what do you need to play?

this is probably the second question i get asked when telling people about bike polo here in china. the answer is simple really : a bike, a mallet, and a ball.

well, maybe it's not THAT simple, but i like to think it is :) here is a run-down of what you will need if you want to play! :

- (taken from wikipedia) Hardcourt Bike Polo players make handmade mallets in the spirit of the do it yourself ethic. Typical mallets are constructed using high density gas pipe or abs piping for the head and a ski pole or golf club for the shaft. However, mallets are by no means standardized; mallet heads may come in the form of pvc and aluminum cans and mallet shafts may be constructed from materials as diverse as wooden dowels, bamboo, and even crutches! (that's right, bamboo . . shouldn't have a problem getting that now should we!)

- The most commonly used ball is a plastic street hockey / road ball.

- Players commonly play on courts such as a tennis courts or street hockey rinks. These are often customized using boards or nets to keep the ball from rolling out of the court or getting stuck in corners. - it's looking like this is going to be the biggest challenge . . but i'm up for it - i WILL find a place that we can play :)

so other than that you really don't need much! of course, safety equipment is suggested, but not necessary. any help on where to find used ski poles would be GREAT - just shoot me an e-mail.

how do you play bike polo?

i realize that this blog will be visited by more chinese speaking people than english speaking, but since i lack the ability to actually write in chinese i hope that somehow the interested individuals can figure out how to read the information or have it translated. my appologies WAY in advance . . maybe once i find someone who can write perfect chinese and is interested in playing then i can get the chinese version up and running.

anyways, a popular question that has been raised when i approach people is : how do you play bike polo?

well, without diving into too much detail for right now i figured turning to wikipedia for some simplified answers might be the best solution. here is the low-down :

THE GAME

1. Two teams of three players play in an enclosed rectangular area. Cones are placed at each long end of the rectangle and serve as goalposts.

2. At the beginning of the game, the ball is placed in the middle of the court and the players wait behind their own goals. Following a countdown, both teams charge the ball.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. The game continues until a team reaches a pre-defined limit of three to five goals. Some cities also impose a time limit which is informally invoked by spectators as play draws on (i don't think we'll be doing that in shanghai JUST yet)

SOME RULES

1. A player who "dabs" (touches the ground with their foot) must undertake some form of remedial penalty before making contact with the ball again. This usually involves either riding in a circle or "tapping out" (riding to a designated point on the court and touching it with the mallet).

2. The amount of contact in a particular game may vary but is generally restricted to "mallet on mallet, bike on bike, player on player". Additionally, players are not allowed to t-bone other players' bicycles.

3. As an decentralized and organically growing game, the rules and styles of Hardcourt Bike Polo may vary substantially from city to city - you bet it! i'm sure we will develop our own set of manipulated rules here in shanghai.

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so that is the basic premis of how to play . . sound simple enough?

if you are interested in reading into a few more 'official' rules, then feel free to check out the bike polo association of america here : bike polo rules

how to start a league?

i asked myself this question day in and day out for the last few weeks, until i was finally given some advice from my new friend kevin walsh. he suggested just building some mallets, finding a ball or two, and tracking down people that want to play!

so i'm going to do just that. so far i've gained the interest, and now it's a matter of finding a few appropriate places to play, and at the same time trying to build enough mallets to go around. unless, of course, the interested players take it upon themselves to make mallets . . but who knows how well that will go over. i guess only time will tell?

regardless, i would just like to say thanks to kevin for all his pointers and suggestions! head on over to his neck of the woods in toronto, canada - and check out his site : http://www.bikepolo.ca/

the first official post

so this looks like it is the very first post for the shanghai bike polo blogspot! i've taken it upon myself to try and start a bike polo league here in shanghai, china. as far as i know there are NO bike polo leagues that exist in china . . could this be the first? quite possibly.

this is something that i have wanted to start since i arrived here, but either never had the time to put any effort into it or never thought i would meet anybody that would like to play . . well i was wrong : i have met many many people, both local and foreign alike, that have shown a great interest in playing.

i'm going to use this blog as a starting point to gain interest for the game, post information about playing, how to equip yourself properly to play, and anything else bike polo related. i see this page as something that will slowly develop into a spot where all local bike polo players in shanghai can post their ideas and thoughts about the game, and how to establish a solid league of players.

who knows, maybe within a few months i may even have enough people to form half a dozen teams, have a set schedule for a season, and have this bike polo league up and running!

so here's to wishful thinking . . what is the point to life if not in pursuit of a dream :)

cheers!

-tyler