Polo in the sky as drones lead game footage
Filming polo was historically a logistical challenge. The number of cameras required to cover an area over five times as large as a soccer field made effective filming of a polo game prohibitively expensive. Creativity came into play with cameras positioned on umpires helmets, or a dolly on tracks to capture action from the sidelines. Now the key component of polo footage comes from a drone.
Michael Fasnacht probably watches more high goal polo games than most polo fanatics over the course of a winter season in Wellington – and he does it from above the field. “I was a drone pilot,” Michael said. “But I didn’t think I belonged in flying polo. I grew up in South Florida – I’m from Palm Beach Gardens – and the only thing I knew about polo up until five or six years ago was that the Players Club had a party after polo. I never went to a match.”
That changed when Michael answered an Indeed ad for a polo-cam operator. He started filming from a tower positioned on the halfway line for the USPA Umpires LLC. Two years later he became involved in live streaming for the USPA Polo Network. When the film crew were in need of a drone pilot, Michael was asked to take over.
Hesitantly, Michael took up his new role, keeping his distance at first. “I started flying really high,” he said. “I’d say the first month of footage is probably not viewable.”
Easing into the job, he began to feel more comfortable, flying closer to the action to the point that now, sometimes, the umpire tells him he should probably fly higher. It was a learning curve, figuring out how to capture the game, without disrupting the play. He keeps the drone higher for throw-ins so the sound is further off. Once the play gets moving, the drone is an afterthought for players and horses. “When they’re running to goal with the wind factor – I don’t think they hear much,” he said. “You’re never really over the top. You’re kind of behind the saddle and further back, so you can get a little lower and get that more dynamic shot.”
For an umpire, keeping up with the play is essential – so too for the drone pilot. For Michael, that was a challenge. “I asked a lot of questions,” he said. Polo commentator and friend Toby Wayman was instrumental in helping him understand the game. “I did a lot of tape review and there’s a lot when you get it wrong – when you cut the wrong way. It’s a lot harder than it looks.”
Now the drone footage that Michael provides is a key component of the game itself. Umpires depend on it for IRO or Instant Replay Official. “My angle gives them something that removes more doubt and gives more clarity in the decision-making process,” Michael said.
Show jumping has made use of drones to give audiences a unique perspective of the horse and rider combinations on the course. Michael has dabbled with drone flying for dressage – initially in a training session the horse was put off by the drone’s shadow, but once that was fixed by flying behind the horse, it worked well. “The trainer was like ‘Oh she [the rider] is actually doing what I’m telling her to do and I can see now,” he said.
Having a drone fall out of the sky mid-chukker is not an option. Memorably, during a Women’s Open game a while back, the drone did just that. The problem was the weather – the game was being played in rain. “It just came out of the air like a meteor,” Michael said. Fortunately no one was hit – and the slightest hint of raindrops now sees drone filming stopped. Battery management is paramount. If the battery drops too low, the drone begins protecting itself, first with warnings and then by attempting to return to base – to Michael on the sidelines. Michael takes no chances being sure to change out the battery after each chukker of the game. It requires a lot of concentration and an element of nerves. “It’s a fun game for those playing,” Michael said. “But for those of us that want to make it look good, it’s a fun job and a cool job – but it’s a job.”
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