On Monday, September 13, during the last week of competition of the Open de France, a new edition of the ladies competition is due to kick off, the Open de France Féminin, which will see six teams, up to 16 goals (ladies handicap), compete. Coliflow is one of those six teams, and the captain, María Curtchis will be joined by the renowned Venot sisters – Pearl, Lucie and Elena. Moreover, the sisters are the current double title holders – they won the tournament in 2020 with Maison Décalé and with Polo Park Zurich, in 2021. Will there be a hat trick this time?

“There are a lot of competitive teams this year, so will be a big challenge,” Elena Venot told to PoloLine. Rated at 6-goals, Elena is one of the best representatives of ladies polo in France, alongside Caroline Anier. “The most important thing for us is to play with a good strategy and stay concentrated, because we have to face several experienced players. Also, this tournament is a great opportunity to get ready for the season in Argentina. Perhaps this could be the last time we play together, so there is some extra pressure!”

The Venot sisters have been linked to polo since their childhood, and they made their career together. As Elena points out: “We started playing as little girls, always together! And it was love at first sight with horses, a love that remains until this day. In addition to playing polo, we love horse breeding. Our dream is having our own breed, Polo Angels”. 

Which are your positions in the field? 

Well, I play as a back, while Lucie and Pearl focus on offense. We are very much alike, we are very competitive and enthusiastic, although each of us do better under certain circumstances and handle the pressure in a different way.

As mentioned, the Venot sisters currently have two consecutive titles under their belts. In 2021, they played for Polo Park Zurich with Morgan Van Overbroek, the heart and soul of the Swiss club, but also the President of the Swiss Polo Association, the first woman ever to hold such position. In terms of the success of the 2021 team, Elena says: “It was a fantastic moment for the three of us, to win the tournament one more time together, and with Morgan. We have a great relationship with her, she is a very nice person, so we are lucky and happy to know her and the whole Polo Park Zurich team. We continued playing in Argentina and we had a great time.”

But the present focus is Coliflow, their team for the upcoming Open de France Féminin. “We met Maria during a tournament last July, and we developed such a great relationship since the very first match. We immediately spoke about the possibility of playing together in a team, so here we are!”

How do you see ladies polo in France, as well as around the world?

Ladies polo is constantly and steadily growing, and the remarkable development of ladies polo in France makes us very proud. Today, girls are able to play tournaments all over the world, and is great to see more and more ladies coming to the sport. Ladies polo is much more competitive, quicker, with better horses on the field. Undoubtedly, ladies polo has a great future ahead and I am very happy to be a part of this evolution.

Even thought the Open de France Féminin is around the corner, the Venot sisters are already looking to the future, and planning Argentina. “We will board the plane to Argentina on October 6, in order to achieve our dream: to play the season together,” says an enthusiastic Elena. “We are due to play the Ladies Open with Luisa del Carril. It will be an unforgettable experience. I am very much looking forward to it.”