Football, tennis, volleyball and basketball. These are all popular sports among high school athletes. Senior Olivia Heatley, however, has discovered her love for a different and more uncommon sport: horse polo.

“I was at Dover Saddlery buying a new helmet and I saw a little flyer that said ‘Try Polo Today,’” Olivia said. “I thought, ‘Why not?’”

Many people might balk at the thought of learning a challenging new sport, but Olivia’s experience with horses made the idea seem less daunting.

“She only started polo a year ago, but she’s been riding pretty much her entire life,” Olivia’s brother, senior Chad Heatley, said.

In horse polo, players are mounted on horses. The goal is to use a wooden mallet to hit the ball into the goal. Sounds like a piece of cake, right?

“Polo is not the easiest sport,” Olivia said. “You’re having to control a horse while swinging a three-foot mallet and trying to hit a ball that’s just barely bigger than a baseball. You’re going about 30 miles per hour while another rider is either trying to hit you off one side or hook your mallet on the other.”

Despite how complicated the sport is, more experienced players make it look effortless.

“It is breathtaking to watch her gallop toward the ball while the other players are chasing her, mallets swinging, with the intent to hit the ball or block a swing,” Olivia’s mother, Angela Heatley, said.

Although Olivia had been riding horses for years, she had to start off with the basics.

“You start out usually standing on a chair and swinging the mallet, graduating to your horse and ball, and then moving on to the arena with other players,” Angela said.

In order to improve as a player, Olivia pours countless hours into practicing and learning about polo.

“Most girls read fashion magazines—she reads POLO Players Edition right when she receives it in the mailbox,” Angela said. “She practices daily with a foot mallet, reads, watches videos and attends matches to watch others so she can improve her skills.”

Because she has to juggle schoolwork and other activities, Olivia cannot devote as much of her time to the sport as she would like to.

“A lot of people who play polo are really, really good because they practice every day and have a lot of horses,” Olivia said. “I can’t practice as much as them, but I work just as hard.”

She also spends a lot of time working with the Southern Methodist University (SMU) women’s team.

“I keep score for the SMU women’s team and practice with them and their coach,” Olivia said. “Over the summer, I take care of their horses. It takes a lot of time.”

Although she plays with a team, she does not consider polo to be solely a team sport.

“I really like how it’s an individual sport and a team sport,” Olivia said. “When you’re playing, you’re working as a team and when you’re practicing, you’re practicing as an individual.”

Her interaction with polo does not stop with the games and practice. The sport is constantly on her mind.

“Her love for the sport is kind of intense,” Chad said. “It’s one of those things that she’s always thinking about, 24/7.”

Olivia is also keeping her future in mind and is planning on continuing polo in college.

“Olivia is very determined to be good enough to join a polo team in college,” Angela said. “She hopes to play on a women’s intercollegiate team, possibly in the ‘Central Women’s Region,’ which consists of SMU, Texas A&M, Colorado State University, Texas Christian University (TCU) and Texas Tech.”

Angela also sees her daughter continuing the sport even after her education.

“It is a sport that she can continue for life,” Angela said. “She has truly found a sport she loves and will continue until she masters the game.”

Olivia cannot imagine her life without her newfound passion.

“I don’t know what I would be doing if I didn’t play polo,” Olivia said. “I mean, it’s the best sport ever. It’s totally changed my life.”