Hardcourt Bike Polo
Hardcourt Bike Polo is a variation of traditional Bicycle Polo in which teams of players ride bicycles and use mallets to strike a small ball into a goal. It may also be referred to as "Hardcourt", "Urban Bike Polo" or simply "Bike Polo".
The game
Typically, two teams of three players play in an enclosed rectangular area (ex. parking lot, tennis courts, or roller hockey rink). Goals are placed at each long end of the rectangle.
At the beginning of the game, the ball is placed in the middle of the court the players wait behind their own goals. Following a countdown, both teams charge the ball in what is termed the "joust".
A player may hit the ball in two ways: a "shot" or a "shuffle". A shot is made with either end of the mallet head whereas a shuffle is made with the side. In order to score a goal, a player must hit the ball into the opposing team's goal with a shot; if the player uses a shuffle, the goal does not count and play continues.
Following a goal, the scoring team returns to their own half of the court. After the scoring team returns to their half, the scored-on team may cross the half line and resume play.
The game continues until a team reaches either a limit of five goals or a predetermined length of time, usually 12 or 15 minutes.
A player who "dabs", (touches a horizontal surface with their foot), must undertake some form of remedial penalty before making contact with the ball again. This usually involves "tapping out" (riding to a designated point on the court and touching it with the mallet). It is also common to have to say "foot down" or "dab" to let other players know you are out of play, but not required. You should avoid affecting play of the game at all cost after a foot down occurs.
The amount of contact in a particular game may vary but is generally restricted to "mallet to mallet", "body to body".
As a decentralized and organically growing game, the rules and styles of Hardcourt Bike Polo may vary substantially from city to city. The North American Bike Polo Association has created an official set of rules for North America, which has been influential to standardizing rules world-wide.
Since 2009, various governing bodies have been created within the polo community for the purposes of advancing the sport and creating rule sets. The North American Hardcourt Bike Polo Association (NAHBPA) and European Hardcourt (EHBP) are the prime organizations, but there are others such as the Australasian Hardcourt (AHBP) and South American Hardcourt (SAHBP) organizations coming up as Bike polo spreads to other continents and countries all over the world.
Tournament Format
There are currently two types of tournament formats in harcourt bike polo: 3v3 and bench.
3v3 is the more traditional format of hardcourt bike polo, where 2 teams of 3 players play against each other.
An alternate format is bench format, where 2 teams of anywhere from 5-8 players play against each other. In bench format, there are still 3 players on each team on the court at one time, but there is a bench of players that can be substituted throughout the game. Bench format games tend to be longer in duration, typically 30-60 minutes. There is usually a team captain in charge of substitutions, who may or may not be a player.
Equipment
Rather than use traditional wooden polo mallets, Hardcourt Bike Polo players started making handmade mallets in the spirit of the DIY ethic. Since then, a number of companies have appeared, which are producing more distinct equipment, specifically for bike polo. Typical mallets are constructed using heads made from UHMW, and aluminium shafts similar to ski poles.
The ball used in bike polo is typically made from PVC and is identical to a Street Hockey ball. In 2012, the company, Fixcraft, team up with D-Gel, makers of hockey products, to produce the first official bike polo ball.
Some players make wheel covers out of corrugated plastic, polycarbonate, plastic netting, or even thick fabrics to protect spokes and create solid blocking surfaces. Many of these covers are painted with elaborate designs to help identify riders or their city's club.
Low gear ratio single-speed bikes have advantages for quick acceleration and control on a small court. Although any bike is acceptable for the game, eventually most players customize their bikes especially for bike polo and their playing needs. Most riders prefer a short wheelbase for tight turning and a smaller "5-hole" as well as a medium to long stem for better turning. Front brake or dual brake setups are the most popular.
Courts
Players commonly play on courts such as tennis courts, street hockey rinks, basketball courts, or football courts. These are often customized using boards to keep the ball from rolling out of the court or getting stuck in the corners. The NAH currently mandates goals be 3 ft x 6 ft and must be placed no closer than 6 ft from the backboard. Court size does vary, but for a court to be used in an official NAH event it must be no larger than 155 ft x 80 ft (47.25m x 25m) and no smaller than 120 ft x 60 ft (37m x 18m), and have 4 ft high solid boards.
Polo Specific Courts
Some cities have worked with their local Polo club and have built facilities specifically for polo or suited for multi-use activities like Polo. Some courts like New York City's "The Pit" are repurposed spaces, while other courts like East Vancouver's court in Grandview Park, are specifically designed to meet the needs of the sport.
History
Modern Hardcourt Bike Polo has roots in early 2000s Seattle[1][2] Originally started by messengers who had downtime in between deliveries, the game developed in Seattle and some of the earlier rules were founded (3 on 3, scoring with the end of the mallet). As people moved and traveled the game branched out. and is currently played in over 30 countries and 300 cities.[3]
Tournaments
Since 2004, cities across North America have thrown inter-city tournaments such as the East-, West-, and Northside Polo Invites.
The first annual North American and European Hardcourt Bicycle Polo championships were both held in August 2009. The European tournament drew over 40 teams from Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Germany and was won by L'Equipe, a team from Geneva. The North American tournament featured 36 teams from Seattle, Vancouver BC, Milwaukee, Chicago, New York, Ottawa, Portland, Washington DC, and elsewhere and was won by Team Smile from Seattle. First prize for each tournament were tickets to the 2009 World Championships.
The first ever world championships where held in Toronto in 2008 as part of the Cycle Messenger World Championships. There were representatives from Europe, however, hardcourt polo was still relatively new and the European teams elected not to play in the elimination bracket after seeing the level of play from the North American teams. Heat Lightning (Doug Dalrymple, Paul Rauen, and Zach Blackburn) became the first ever world champions, using a high energy "die by the sword" playing strategy. The following year, 2009, featured teams from the US, Canada, England, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. The winners were the current North American Champions, Team Smile, who defeated the team from East Vancouver in a repeat of the North American final.
National championships are held in countries around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and Germany.
World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships
| Year | Host | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Third Place | Fourth Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Toronto (CAN) |
Heat Lightning (USA) |
Balls Deep (CAN) |
Hunter Brothers + Kev (USA) |
||
| 2009 | Philadelphia (USA) |
Team Smile (USA) |
Balls Deep (CAN) |
Faceless Emotion (USA) |
Wisconsin A (USA) | |
| 2010 | Berlin (DEU) |
Beaver Boys (USA) |
5-1 [4] | Machine Politics (USA) |
L’Equipe (CHE) |
Toros (DEU) |
| 2011 | Seattle (USA) |
Crazy Canucks (CAN) |
5-4 [5] | Call Me Daddy (FRA) |
Guardians (USA) |
Iron Ponies (CHE) |
| 2012 | Geneva (CHE) |
Call Me Daddy (FRA) |
3-2 [6] | Guardians (USA) |
Clobber Politics (USA/CAN) |
Dead Rappers (GBR) |
| 2013 [7] | Weston, FL |
Beavers (USA) |
5-1 | Call Me Daddy (FRA) |
The Assassins (USA) |
Edisons (FRA,DEU) |
| 2014 [8] | Montpellier (FRA) |
Call Me Daddy (FRA/GBR) |
5-3 | Beavers (USA) |
Outlawz (CHE/HUN) |
The Control (USA) |
| 2016[9] | Timaru (NZL) |
Outlawz Birds (FRA/HUN) |
5-4 | Call Me Daddy (FRA/GBR) |
The Control (USA) |
Temoilesnichons (FRA) |
| 2017 | Lexington, Kentucky (USA) |
TBD | ||||
North American Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships
| Year | Host | Winners | Runners-up | Third Place | Fourth Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Chicago, IL USA |
That's What She Said(Ottawa) |
Philadelphia |
East Vancouver |
Madison |
| 2009 | Seattle, WA USA |
Team Smile (Seattle) |
Balls Deep (Vancouver) |
Beaver Boys (Milwaukee) |
DD Booster Club (New York) |
| 2010 | Madison, WI USA |
The Odds (Richmond/Philadelphia/New York) |
Team Smile (Seattle) |
East Van (Vancouver) |
Super Polonics (Seattle) |
| 2011 | Calgary CAN |
The Guardians[10] (Seattle) |
Clobber Politics (Chicago/Ottawa) |
The Crazy Canucks (Vancouver) |
The Outsiders (Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver) |
| 2012 | Milwaukee, WI USA |
Beaver Boys (Milwaukee) |
The Guardians (Seattle) |
The Means (Richmond/Ottawa/New York) |
Portland United (Portland) |
| 2013[11] | Roseville, MN USA |
Beavers (San Francisco) |
The Guardians (Seattle) |
The Assassins (Seattle) |
Portland United (Portland) |
| 2014[12] | Roseville, MN USA |
Beavers (San Francisco, Milwaukee) |
Portland United (Portland) |
The Guardians (Seattle) |
The Ringers (Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco) |
| 2015[13] | Lexington, KY USA |
Monster Truck (Portland, London) |
The Guardians (Seattle) |
Prospectors (Portland) |
The Control (San Francisco) |
| 2016 | Folsom, CA USA |
The Control (San Francisco) |
Albatross (Seattle) |
Wood Rats |
Prospectors (Portland) |
| 2017 | Frederick, MD USA |
The Control (SF) |
Bob Ross (SEA) |
Crunchy (POR/HOU) |
Mosquito (SKS) |
North American Club Bench Championships
| Year | Host | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014[14] | Lexington, KY USA |
Portland | 13-5 | Milwaukee | Lexington, Boston |
| 2015[15] | Guadalajara Mexico |
Guadalajara | 8-5 | Kauyunamari | Guadalajara B de buenos |
European Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships
| Year | Host | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Third Place | Fourth Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | London Great Britain |
L'Equipe (Geneva) |
5-3 | Malice International (London) |
Toros (Munich) |
Discordia (Paris/London) |
| 2010 | Geneva Switzerland |
L'Equipe (Geneva) |
5-4 | Cosmic (London) |
El Club (Barcelona) |
Rotten Apples (London) |
| 2011 [16] | Barcelona Spain |
L'Equipe (Geneva) |
5-2 | Polosynthese (Germany) |
Hooks (Rouen) |
El Club (Barcelona) |
| 2012 | Paris France |
Call me Daddy (Paris/Toulouse) |
Edisons (Frankfurt/Munich) |
Hooks (Rouen) |
L'Equipe (Geneva) | |
| 2013 [17] | Kraków Poland |
Call me Daddy (Paris/Toulouse) |
2-5, 5-3 | Edisons (Frankfurt/Geneva) |
Spring Break (London) |
Lhooks (Rouen/Geneva) |
| 2014 [18] | Padova Italy |
Call me Daddy (Paris/Cambridge) |
4-5, 5-3 | Edisons (Frankfurt/Munich) |
True Danger (Paris/Lyon) |
Sophie (Basel/Bern) |
| 2015[19] | Zaragoza Spain |
Call me Daddy (Paris/Cambridge) |
3-5, 2-5 | Octopussy (Frankfurt/Nurnberg) |
Megadirve (Geneva) |
Temoilesnichons (Annecy/Lyon) |
Australasian Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships
| Year | Host | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Third Place | Fourth Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Melbourne | Meat & Two Veg (Melbourne) |
Scheisse Katze (Melbourne/Germany) |
Bush League Bushrangers (Melbourne/Toronto) |
Jailbreakers (Castlemaine) | |
| 2010 | Brisbane | Johnny Crash (Melbourne) |
The Screaming Baguettes (Sydney/Paris) |
German Bells (Brisbane) |
That's What She Said (Adelaide) | |
| 2011 | Adelaide | Storm Boys (Perth/Sydney/Melbourne) |
That's What She Said (Adelaide) |
L.S.V. (Sydney) |
Neil La Robolution (Adelaide/Melbourne) | |
| 2012 | Perth | NASFWG (Perth) |
1-5, 1-5 | Triple Dutch Rudder (Brisbane) |
Dog Soccer (Sydney) |
L.S.V. (Sydney) |
| 2013 | Timaru | NASFWG (Perth) |
Melbourne Anchor (Melbourne) |
Triple Dutch Rudder (Brisbane) |
C4 (Christchurch) | |
| 2014[20] | Sydney | The Fist (Melbourne/Seattle) |
5-2 | Alchemists (Perth) |
The Sentinels (Brisbane) |
C4 Christchurch (Christchurch) |
Asia Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships
| Year | Host | Winners | Runners-up | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Kaohsiung, Taiwan | Yattarus (JPN) |
Country Boy  (TWN)/(Bangkok) |
Homamon (JPN) |
| 2016 | Kaohsiung, Taiwan | UZUUZU (JPN) |
Country Boy (TWN)/(Bangkok) |
262 (TWN) |
Latin American Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships
| Year | Host | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Third Place | Fourth Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Santiago de Chile | Monopolientos (Santiago) |
Underdogs (São Paulo) |
Hágame Famoso (Bogotá) |
Viveza Criolla (Quito) | |
| 2012 | Buenos Aires | Underdogs (São Paulo) |
Monopolientos (Santiago) |
Jinetes del Apocalipsis (Buenos Aires) |
Viveza Criolla (Quito) | |
| 2013 | São Paulo | Mala Pata (Santiago) |
Untitled (Buenos Aires) |
Hágame Famoso (Bogotá) |
Underdogs (São Paulo) | |
| 2014 | Bogota | RompeBolas (Mexico City/San Luis Potosí) |
5-3, 4-0 | UnderDogs (São Paulo) |
Vandalos (Mexico City) |
Hermanos Korioto (Mexico City) |
| 2015 | Quito | Las Viudas del Loco (Buenos Aires/Santiago) |
2-1, 4-1 | Dios los Cría (Rosario/Buenos Aires) |
Korioto (Guadalajara/Portland, OR) |
Tres Gallos (San Juan, PR) |
| 2016 | Rosario | Mucho Niño (Guadalajara / Houston) |
5 - 3 | Super Polo Team ( DF / Houston) |
Pulp Fiction (Santiago) |
Guacamaya (Bogotá) |
Ladies Army
| Year | Host | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Third Place | Fourth Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009[21] | Vancouver |
Bushwackers (Vancouver) |
In my back pocket (Ottawa) |
Vagic Moments (Vancouver) |
Killer Ladybugs (Victoria) | |
| 2010[22] | New York City |
Delta Force (Philadelphia/Toronto/Portland) |
Beer, Bacon & Babes (Seattle/Minneapolis) |
|||
| 2011[23] | Austin |
Cunning Stunts (Toronto/Milwaukee/Seattle) |
The C.L.A.P. (Seattle/Vancouver) |
|||
| 2012[24] | Lexington |
Cunning Stunts (Toronto/Milwaukee/Seattle) |
3-1 | Bear Hugs (Toronto/Geneva/Vancouver) |
Hot Links (Lexington/Athens) |
Tornadoes (London) |
| 2013[25] | Vancouver |
Valkyries (Vancouver/Cincinnati/Geneva) |
Hot Honey Biscuits (Seattle/Mobile/Athens) |
Great White North (Ottawa/Toronto) |
Cobble Polotics (London/Lexington/Seattle) | |
| 2014[26] | Toronto |
Cunning Stunts (Toronto) |
5-4, 4-3 | Hot Honey Biscuits (Seattle/Mobile/Athens) |
Valkyries (Vancouver/Lexington/Geneva) |
The Cuntrol (Vancouver/San Francisco/Oakland) |
| 2015[27] | San Francisco |
Valkyries(Lexington/Genf/Vancouver) |
1-0 | Hot Honey Biscuits (Seattle/San Francisco/Salt Lake City) |
Shit Twins (Madison/Raleigh) |
Ruckus (Frankfurt/Strasbourg/Seattle) |
| 2016 | Guadalajara |
Peligrosa |
2-1 | Ruckus |
Dropbears |
Feliz Accidentitas |
| 2017 | Grand Rapids |
TBD |
See also
- Cycle polo
- List of bicycle polo companies
- List of bicycle polo courts
References
- ↑ "History of Hardcourt forum discussion". Leagueofbikepolo.com. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ↑ Messenger, Matt. "History". 321polo.net. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ↑ "Map of Hardcourt Bike Polo clubs around the world". Leagueofbikepolo.com. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ↑ "Video: Beaver Boys vs Machine Politics". Brooks. Retrieved 7 Aug 2010.
Final Game at WHBPC 2010
- ↑ "Video: Crazy Canucks vs Call Me Daddy". Vimeo. Retrieved 11 Sep 2011.
Final Game at WHBPC 2011
- ↑ "Video: Call Me Daddy vs Guardians". Vimeo. Retrieved 19 Aug 2012.
Final Game at WHBPC 2012
- ↑ "Podium: WHBPC 2013". Hardcourt Podium. Retrieved 18 Oct 2013.
Beavers 5 - 1 Call Me Daddy
- ↑ "Podium: WHBPC 2014". Hardcourt Podium. Retrieved 10 Sep 2014.
Call Me Daddy 5 - 3 Beavers
- ↑ "THE 7TH WORLD HARDCOURT BICYCLE POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS". Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ↑ "NAHBPC 3: CALGARY". Fleetvelo. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
|first1=missing|last1=in Authors list (help) - ↑ "Podium: NAHBPC 2013". Hardcourt Podium. Retrieved 18 Aug 2013.
Beavers 5 - 0 The Guardians
- ↑ "Podium bike polo - NAHBPC 2014". https://www.podiumbikepolo.com/nahbpc2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Podium bike polo - NAHBPC 2015". https://www.podiumbikepolo.com/nahbpc2015. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Podium bike polo - NAHBPC 2014". https://www.podiumbikepolo.com/nahbpc2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Podium bike polo - NAHBPC 2015". https://www.podiumbikepolo.com/nahcbc2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ Carrilo, Alejandro. "We have a winner". Retrieved 28 June 2011.
It might not come as a surprise (or perhaps the biggest surprise there is), that for the third consecutive time L'Équipe wins it all
- ↑ "Podium: EHBPC 2013". Hardcourt Podium. Retrieved 8 Jul 2013.
Call Me Daddy 5 - 3 Edisons
- ↑ "Podium bike polo - EHBPC 2014". https://www.podiumbikepolo.com/ehbpc2014. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "EHBPC 2015". http://www.ehbpc.org/2015/. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Podium bike polo - AHBPC 2014". https://www.podiumbikepolo.com/ahbpc14. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "League of Bike Polo - THE LADIES ARMY PRESENTS.... 1st EVER ALL WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT". https://leagueofbikepolo.com/the-ladies-army-presents-1st-ever-all-womens-tournament. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "League of Bike Polo - Ladies Army II June 25, 2010". http://leagueofbikepolo.com/ladies-army-ii-june-25-2010. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "League of Bike Polo - Ladies Army III, May 2011". https://leagueofbikepolo.com/ladiesarmy3-thread2. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "League of Bike Polo - 4th Annual Ladies Army & Coed Tourney Apr 27-29". http://leagueofbikepolo.com/ladiesarmy4-thread2. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "League of Bike Polo - Ladies Army III, May 2011". http://leagueofbikepolo.com/la5-thread2. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Podium bike polo - Ladies Army 2014". https://www.podiumbikepolo.com/ladiesarmy. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Podium bike polo - Ladies Army 2015". https://www.podiumbikepolo.com/ladiesarmy. External link in
|website=(help)