Natalie Grancharov Camacho
Arizona Polo Club Women’s League Chair
What prompted your interest in polo? What girl doesn't love ponies?! I grew up in Silicon Valley, not riding but always loving horses. When I went to college at UC Davis, I discovered a polo team and the rest is history. Once I came to Arizona, I connected with the Arizona Polo Club.
Tell us about the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships (a k a The Polo Party). What’s new this year? This year I am super happy that we will be honoring the US military by hosting the USPA General Patton Cup; this polo match will be played by veterans and families of veterans. Our main event match will also feature Nacho Figueras, who is well-known as the face of Polo Ralph Lauren. There are also The Polo Party’s signature events within the event like the Canine Couture Dog Fashion Show, the World’s Longest Catwalk Fashion Show presented by Phoenix Fashion Week, a half-time rugby match, a preview of 2020 Barrett-Jackson’s Car Auction and halftime performances by the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. One of my personal favorites is the fried chicken and Champagne—the best combo ever!
What is the most rewarding part of your career? What about the biggest challenge? My career is actually completely outside of the horse world at Intel Corporation. I work as an engineering manager in one of the most advanced manufacturing sites in the world. Every day is a challenge and something new, but that’s what happens when you are making computer chips with more than one billion transistors on them.
What advice do you have for girls and young women who wish to become successful athletes? Do what you love! Don’t do a sport, including polo, to prove something to anyone but yourself. Find your passion, follow it and don’t ever let anyone get in your way of what you are trying to achieve. If you think your passion might be polo, come out to our event in November and sign-up for a polo lesson. We are also hosting a special clinic this year after the big event.
In what ways do you give back to the community? I try really hard to promote the goodness of polo, not only in Arizona, but in the US. There are many US polo women that have the same mission: get young women out to the field and try the sport. It’s so unique that men and women can play on the same field as equals, and this is something my club and I really try to embody. I work with my club to host women’s polo events to benefit local causes as well. This year, at The Polo Party we will have a special charity match to benefit Southwest Wildlife.
What influence do you hope to have on the Valley? I am hoping that everyone can come and see a match at The Polo Party event and see how amazing this sport can be. But even more so my club and I really love to highlight our polo horses. Eighty percent of them are off-the-track Thoroughbreds; this means that they had a racing career at a young age and then are bought or rescued at the end of their career for polo.
