Groom My Ride
Metadata
- Groom My Ride
- February 7, 2020
- In 1994, Lezlie Hiner started 'Work to Ride,' a program for urban youth from low-income families or challenging environments. The program provides young people with a fun and challenging environment for gaining life skills and confidence. Reporter/Camera/Editor/: June Soh
- Category Connect sports
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script ((INNER CITY POLO)) ((Banner: More than a Game)) ((Reporter/Camera: June Soh)) ((Map: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)) ((Main characters: 2 females ((Sub characters: 1 female)) ((NATS)) ((Marisol Jimenez, Member, Work to Ride)) I didn’t start it off knowing what polo was or thinking that I will be playing it. So, just being able to play it’s changed my life. My name is Marisol Jimenez. I am 14 years old. And I joined Work to Ride when I was seven. ((Carmen Pagan, Marisol’s Mother)) What child from the inner city youth has the opportunity to play polo. That's unheard of. It's is a big thing for her to be able to ride horses and play polo. Polo is a rich man’s sport. ((Carmen Pagan, Marisol’s Mother)) When Marisol was a year old, I went to prison for selling drugs. I was incarcerated for five years. And then upon my release, I wanted something different for myself and I wanted something different for my children. So I found the Work to Ride program. ((NAT)) ((Lezlie Hiner, Founder, Work to Ride)) Drop the shoulder just a little bit more, Mo. ((Lezlie Hiner, Founder, Work to Ride)) The Work to Ride program basically started with an idea that I had about using horses and youth combining those two to make a difference in the lives of children. Our facility, Chamonix Equestrian Center, is located in Philadelphia. And it is bordered on two of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods here in Philadelphia. One is North Philadelphia and one is West Philadelphia. We have children that come from those neighborhoods. ((Marisol Jimenez, Member, Work to Ride)) Being in the program has kept me away from a lot of stuff like getting involved in drugs and gang related things that usually happen in the street. When I come to the barn, I’m always very happy. I’m usually excited, usually ready to ride. ((NAT)) ((Lezlie Hiner, Founder, Work to Ride)) The horses that we use in the program are donated. The kids in the Work to Ride program are primarily responsible for taking care of horses. On any given day, they're responsible for chores, cleaning up the stables, taking care of any medical needs that any of the horses may have. It’s a big responsibility. ((Marisol Jimenez, Member, Work to Ride)) It is a lot of work to do. But all the work like is contributing to the one important thing is taking care of the horse. And if take care of the horse, then we're able to ride. And it all leads up to playing and games and just good management. ((NAT)) ((Marisol Jimenez, Member, Work to Ride)) I feel like I've built an individual bond with each and every horse we have at our barn. ((NAT)) ((Marisol Jimenez, Member, Work to Ride)) Being at the barn is very like homey. It's very comfortable and I feel safe. We all treat each other like brothers and sisters. ((NAT)) We don’t need that. We don’t need it now. No, you will see that. You want to bringing your mallets? ((NAT)) ((Marisol Jimenez, Member, Work to Ride We came down to Virginia to have a game with the team. And we’re going against Battlefield today and trying to have some fun. ((NAT)) ((Lezlie Hiner, Founder, Work to Ride)) Yash, you are going to ride Ashley. Mo, you are going to ride Phantom. Mari, you are going to ride Midnight. Yash, you have the slowest. I do? You do. ((Marisol Jimenez, Member, Work to Ride I like to travel because there is more people to meet and maybe better places to play. And it is a lot of fun. ((Lezlie Hiner, Founder, Work to Ride)) We travel to a lot of different places. We will travel the whole northeast of the United States from top to bottom pretty much playing at different clubs and different teams. Traveling to play polo cost a heck of lot of money. Yes, so, we do a lot of fundraising. And if we can afford to go, we’ll go. If we can’t afford to go, then we won’t. ((NAT)) Mo, Didn’t I tell one of you guys to go to goal? ((NAT)) ((Lezlie Hiner, Founder, Work to Ride)) It’s not always about winning, but today they won by five or six goals. ((Marisol Jimenez, Member, Work to Ride)) I am really happy that we won our game today. ((NAT)) ((Lezlie Hiner, Founder, Work to Ride)) This picture is the photograph that was taken when the boys won the national championship, polo championship in Charlottesville, Virginia in 201. They were the first African American team to do so in the history of the United States. Very proud of them, made national history. ((NAT)) ((Lezlie Hiner, Founder, Work to Ride)) Our main focus is to get kids through high school and possibly into college. So, polo, we use as a vehicle obviously to have kids' kind of stay on track, do well in school, get good grades, develop responsibility, and build self-esteem. ((NAT)) ((Marisol Jimenez, Member, Work to Ride)) This program has made me a better person overall. I feel like I've learned more teamwork and also learned more responsibility. ((NAT)) ((Marisol Jimenez, Member, Work to Ride)) My goal with Polo, I want to be a professional, but I don't know where it's going to go at this point. I know I can get better. I can improve because there’s coaches, there’s people here that help me. I am not sure how far I can go, but I just want to keep going, keep moving forward.
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Topic Tags horses, Horseback Riding
- Network VOA
- Expiration Date March 8, 2020 15:46 EDT
- Embargo Date December 13, 2021 14:26 EST
- Byline June Soh
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English