by Jordan Brewer ´10
Throughout the past few years, I have had the privilege and opportunity to travel around the globe as a young man. When I travel, I like to consider immersion into the national sport as a vital element of my journey. The national sport of a country often tells you alot about the culture of the people. In many countries, a sport like soccer is a passionate part of life that is shared by the majority.
When you look at sport in Argentina, you would naturally assume that the national sport is soccer, or ´´fútbol``, because of stars such as Lionel Messi or Diego Maradona (hand of god). But, its not soccer. It`s Pato.
´´El Pato`` (the duck), is like a hybrid between polo and basketball. Originally, a player would ride on a horse with the objective to bring a basket that would contain a duck back to his ´´casco`` (ranch house). The basket was placed between two ´´estancias`` (ranches), and the first team to bring the duck back to their ´´casco`` would win.
Although Pato has been played in Argentina since 1610, it has not always been the national sport of the people. The game was banned multiple times due to the violent nature of the players. ´´Los jugadores`` (the players) were brutal to one another and would often engage in knife fights during the match. Accordingly, the game was banned throughout the 19th century by the Argentine government and frowned upon by the Catholic church.
In the 1930`s, Pato was brought back as a tolerable sport by a ranch owner named Alberto del Castillo Posse. Castillo Posse changed the game by setting a new set of rules (polo based), and by adding three new elements to a match. Two 8ft poles with 3ft diameters set at opposite ends of the field, a leather ball with 6 handles (
A brief look at Pato in action with some basic information on the game (above).
Pato seems like a special game on its own, but the ´´guachos`` are what truly make the game fantastic. When we went to ´´el campo`` (countryside) and to the Guacho Presentation at Colegio Inmaculada, it was apparent to me that after hundreds of years these people have acquired fantastic skill sets to accommodate their life styles.
During our trip to ´´el campo``, the guachos stood in a large ring like area with ten or so cows running around them. They were extremely proficient with their lassos and made it look easy (I`m sure the truth is quite the contrary).
I think every country needs a national sport, however popular or un-popular it might be. At the end of the day, the traditional Spanish roots of Pato should be something that every Argentinian should be proud of and cherish as their own.
The six-handled leather modern Pato ball (above).
by Jordan Brewer ´10
