July 2007 Issue - Cycling Utah

28 cycling utah.com JULY 2007
BIke polo
Utah's Bike Polo is Great Fun!
Riders mix it up in Liberty Park
Photo: Dave Iltis
By Dave Iltis
Thwack! “Get it Stefano! Go!
Go! it’s all you!” With mallet in
hand, Stefano sprints towards the
opposing team’s goal in an attempt
to score in Salt Lake’s Bicycle Polo
game.
Polo appears to have originated in
the 6th century B.C. as training for
cavalry units in Persia. The sport of
kings was introduced to England in
the early 1800’s. Bicycle polo was
invented in Ireland in 1891, rising in
popularity through the 1930’s. More
recently, it has regained popularity
both in the U.S. and worldwide.
Salt Lake’s game has been going
on for fifteen years; currently played
at Liberty Park from March through
October. Many of the players, who
range from racers to casual riders,
have been around since the beginning.
The local game is played under
rules that are more casual than
the competing ‘official’ organizations
— the American Bicycle Polo
Association of America (bicyclepolo.org)
and the U.S. Bicycle Polo
Association (bikepolo.com). In Salt
Lake, they use a modified version
of the Axles of Evil rules (polo-velo.
net).
Teams consist of three or four
riders — any more and the field
becomes too crowded. The game is
played on a football size area of grass
with a pair of red flags at either end
marking the goal. Each player has a
mallet that is held in one hand and
used to strike a plastic softball-sized
ball. Games are played to five and
possession switches after a goal.
The mallet looks like a golf putter,
but with a cane shaft and a hardwood
head. Good sources for these are
bikepolo.com or polomallets.com.
There’s no goalkeeper and
hanging in the goal is not allowed.
Dabbing (putting a foot down) is not
permitted and requires the rider to
clear out until he’s back on the bike.
Neither is blocking (you’re likely
to end up with a bent wheel and the
opposing rider flying over your bike).
However, screening your teammate
and the ball from an opposing rider is
fair game. The mallet can be used to
hook another player’s mallet, but not
their bike or body. Offsides (a rider
being near the opponents goal ahead
of the ball) is not enforced. And,
there’s no real out-of-bounds.
Most riders use mountain bikes;
some use fixed gears or single speeds.
Road bikes tend to be too large but
can be used. Helmets and gloves are
a must to protect against common
slow speed crashes. Clipless pedals
are much easier to get in and out
when the battle gets heavy.
The game is great training with
lots of sprints, stops, starts and tight
bike handling. “This is the best interval
workout you can find. You can
easily put in 10-15 miles per game,”
said Charles Heaton, one of the originals.
Players sprint back and forth,
stopping on a dime to whack the ball
to a teammate or headlong towards
the goal. Full field breakaways
require a combination of fast peddling,
good ball handling, and passing
skills. Over the evening, three
or so games are played. The team
makeup is shuffled between games to
make the competition friendlier.
Scott Brown is one of the main
instigators and a big proponent, “if
you like competition and you like
your bike, this is the ultimate game!
It has all of the benefits of riding
your bike with the competitiveness of
playing on a team.”
The games are played each
Tuesday in the grass fields in the center
of Liberty Park in Salt Lake City.
Gather at 6:30 for a 7 pm start. For
more information, call Scott Brown
at (801) 870-9292 or email him at
bikepolo@redrocks.com.
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