Sunset "Sunny" Hale (December 30, 1968, Carmel, California – February 26, 2017, Norman, Oklahoma) was a professional polo player and one of the few women to play on pro teams consisting almost entirely of men.[1]

In 2000, she was on the winning team in the U.S. Open Polo Championship, becoming the first woman to do so.[1] At the time of the 2000 championship, she outranked 96 percent of players in the world, including men.[2]

Described as "the most famous female polo player in the world", Sunny was active in developing women's polo.

Sunny's mother, Sue Sally Hale, competed as a polo player in the 1950s and '60s disguised as a man and is credited with breaking the gender barrier in the sport.

Sunny Hale was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2012.[3]

Death

Sunny Hale died at age 48 from complications from breast cancer on February 26, 2017.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 Fabrikant, Geraldine (December 10, 2013). "On Horseback, Mallet in Hand, Breaking Barriers for Women". New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  2. ↑ Howley, Elaine. "Sunny Hale Rules the Game of Queens". espnW. ESPN. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  3. ↑ Braschayko, Karen. "Dream Jobs: Professional Polo Player Sunny Hale". Equitrekking. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Sunny Hale, top-ranked polo player of peerless style and audacious speed, dies at 48". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 2, 2017.


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