
Sue Sally Hale
polo trailblazer
Women weren't allowed to play polo when Sue Sally Hale fell in love with the sport in 1950s. So she did what she had to do ~ disguised herself as a man and joined a polo team, competing for the next 20 years.
In 1972, the Polo Association finally admitted her as it first female member. She went on to become a top player, winning the first US Women's Open in 1990 {with daughters Sunny + Stormie} when she was 53.
Generous and optimistic, Sue Sally also coached polo teams ~ including one at the Marine base in El Toro, California ~ and gave lessons to people with disabilities.
breaking gender barriers | paving the way for today's 500+ female polo lovers who are members of the polo association
being a polo legend | first major championship came when she was a 53-year-old grandmother
1950s - early 1970s | competed in elite polo matches disguised as a man
1972 | first female member of the US Polo Association...the leaders reluctantly gave in to pressure
2004 | inducted in the Polo Hall of Fame
from | to
a girl who loved horses and dreamed of playing polo | elite polo player who paved the way for women in the sport
born on
August 23, 1937
born in
Los Angeles, California
birth name
Sue Sally
alias
A. Jones
~ the name she used in polo competitions…with her tucked her hair under a hat, a mascara-drawn mustache and baggy clothes, she joined her team on the field, dressed as a man ~
nickname
Sal
citizen of
The United States of America
daughter of
Susan Avery
~ former ballerina ~
Grover Jones
~ Oscar-nominated screenwriter who died when she was just 4 years old ~
educated at
San Fernando State College (Cal State Northridge)
~ BA, illustration & cartooning ~
divorced from
Alex Hale
~ married from 1957 - 1976 ~
mother of
5 children | 3 daughters + 2 sons
daughter Sunset "Sunny" Hale is a champion polo player, competing alongside men
grandmother of
3 grandchildren
pets
horses
~ Blue was her childhood pony ~
advocate for
female polo players
setting polo standards
working with handicapped horse enthusiasts
in her spare time
poet + author
artist + sculptor
volunteer fireman + EMT
died on
April 29, 2003
image credits
collapse bio bits"After a game it was a kick to clean up for the parties and mingle unrecognized with the guys I'd just played on the field."
Sue Sally Hale, 65, a pioneer in U.S. Women's Polo, Dies | 1980
for further reading about Sue Sally Hale:
curated with care by Kathleen Murray {september 2014}
Museum of Polo
In 2004, Sue Sally was posthumously inducted into the Polo Hall of Fame, headquartered in Florida.
Museum of Polo & Hall of Fame
Maui Polo Club Makawao, UpCountry Event 2014
Because of Sue Sally, women are now a common sight on polo fields like this one in Hawaii.
James Brennan
CC BY