A Bike Polo ‘ZineSummersby Ian M.

This is who we are, This is whaT we do:

Commander-in-chief/writer/de-signer/photographer/publisher/stencil-maker/brain-stormer/bike polo player: Ian M.Summers

contact info:Email: summers@uoregon.eduPhone: 541-653-7103Twitter:IMSummers

Illustrator/inspiration/bike polo master: Eilif Knutson

and This is whaT we borrowed:Images: Ghandi photo, Various others from Eugene bike polo and Corvallis bike polo myspace pages. Eilif portrait from my-bagisbigger.blogspot.com.

Ideas: Stolen Sharpie Revolu-tion.Eugene Bike Polo, Corvalis Bike Polo. Portland Bike Polo. newyorkhardcourt.com (rules and current polo leagues.)

“Bike polo is the common man’s sport, every-one has a bike” -Ghandi

Issue #1 Sprin

g 2009

Mission sTaTeMenT

hardcourT bike polo

a brief hisTory of

The rules

required and (suggesTed)

forging your haMMer

how To becoMe

bike polo equipMenT

an excellenT bike polo player

liTTle beiruT-sTyle

4

5

7

8

9

11

Why write a ‘zine about hardcourt bike polo? First because it’s awesome and second, because I want to spread the word that it’s awesome. Being a relatively new-bike polo player (with only about a year-and-a-half of playing un-der my belt) I feel that I am in an unique position that allows me to create a somewhat definitive “how-to” or “manifesto” about bike polo. I still remember what it was like when I first played and I still remember all the trials and tribulations it took to get peo-ple coming out once a week to mix it up on the hardcourt. I know what new polo players and new polo “leagues” are going through. In my year-and-a-half of bike polo play I’ve been very dedicated to the game. In the last year I’ve only missed 2 or 3 polo nights and have gone out of my way to play more, be it on non-designated nights or in other cities. Thats a lot of polo. This gives me enough experi-ence (and enough of a beer belly) to be able to discuss polo in a way that wont get too much criti-cism from the veterans (I hope!)

All the contributors to this ‘zine are bike polo players them-selves, with varying degrees of ex-perience, but all with a true love of the game. We will do our best to give accurate information and our hon-est opinions because we want people to learn about bike polo from bike polo players and not from the usually grossly inaccurate local papers. So read up, grab some Ham-mers (mallets), a shield (bike), some friends, a few 6-packs, and get out there on the court !

The whole purpose of the Ham-mer and Shield Bike Polo ‘Zine is to get people stoked on bike polo and spread the word about it in an accu-rate and fun -to-read manner. We want to serve as a reference for anyone at all interested in bike polo, from the curious first-timers to the 8 year veterans. We wish to facilitate the creation of polo “leagues” across the country by disseminating this in-formation. It will also be a sort of how-to-guide on how to get polo start-ed in your city and how to spread it to cities around you. All with a DIY ethic and the aesthetic of somewhat “outlaw” cyclists.

3-2-1 polo!

4

hisTory of

bike polo

a brief hisTory

hardcourT

liTTle beiruT-sTyle hard

Fast forward to 1996 when the First International Bicycle Polo Championship was organized. This compettion has continued to be played ever since. In January 2001 the International Cycling Union of-ficially recognizes cycle polo and it continues to be played to this day throughout the world.

As with any tale of history,

or any story for that matter, its

best to start at the beginning. In

the beginning there was cycle polo.

This sport was invented by crazy

Irishman Richard J. Mecredy in 1891.

In October of that Year, Mr. Mecredy

played the first ever cycle polo

match at a place called The Scalp.

As we can see by the name of the

original polo location, polo play-

ers have been giving funny names to

things since the beginning. On Hal-

loween of 1891 the first rules were

published in “Cycling” from then on

it spread globally.

Cycle polo clubs formed in

Ireland, England, the U.S., France,

and Germany and cycle polo is fea-

tured as an exhibition sport in the

1908 Olympic Games where Ireland

trounced Germany 3-1. Time pass-

es, 2 world wars are fought, rules

change (and keep growing longer and

longer) and cycle polo stays about

as popular as curling and croquet

(i.e. not that popular at all).

Corvalli

s trying

their h

and at c

ycle pol

o

5

* Ann Arbor, Michigan * Ashland, Oregon * Baltimore, Maryland * Berlin, Germany * Boise, Idaho * Boston, Massachusetts * Bozeman, Montana * Budapest, Hungary * calgarybikepolo.com * Cherry Hill, New Jersey * Chicago, Illinois * Columbus, Ohio * Corvallis, Oregon * Dayton, Ohio * District of Columbia * East Vancouver, BC * Eugene, Oregon * Geneva, Switzerland * Hannover, Germany * Lafayette, Louisiana * London, England * Los Marcostan, Los Marcostan * Madison, Wisconsin * Milwaukee, Wisconsin * New Haven, Connecticut * Newport News, Virginia * Ottawa, Canada * Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * Portland “little beirut”, Oregon * Richmond, Virginia * Sacramento, California * Saint Louis, Missouri * San Francisco Bay Area, California * San Francisco, California * Seattle, Washington * Tallahassee, Florida * Turlock, California

Here in Eugene, OR Bike polo

came by way of Corvallis, who st

art-

ed playing years ago by way of P

ort-

land. Little Beirut-style hardco

urt

bike polo has continued to sprea

d,

mostly by word of mouth and trav

-

eling polo players, and can now

be

found all over the U.S., Canada,

and

Europe with tournaments organize

d

all over.

But this “zine isn

’t about

cycle polo. Its ab

out the “street”

version of the gam

e dubbed “hard-

court bike polo.”

There is no offi-

cial history of ha

rdcourt bike polo

but I will attempt

to be as accurate

as possible with

the few facts I

have dug up. It h

as its roots in th

e

early 2000s in Sea

ttle, where bicycl

e

messengers played

it on Sunday to

blow-off steam. Ju

st like cycle polo

,

hardcourt bike pol

o quickly spread.

Tracing the geographic lines (and the level of play), I’ve deter-mined that it first spread to either Vancouver, B.C. or Portland, OR. Once in Portland, the “Little Bei-rut” rules were established. These rules have been kept simple and easy to learn in order for bike polo to stay accessible and fun. “Little Beirut” rules (and hardcourt bike polo in general) were then spread to the East Coast by Bill Dozer, dubbed the “father of N.Y.C. bike polo” by my cohort Eilif Knutson.

a lisT of currenTly

known bike polo leagues

6

-Two teams of three players.-Any type of bicycle is allowed. Handlebars must be plugged.-Mallets must resemble a croquet mallet with a wide side and a round end. Mod-ified ski poles and plastic pipe are the most common materials. The handle end of the mallet must be plugged.-The ball will be a street hockey ball.-Goals will be a pair of orange cones spaced one bike length apart.-If a goal cone is disrupted it is the responsibility of the player who dis-rupted it to fix it.-Some games are timed and end after 10 minutes. Some games are not timed.-Start of a game: Each team will be stopped behind its own goal line and the ball will be positioned at center court. Play will begin with a “3 2 1 GO!” from the sideline.-Players may not play the ball with their feet at any time.-Scoring a goal must be made from what started as a hit. A hit is made from the end of a player’s mallet. A “shuffle” does not count as a goal; if the ball is shuffled through the goal, play continues uninterrupted.-After a goal is scored, the team who scored returns to their half of the court. The team who was scored on takes possession of the ball.-Call out the score after each goal.-Passing “backward” through the goal (from behind the goal line to in front of it, through the goal, a.k.a. “goal offsides”): When the ball is passed through the goal in this way, a goal CANNOT be scored by the first player to play the ball. Any subsequent player to play the ball may score. If a ball is shot from in front of the goal line and does not go through the goal but bounces off the back wall and comes out through the goal, the ball is in play and can be scored. A ball that crosses a goal line backwards must be “hit” before it can score.-Players must not touch the ground, or “foot-down”. Each time a player goes foot-down, that player is out of play and may not play the ball until they ride to the side line at center court and ring the bell. Then they may return to play. It is poor etiquette not to go immediately and directly to the tap-out bell once you go foot-down. Only one side of the court has a bell, not both.-Contact rules: “Like” contact is allowed. Player to player (body to body), except grabbing or pushing with hands. Mallet to mallet (generally, hitting another player’s mallet is poor etiquette if that player is not attempting to play the ball or in front of the goal, playing goalie). Bike to bike.-Everything else is NOT allowed: Mallet to player, player to bike, mallet to bike, etc.-Throwing of mallets is not allowed at any time, in any situation.-Most games are played to 5 points. Some games are played to 3 points.-Trash talking is allowed.

The rules*As Written by New York Hardcourt

a lisT of currenTly

known bike polo leagues

7

required (and suggesTed) bike polo

equipMenTHere’s a quick run down of some bike

polo equipment you need to make sure

that your games run smoothly.

-Bikes: Obviously everyone needs their own fully functional bike to play.

-Mallets: Ideally two full s

ets

(12), that way there is enou

gh to

make sure play isn’t interru

pted

when mallets get broken.

-Street Hockey Balls: You should have 3 or 4, as balls get lost and/or destroyed.It’s best to get the ones that are temperature-rated for your playing condi-tions.

-Road cones: 4 of ‘em to designate

where the goals are. These can

usually be “found” around town.

-Tools and a tire pump- For some reason bikes seem to break and get flats often in polo, which means that its especially helpful to have the ability to fix them. Just throw in the basic tools for bike repair and some strong tape (hockey or duct are the best). Make sure that your pump fits both Presta and Schrader valves.

-Score keeping device: To settle score disputes

when people lose track. The “scoreboard” is best

located next to where people “tap-in” after they

foot-down.

-Something to carry everything in: a bucket, tub, box, or empty 12-pack container, all work well to make portage easy and prevent people from forget-ting something.

-Beer: ‘cause polo makes ya thirsty!

illustration by Eilif Knutson

8

required (and suggesTed) bike polo

Stuff You’ll need:

- Mallet shaft- ski pole, golf c

lub, hockey

stick, broom handle etc.

- Hacksaw

- 1 1/2” or 2” black ABS pipe

- Drill with large bit

- Screws-long sheet metal ones a

re the best

- Hockey tape

- Sharpie

forging your haMMer!

Building sweet polo mallets

9

TiMe To build

Step 1: resize (cut) your mallet s

haft. Its best to determine

length by sitting atop your polo b

ike and choking up untill it

feels comfortable. Mark it with a

sharpie and cut. Remember that

longer mallets give you more reach

but they are more unwieldy and

shorter mallets are quick but less

accurate.

Step 2: cut your mallet head. First determine whether you are going to use 1 ½’’ or 2’ pipe. The smaller size gives you a bit more precise shot and is lighter, but the larger size gives you a better chance of hitting the ball at high speed. You also need to determine how long you want the head, about 3-4 inches is usually adequate. Mark it with a sharpie and cut.

Step 3: drill your mallet head. Drill out the top of y

our mal-

let’s head to be close to the shaft diameter. The tigh

ter it fits

the better, as it prevents the head from rotating.

Step 4: put it together. Put your head on your mallet shaft and wedge it down as far as it will go. Then drill one screw through the top and one through the side. If built right, two screws should suffice. Remember that more screws equal more weight.

Step 5: tape it. Using hockey tape w

rap the head of the mal-

let and cover up the screw heads. Th

is serves two purposes:

covering the screws makes the mallet

a bit less dangerous and

it prevents the screw heads from cat

ching on the ground. It

also strengthens the head and helps

to prevent it from rotat-

ing. You should wrap the handle in h

ockey tape for grip so you

don’t lose hold of your mallet, resu

lting in either having to

foot down to pick it up or having to

explain why your mallet

just flew accross the court.

Step 6: play polo, break mallet, build another. shower. rinse. repeat

10

How to become an

bike-polo playerin 10 easy-to-follow steps

excellenT

11

sTep 1: ride a bikeSo you’re looking to become an excellent polo player? Good we could always use more. This simple ten-step guide will assure that in no time (2-8 years) you’ll be stealing balls from the best. The first step, obvi-ously, is to ride a bike. This isn’t to say that you should ride a bike to play polo, as that is a given (unless you’re riding one of those equine beasts), it is to say that you should be riding a bike all the time. To succeed in polo you need to be able to handle a bike in all situations. In-cluding (but not lim-ited to): commuting, grocery-getting, bar-hopping, camping, rac-ing, dodging cars, etc. The better you are as an all-around cyclist, the better you will be as an all around polo enthusiast.

It helps to ride a bike that is similar to your polo bike (but not your polo-bike, more on that in step 4). This way you get a better feel for what the type of bike you’re riding and what it is and isn’t capable of. I, for example, play polo on a fixed-gear, so I also ride a fixed-gear everywhere. A few people that play polo on mountain bikes, also race mountain bikes and 20” polo players are partial to BMX riding. Hell even if you ride a beach cruiser you may want to build a bike similar for polo. Conclusion: being an excellent polo player is a lifestyle, not a hobby.

12

sTep 2: creaTive scheduling

Before you try and commit to playing polo, you have to get those pesky “responsibilities” out of the way. To do this designate at least one night a week as your “polo night” and ditch all of your other responsibilities. Simply say to your boss, girlfriend, professor, mom, or priest that you have “something you need to take care of” on that particular night and there is no way you can EVER get out of it. Stick to this story and you are guaranteed at least to have that one night to play and become a better player, and a better person.

Of course, there is a catch to this. As polo doesn’t happen in a vacuum,

you also need to convince your friends to make the same commitment. Easy

enough to do if your friends are all cyclist, beer-drinking, scumbags,

with day-jobs, like mine. Just promise them a good time, beer, and an

escape from the “real-world” for a few hours a week and in no time people

will be coming out of the woodwork to play polo with you. On to step 3…

13

v

sTep 3: build your MalleT

You’re riding your bike and ditching your responsibilities, now it’s time to get serious and build your own mal-let. Most polo “leagues” have loan-er mallets that people bring and let anyone use, if you want to be excel-lent these mallets are beneath you. It is essential that you craft your own weaponry and play with the same (or the same 2) mallet every-time you play polo. Like riding a bike similar to your polo-bike , this helps you learn the nuances of your particular tool and perform amazing feats of poloing. That being said, it is helpful to pl

ay

on your inherent strengths when craft-

ing your mallet. If you like to play:

fast build a light and quick mallet

(ski-pole), defense build a burly mal-

let (hockey stick, broom handle, etc.),

a mix of both then make a mallet that

is a little of both (like a golf club

style mallet). I don’t fear for my

safety, like to run into people, steal

balls, play aggressive defense, and

make long shots. Naturally my mallet

is made from a wooden hockey stick to

be burly and nigh-indestructible.

As “nigh- indestructible” things tend to get destroyed in polo, it is essen-tial to have a back-up mallet. Your back-up mallet can be an exact copy of your normal mallet, or you can use the back-up mallet as an opportunity to branch-out. My back-up is lighter and more fragile but amazing for those quick offensive plays. Conclusion: build your own mallet, play with it all the time, and soon it will be an exten-sion of your body.

14

vsTep 4: build your polo-bike

Along with a hand-made mallet, building a retrofitted bike specifically for polo is essential if you want to become an excellent polo player. First, find a beat up old frame that is similar in size and function to the one that you normally ride. Then aid some spare-parts bins for the components you need to complete the build. When looking for parts you want ones that are heavy and durable. Don’t spend to much time or money on parts gathering, most likely they are going to fail and/or break,

Here are some suggestions for building an excellent polo bike:

Gear your bike as easy as your polo situation allows. Personally I pre-fer about a 2:1 ratio but many people run an even easier ration. Geared bike tend to experience mechanical failure more than single-speeds or fixed-gears, so keep this in mind if you plan on gearing your polo bike.

Front discs/wheel guards are common and essential for an excellent

polo-bike. They not only strengthen your wheel, they prevent mallets

going through it (that tend to send you toppling over the front end of

your bike, smashing your face into he ground) and they provide an ex-

cellent surface for blocking balls.

These suggestions are just that, suggestions. Different people play on a myriad of different bikes and it’s mostly a matter of personal pref-erence. You will play better polo with a bike that you are used to and don’t have to worry about allowing you to more easily progress to step 5…

15

sTep 5: play for keeps

You have the time, the mallet, and the bike, now it is time to de-velop the skills necessary to become an excellent bike-polo player. First, you need to take playing seriously. You shouldn’t be noodling around the court, wasted, falling off your bike, hurting yourself, and being detrimen-tal to your team. Every time you roll out on the court be ready to play, and play hard.

Like in any contact sport, you have to play without fear. Don’t wor-

ry about your bike, mallets swinging past your head, other players runni

ng

into you or bodily injury of any kind. Only worry about keeping that bal

l

out of your goal and putting it in theirs’. If your team is playing as

they should be communicate with them and make sure that the ultimate goa

l

is winning the match.

Although some people take polo too seriously, if you want to become excellent you have to play like you mean it. Only then will you be in a situation to develop the advanced skills needed to become excellent. Play-ing like this will make you better but there is one more step to accom-plish, beating your rivals…

16

sTep 5: play for keeps sTep 6: know Thy eneMies, keep TheM closer Than your friends.

If you’re playing polo how it should be played (aggressive, fast, and for keeps) you are going to devel-op personal rivals. Either the guy who always blocks your shot, the guy who always catches you on breakaways, or the guy who has bike you just can-not stand to look at, etc. The ri-valries you develop and the people that frustrate you while playing are oppor-tunities to better develop skills that you’re not quite so strong at.

I, for example, cannot stand lefties. They hoard the ball and use their left-handedness to thwart my attempts at scoring. It is frustrating. Those damn south-paws especially have an advantage when people are not used to playing with lefties. So what’s the solution to my problem you ask? Keep ‘em close.

You want to play as much with your rival

s as possible. Figure them out

and remember what they use to stop you.

Play with them on your team as well

as against them and learn how they tick.

Once you’ve discovered their tech-

niques (and every decent polo player has

a few of their own tricks) devel-

op skills to stop them. Keep changing yo

ur rivals, and keep developing new

skills to stop your new rivals. Eventual

ly you will have a bag of techniques

that is so deep that you will fear no pl

ayer, an essential for tournament

play.

17

sTep 7: drink beer, have fun,

& keep iT on The courT

With all the talk of playing hard and beating you rivals, I am making polo seem like a fiercely competitive, grudge-filled, legitimate sport where doping runs rampant and people wear full spandex body-suits. In truth, polo is nothing like road racing. It is more akin to rugby. Sure you get on the court and beat the hell out of your friends, but once you step off the court it’s more about congratulations and “cheers mates!”

This is how polo should be. Keep your rivals on the court, and have a

beer with them after the game. It’s all in good fun and everyone who plays polo

is just looking for a good time. Don’t get mad at people for screwing up plays

(including your own team) and don’t stay frusterated after the game ends. Be

cool and offer a congradulatory high-five after the game.

This type of dynamic encourages people to keep coming, keep playing hard and keep having fun. As polo doesn’t happen in a vacuum, you need fun people to play with all the time. So build friendships, drinking buddies, polo solidar-ity. Everyone will become a better player because of it.

18

sTep 8: advanced polo Techniques i-

defenseEnough with these

general tips, it

time to talk specif-

ics, and In the next

steps I will give

you some advice on

specific polo tech-

niques that should

be developed on your

journey to excel-

lence. I’ll start

with some defensive

techniques. It seems

that a lot of people

downplay the impor-

tance of defense in

a polo match, but it

is what separates

a good team from a

great one.

The first techniques I’ll call “hanging back.” It applies mostly to the beginning of the game and point drives where you are facing the other team head-on. If you have a powerful offensive player it is best to let them charge for the ball while you hang back at about 1/4 court. This al-lows you to recover any knocked away balls and prevents the other team from making long shots or getting a clean break away.

Another technique, and one that most players pick up on quickly, is clear-

ing the ball or “yondering.” This involves hitting the ball hard with a

back swing, sending it up court and away from your goal. This should not be

a go-to method of ball handling, but should be used strategically. It is

especially effective when you have been hanging back and can cleanly send

the ball up the court to your teammates.

The third essential defensive technique is strategic rough play. Smacking other people mallets when they lean on them, leaning into people to make them foot-down, stopping in front of people while they are trying to move up court etc. are all acceptable forms of defense in polo. So use them frequently and strategically to change the momentum of the game.

19

sTep 9: advanced polo Techniques ii-

offense

Offensive play and ball handling are perhaps the most fun parts of polo playing. This is where you get cheers from the crowd and congratulations from the opposing team. Because of this attention, many people forget that they are play-ing on a team when they have the ball. Any one person,no matter how good they may be, can be stopped by three other players, so keep your teammates involved when you have the ball.

This being said, passing is an essential part of bike polo. Good pass-

ing can make up for the shortfalls of any particular player and it elimi-

nates the need for fancy ball-handling tricks that can be sometimes thwarted

by your rivals (remember step 6?). So pass often and you and your team will

be that much better for it.

Passing doesn’t work without in-game communication. Calling out your position and listening to where your team is at is essential for making those passing plays and getting out of potential tight spots. The most com-monly yelled communications are: “center”- you are in the center of the court ready to make a shot, “drop”-you are directly behind your teammate and ready to receive a pass, and “clear” or “send it up”-telling the ball holder to send it up court.

With all the talk of passing, I should emphasize the need to de-velop decent shooting skills. One clean shot can do the work of ten passes, so take shots when you see openings. You should always be look-ing for holes and try making shots that seem more difficult like, shots between peoples’ wheels, angled-shots, back-hand shots, and half to full court shots. The crazier the shot, the more respect you will receive, so go crazy and dial in those hard-to-make ones. And remember, never shuffle

when its time for shooting.20

sTep 9: advanced polo Techniques ii-

offense

sTep 10: branch ouT

You are well on your way to becoming an excellent polo player you ride a bike, you’ve made time for polo, you’ve made a mallet and a polo bike, you play for keeps, outplay your rivals, have fun, and are developing advanced defensive/offensive skills. You will never be an excellent polo player, however, unless you branch out.

You need to mix it up, play in different cities with different people and play tournaments. Different cities have different styles of play and an excellent polo player should be able to show up to a polo game anywhere and dazzle their opponents. So get out there. Travel with your mallet and look for polo in places that you wouldn’t expect people to play in.

Bike polo continues to grow. More and more cites are starting to play and because of this the bar of “excellence” continues to grow high-er and higher. So keep playing, keep developing your skills, and keep having fun and one day you’ll be celebrating your West Coast Invitation-al, East Coast Invintational, or National Championship victory with the best.

21

prove iT on The courT.

excellenT now?