Don Miguel Gascon is the oldest continuously operating winery in Mendoza. Today, the wines of Don Miguel Gascon offer a true expression of Argentine Malbec, crafted from Mendoza's high altitude vineyards at the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Elegant and intense in style, Don Miguel Gascon Malbec goes hand in hand with Argentina's passion for the graceful and exhilarating sport of polo. Don Miguel Gascon is proud to bring the spirit of Argentine polo to the U.S. as the official red wine sponsor of the Polo Life Tour. Learn more at www.gasconwines.com

Media inquiries, please contact Stephanie Krol at 773-580-9726 or [email protected] and Rebecca Kussmann at 312.203.5302 or [email protected].

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