Polo classic tribute to honor 9/11 victims

AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. - A tribute to the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, will cap off the opening ceremony at the seventh annual Cobra Polo Classic held this Sunday at the Spokane Polo Club, across from the Longhorn Barbecue.

Just prior to the polo match beginning, more than 1,100 spectators will watch a riderless horse ceremony in acknowledgement of the victims of 9/11. A pair of boots will be placed in the saddle's stirrups, facing backward, in an honor that according to Army tradition is reserved for "high-ranking fallen warriors."

The polo classic will benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Spokane.

Fire trucks, police cars, EMT vehicles and their first responder representatives will be on the polo field during the national anthem and riderless horse ceremony.

Abbey Silveria, 17, a cancer survivor and former Ronald McDonald House Charities guest, will sing the national anthem as a polo player circles the first responders at a brisk gallop carrying a large United States flag.

The flag will be presented to a fireman right before the riderless horse ceremony.

The event is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m., with the opening ceremonies at 12:45, the 9/11 tribute and national anthem at 1:55, and the polo match beginning at 2:25.

Tickets are $200 each, and can be purchased by calling (509) 624-0500.