Bike polo is like horse polo or hockey, but on bicycles. You can get a feel for the game by watching this and this. It can be played on any type of bicycle, but bikes will typically take damage so playing on a bike that is not your commuter bike is wise. The local club has loaner bikes and mallets for beginners to try.
The local club plays almost every Sunday afternoon on the multi-use court at West Manor Park, and some weekday evenings. The weekday evenings take place at West Manor Park during daylight savings time, and on campus in the parking structure near the Memorial Union during the winter when it gets dark early. If you want to play/watch, just check Davis Bicycle Polo on Facebook, where practice time/place is usually posted. If times aren't posted, feel free to post on their wall and someone will get back to you. Players will also share info on building mallets but if you are beginner and just want to try it, you can borrow one before committing to building your own. They are always looking for new players! All genders are welcome.
Three of the Davis players qualified for the North American Championship in 2013. Thanks to the generosity of friends, family, and several local businesses, they raised enough money to travel to Minneapolis in August 2013, where they placed 25th out of 48 teams.
Rules
Two goals are set up on the ends of a rectangular field. A suitable ball, usually a street hockey ball, is set in the middle. Play starts with the teams of three behind their goal line. Upon the initiation of play, the teams charge for the ball (also known as a joust). Scoring obviously occurs when the ball is passed through the opposition's goal in the proper direction.
Rules of Contact: -Bike on bike -Person on Person -Mallet on mallet -NEVER SHALL THE THREE MIX!
If your foot touches the ground, it is called a "dab" and you are out of play until you ride back to the middle of either side of the court and tap back in.
Bike Polo on the SF wiki.
Check out http://davisbikepolo.com/ for more information about our club, or http://bikepolocalendar.com/ for upcoming scheduled events!
