RIDERS WE LOVE
LIVING THE SWEET LIFE
Who is Sugar Erskine ?
For some , the ‘ American Dream ’ means opportunity and prosperity . For Stuart ‘ Sugar ’ Erskine it meant he got to play polo every day of his life . When the necessary evil of school had passed , he journeyed west and has never looked back . By Roger Westbrook
he small town of Fawn Leas just outside Wartburg , from where he hails , is a far cry from the Lone Star State of Texas , USA that Stuart ‘ Sugar ’ Erskine now calls home . At the tender age of just 12 , Stuart had an encounter with famed 10-goaler , ‘ Smokin ’ Joe ’ Henderson , who told of a land of brave and free that played polo every day and all year round . It seemed too good to be true . South Africa ’ s May to September – weekends only – were not enough for the young Maritzburg College boy and he , like so many others in history , was sold on that proverbial American dream .
It wasn ’ t always to be polo , however . The sport in South Africa , while popular in its own right , does not enjoy the exposure it earns in North and , more so , South America . Stuart , like many other boys , was going to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a sugarcane farmer . Not all would have been lost ; what better marketing ploy for the sugarcane industry than a farmer called ‘ Sugar ’? But it wasn ’ t to be and the name in fact has nothing to do with the sweet perennial grass . When asked of the nickname ’ s origin , Stuart claims , ‘ I used to mumble “ Stuart ” and the Sugar kind of evolved from that , but the more I think about it , the more I think Cris Zimmerman just thought I was sweet .
‘ I left high school and two days later I was on a plane to an Argentinian farm where I would start work on my way to the USA . Cris was an Argentine working on that farm , and he played a key role in my polo journey .’
Above : Stuart beats a ride-off at the Ylvisaker Memorial Cup against Gateway Merchants . Below : Stuart with his wife Brigitte and sons , Ashe and Caiden .
Polo has been in the Erskine family for generations and Stuart expects it will be in time to come . His earliest memory of the sport has him sitting in the back seat of the car chewing on his dad ’ s helmet strap . He remembers plenty of excitement – possibly tension – and some very salty leather . His great grandfather played and his father , Andrew , and uncle , Stephan , represented Noodsberg , Mooi River and Karkloof through four decades , claiming the South African Open Championship no less than eight times . And now , across the Atlantic , Stuart ’ s sons Caiden ( 11 ) and Ashe ( 7 ) are getting involved . Like any open-minded father , he will allow them to make their own decisions on their future in the sport and will no doubt support them either way . He says , ‘ They are just starting but it ’ s up to them . Golf clubs and soccer boots don ’ t eat oats .’
For Stuart it ’ s polo for life . He started playing at just nine and it has now been a little more than 30 years in the saddle , having represented Noodsberg , Isla Carroll , Coca-Cola and Indios Chappalafue . He has also represented Audi and Grant ’ s Farm for whom in respective years he claimed the silverware at the prestigious Pacific Coast Open . He believes he will continue to play the sport until he drops . Until that fateful day , Stuart is fortunate enough to have the support of his wife , Brigitte , who is also from a polo playing family and understands the love for the sport and the ponies as well as the lifestyle that comes with it . The hours , the travelling and the time away from the family .
Brigitte went to Girls High School right across the road from Maritzburg College . In a twist of fate , the two met in Florida years later and the rest is history . While Brigitte has her hands full with the two »
BMW INTERNATIONAL POLO 53