NY State Assemblyman Greg Ball’s Email Sent to Thousands

For those who are unaware, about my background, I founded, created, built, organized, managed and invented Courage Cup. I did this with the help of Charles Muldoon, the Muldoon Family and Tareq Salahi. I ran the event (from soup to nuts), from scratch, with little volunteer support, for the fledgling years of the event. By the second year we had over 1000 attendees. In 2005, I headed back to New York to attend to business. Being that I knew that I would be immersed in business and a political campaign, I was faced with either letting Courage Cup lapse for one year, or find someone I could trust, who was also capable, to oversee the event for one year.

I, as Founder and President, asked Keri Meslar to oversee the Courage Cup for the summer of 2006. I asked Ms. Meslar to do whatever it took to make Courage Cup a success and laid it out quite clearly that I intended to remain active and be in control of the board in 2006 and beyond. Being that we were dating and she was living in DC and was building a strong network of contacts, she was an obvious choice. We had several discussions, one in particular in NYC in the presence of a well respected member of the NY-CT polo community, where Keri agreed to oversee the event for one year. I repeat, one year.

The 2006 Courage Cup was a success in many ways, and the folks who ran the event are to be applauded; Ms. Meslar included. Unfortunately, what transpired since is not laudable.

Out of personal spite, Ms. Meslar has taken my absence as an opportunity to take out a personal vengeance against me. She has created a new board, created a 501 c-3 in Virginia, and ousted me from the board ~ albeit, in my opinion, incorrectly and possibly illegally. She, and conspiring members of her team, have hijakced my logo, my branding, my event, and done so without my permission. Now, in my opinion, it seems that Andrea Rodgers has followed suit and is carrying out Ms. Meslar’s seemingly duplicitous handy work.

Although I have no need to, I have extended my hand (an offer of cooperation beyond what is expected) no less than 5 times over the past months, asking for an immediate meeting to resolve this charade amicably and properly. My requests have been denied. I make this request one more time. Ms Rodgers, please contact my immediate counsel, Phil Marin, at 845 228 0477 to schedule a sit down meeting.

If my name, my event, my branding, my logo, and my image continues to be used and manipulated without regard to my initiative and my status as founder and president, I will begin contacting sponsors, polo fields, board members (past and present) and those past attendees on record (over 1800 in all), if need be, to explain the current situation. I do believe that there is an issue of personal liability and action that must be taken here if my name continued to be manipulated as the result of a branding and event hijacking, and any sponsors or charities or invitees would necessarily need to be informed. I am also certain that we can work this through, and I want nothing out of this but fairness.

I will not allow someone, with a personal axe to grind, to play games and steal my event as I sit idly by. I am here to consider the ideas of the members of the current board, although illegitimately created and fashioned. There may be a possibility to resolve this, but it cannot be done if Meslar and Rodgers continue to take indecent actions.

The key in all of this is to ensure that Work to Ride profits from Courage Cup in 2007 as the charity- clashes of ego must be avoided. I will work tirelessly to see that goal is achieved.

Greg Ball

** Below you will find an email sent from Keri to me, illustrating quite clearly that she had no clue about my organization, board or event before I asked her to oversee the event for 2006. Indeed, she had NEVER been on a polo field until my 2005 Courage Cup, where we actually met. Her attempt to steal my event, and hand it off to other newfound friends, is improper, and I will not allow this to go unnoticed or unchallenged.

 This was sent to thousand in January 2007

From: Greg Ball [mailto:gball@ball4ny.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 3:47 PM
To: couragecup@yahoo.com
Cc: TareqOasis@aol.com; philipmarin@comcast.net; ‘Carla Marin’
Subject: Courage Cup ** ADVISORY **

**NOTICE: WARNING**

Fellow Polo Enthusiast,

As many of you know, my name is Greg Ball, and I am the founder and Chairman of the Courage Cup.

We (Tareq Salahi, Charles Muldoon, Greg Ball, the other members of the Courage Cup board) will once again be hosting the Courage Cup in 2007. I want you to know that a separate group is suggesting that they are hosting “Courage Cup” and I ask you to please take note that they are doing so without our authorization. Please refrain from entangling alliances with them.

As you probably know, I formed, created and led this event from concept, to actualization and beyond. Everything about Courage Cup; the logo, the name, the mission, the charity, the event itself, the concept, the idea, the website name and format, the initial and current marketing, strategy and rollout of Courage Cup is entirely and inherently a byproduct of my leadership, my creativity, my hard work, and my tenacity. As an amateur polo player, I came to know the Work to Ride program in Philadelphia, and made that charity the benefactor of the Courage Cup in D.C.. I founded Courage Cup in 2004 as a worthy event to raise funds for these inner city kids and the Work to Ride program. With the help of my board, “the Cup” grew into a successful event.

In 2006, I appointed an individual as Event Chairwoman to oversee and manage the event as my direct representative and steward. Being in the middle of a political campaign, I appointed this individual as my trusted representative and gave her full authority to do whatever it took to make the event a great success while simultaneously safeguarding my interests. Unfortunately this individual soon after the 2006 Courage Cup, evidently took immediate steps to hijack my event, my name and my intellectual property and created a new board without my approval, input, direction or, in most cases, knowledge. I am just now becoming aware of these actions.

The actual and current board of Courage Cup, which still exists under my leadership, is looking to work with this outlier group for an immediate resolution. For polo fields, society magazines, members of the media, polo players and other affected parties, I ask for your immediate attention and diligence on this matter. Please report back if you are contacted by any organization purporting to be “Courage Cup”. In the meantime, I ask you to take precautions to safeguard my identity and my intellectual property while readying for the actual event (Courage Cup 2007). We look forward to another great event!

For spectators and other parties, if anyone contacts you regarding “Courage Cup”, please verify who you are speaking with, take down their complete information and contact me directly and immediately.

Very Respectfully;

Gregory Robert Ball

(917) 681-9302