Hardcourt Bike Polo
Urban Cycle Polo is a variation of standard Cycle polo where two teams ride bicycles and use mallets to score goals with a small ball. Urban cycle polo does not have as many rules as its predecessor and can be played in a variety of locations common to urban landscapes.
The Game
Game play has more in common with hockey but since the players sit on top of a moving object, use mallets and only one hand, the word bike polo is more descriptive. Two teams with between 2 and 5 players per team play in an enclosed rectangular area. Cones are placed at each long end of the rectangle and the ball is placed in the middle of the court. The most common ball type is a plastic Street hockey ball. Each team waits behind their own goal and following a countdown, they charge the ball. Typically there is a charger, a defender and supporting forwards.
A goal is scored when the opposing team hits the ball into the other team's goal with the short end of the mallet, also known as the head. If the shooter uses the long end of the mallet, also known as the shaft, the goal does not count and play continues. This is called a shuffle.
If a player's foot touches the ground at any time during the game they muct undertake some form of remedial penalty either riding in a circle or tapping out. Tapping out involves riding to a designated point on the court and touching the mallet to it before returning to play.
The game is over when one team scores three to five goals (different cities play to different rules). Some games with exceptionally good players will last to 5 points. Some cities also impose a time limit which is informally invoked by spectators when gameplay draws on.
Midwest Variation
In some Midwestern U.S. cities, a size 0 soccer ball (about 6" in diameter) is used, which speeds up play considerably since the ball is easier to stick-handle at higher speeds, ice hockey style. Midwest players thus prefer mallets that are not perpendicular, with angles as steep as hockey sticks in some cases. Their rules are the same, except that the rule forbidding "shuffled" shots on goal does not apply. Midwest players use the same rules on concrete ("hardcourt") and grass.
Mallets
Urban cycle polo players use handmade mallets in the spirit of the DIY ethic, as opposed to traditional polo mallets. Typical mallets are constructed using high density gas pipe for the head, and either a wooden dowel, ski pole or golf club for the shaft. PVC pipe is less commonly used as it can shatter on impact with the ground or the ball.
Popularity
Urban Cycle Polo has roots in Portland, Oregon, USA. It is also popular in New York City, where the first East Side Polo Invitational was held in April of 2007.
References
- New York Times. Their Kingdom for a Bike: It’s Polo on Two Wheels. April 27th, 2007. Sports section.
- Front page article on NYC urban bike polo. Tucker, B. 2007. The Bloody Polo Club. Our Town. Downtown, April 16th 2007 p. 10-11
- Mentions the difference between urban cycle polo and standard cycle polo. Ellenberg, C. 2007. Athletic Guinea Pig. Bike Polo. Jane Magazine, April 2007 p. 76
- Mess Magazine. Polo Portland Style. April 2007.
- Video of Urban Cycle Polo being played with a specially constructed camera in the shaft of a mallet.[1]
- Urban bike polo groups on myspace.[2]
- Independent Weekly Bike polo: Not for the thin-skinned. August 23, 2006.