Chicago Bike Polo - ProfilesArchive

About Me

New Location and Times!
Chicago Bike Polo has a new home effective immediately in Garfield Park at the north most tennis court along Central Park Ave. btw Jackson and Madison. Wednesday nights at 6:30, Saturdays at 8 and Sundays at 2pm. Check Special Announcements for upcoming events, week-by-week additions, cancellations, and travel days.
Special Announcements
East Side Polo Invite III: April 25-28, Washington, D.C.
The 4ths (Midwest Champeens, May 3rd): Mad, WI
West Side Invite: May 23-26, Portland, Or.
World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships (w/ Cycle Messenger Worlds):June 13-16, Toronto, Canada
North Side Bike Polo Invite: August 1-4, Ottawa, Canada
North American Bike Polo Championships: Aug. 29 - Sept. 1st, Chicago, IL
Still to visit: Ann Arbor, MI. Minneapolis, MN, Columbus, OH, and Lexington, KY. If you're interested in being a part of any of these trips, drop a line.
Regular Chicago schedule:
Grass game Sundays at 2pm in the Southeast corner of Humboldt Park. Division and California.
Hardcourt game Wednesdays at 7 and Saturdays at 8pm at the Garfield Park tennis courts.

My Interests

Bikes:We have had equal success playing on low ratio track bikes and mountain bikes with brakes, it's all a matter of what you're comfortable on and what you've got. We have also had success in destroying some very expensive bikes and parts, so keep that in mind. We, the players, usually turn out all right though.

I'd like to meet:

Teams of 3 or individuals for 3 on 3 games.
All the equipment you'll need (yes, we have loaner bikes you can destroy) will be provided by us. This way everyone is playing with the same stuff. No cricket bats, golf clubs, field hockey sticks, or croquet mallets.
If you like the game and want your own stuff: for hardcourt, ask us about materials, how to make what you need or if you'd like us to make it for you. Grass polo stuff can be had from any number of on-line stores for 30-50 bux. Keep in mind that bike polo mallets are usually 36" long, and horse polo mallets are 48"-54" long, if you're ebay-ing.

Music:

The Chicago Rules: We play on grass and asphalt. Field size is determined by available space. With grass, there is no out of bounds. All trees, rocks, sidewalks, and sewer caps are in play. Pretend there is a net around the goal which is 1 1/2 mallets wide. The ball may not pass through the goal backwards. Your mallet can only touch the ball or another mallet. Not another player or their bike. If you put your foot down, you cannot be the next player to touch the ball and you have to clear the area of play to avoid interferrance. LINE! You may not cross the line of the player with the ball without giving them enough space to move around you. NO T-BONING.

Movies:

Games start with opposing teams on their goal lines with the ball in the middle. There is a count down from 3, both teams are realeased and play continues until there is a goal. After a goal, the team just scored on gets posession at their goal line. They may start play as soon as the opposing team has crossed the opposite goal line. First team to 3 points wins the game. Matches are best of three games.

Television:

Big ups to all those who've helped out with polo and the recent pancake breakfasts.

My Blog

Minutes of the second Chicago Bike Polo comittee meeting.

We reckon that this is the year that Bike Polo blows up. What with the two international tournaments scheduled for the summer and all the regional contests that seem to be getting bigger and attractin...
Posted by Chicago Bike Polo on Sat, 26 Jan 2008 07:36:00 PST

North American Polo Champs

Chicago is making plans to host the first annual North American Polo Championships to coincide with the 2008 North American Cycle Courier Championships. Mark your calendars, make your travel plans, ge...
Posted by Chicago Bike Polo on Mon, 01 Oct 2007 02:00:00 PST

No better. No worse. Just different.

So: There are a bunch of different places that bike polo is being played. And there are nearly as many ways to play it; Little Beirut Style, Mid-West Grass, Mid-West Hardcourt, East Coast hardcourt, D...
Posted by Chicago Bike Polo on Fri, 07 Sep 2007 06:42:00 PST

Mallet to mallet rules discussion

I got such good (and fast) responses from so many places that I thought I'd catalog them all so we polo-ers can all see what we're all thinking about this. Seems almost universal that playing the ball...
Posted by Chicago Bike Polo on Wed, 11 Jul 2007 06:43:00 PST

Playing surface

All right. I get the logic of having the Fall Tourney on grass to end the Summer season, and the Spring Tourney on concrete to end the Winter season.Even though Chicago did not play this winter on any...
Posted by Chicago Bike Polo on Sat, 07 Apr 2007 07:58:00 PST

The Great Madison Compromise Rules

OK. Last year, we took a minute before the tournament to make sure we were all playing by the same rules. There were only a few differences between the local games, but some casued trouble enough to n...
Posted by Chicago Bike Polo on Thu, 05 Apr 2007 06:23:00 PST