Hardcourt Bike Polo Gaining Ground in Ottawa and Around the World

By Kathleen Wilker

OTTAWA, ON - Bike polo has a long history, dating back to the early 1900s. Now a fast-growing fringe sport - think skateboarding in the late 1980s - bike polo is enjoying an international renaissance among messengers and other urban cyclists. Teams of three go head to head on fixies, armed with mallets made from old ski poles and pvc plastic.

The objective? To bonk the ball into the net with your mallet - without falling off your bike.

If your foot touches the ground, you need to bike to the side of the court and 'tap out' before you can get back in the game. Mostly self-regulated, bike polo rules vary from city to city.

Here in Ottawa, bike messengers meet up after work three times a week for pick-up polo. They play at Ev Tremblay Park where they've converted an old tennis court into a designated hard court for bike polo.

It's a long season for the Mallets of Mayhem. "Play starts in the spring as soon as we can push snow off our court and we keep playing until we're snowed out again in late December," says A.K. Weels, an Ottawa messenger and avid polo player. Sharp turns, sudden acceleration and one-handed steering are all part of the game. There is also an occasional rough elbow or an accidental collision.

July 4-5, 2009 marked the third annual North Side Polo Invitational tournament. Teams from Milwakee, Seattle, New York, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver gathered in Ottawa for a hot two days of polo. Home rules are friendly in Ottawa. To keep mallets low, goals only count if the ball lands below the top of the pilons marking the net. "That helps keep the play fast and the injuries down," explains Weels.

For international tournament listing, to find a local bike polo league and to convert your bike into a polo machine, check out The League of Bike Polo: Where People Take Bike Polo Way Too Seriously www.bikepolo.ca.