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How Did I Get Here?
Posted on January 27th, 2014 at 12:11 pm by polonick
poloscan

I’ve had too much time on my hands and too little playing polo.

The first time I played polo was after some bike drag races in Quito, Ecuador. Bike Polo was new to Quito, and so at just about every bike event Xavi would bring mallets, cones, and a ball and encourage people to try it. I don’t think I hit the ball once the entire game, but like how most of us got here I was hooked. I came to polo from a mix of the fixie/alley-cat race scene and mountain biking, and slowly both of those have taken a backseat to polo. I haven’t raced an alley-cat since the Dock11 race, where I ‘raced’ with polo folks on polo bikes, and I don’t even want to think about the last time I went mountain biking. It makes me sad to think how long its been.

Anyways, on a bored night last week I drew up this drawing/chart of how we get to polo. Most of us arrived here through fixie/alley-cat/messenger culture, but of course, people come from all sorts of bike adventures. Humor me by filling out the poll below to gather some more info on how we all got to the holy grail of polo. – CF

Take Our Poll

(*PS – Just sayin, as a polo community I would like to see us step up our game with a rivalry with CycloCross. Srsly people. Cyclocross is continuing to grow and pull away polo players, and I have yet to meet anyone who has switched from cross to polo. Are you that mythical creature? Email me about it. I want to talk to you.)

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What’s polo? Cool kids shovel.
Posted on January 21st, 2014 at 9:16 pm by polonick

If I see one more picture of Minneapolis’ indoor court I am going to smash my computer screen in anger (jk/not jk). It’s JANUARY and you are in the land of the POLAR VORTEX, you should be suffering and not playing polo. Every picture I see of people hanging out inside, drinking beers on couches, and mallets upon mallets lined up for pick-up makes me wonder why I ever left MSP makes me burn with rage.

Here in Boston, we don’t take winter polo lightly. We earn our court time. In fact, we’ve stop playing polo altogether. We just shovel out our court for the fun of it, and then watch it accumulate snow again. That’s the real way to get swol for the upcoming season. You should see our biceps.

This weekend we dug out the court on Sunday, and brought winter polo to a new level with two key additions.

SONY DSC

Addison brought up a water pump to help speed up the process of emptying the court.

Water pumps people! That’s some next level shit. Doesn’t matter that it hardly made a dent in the flooded corners. It’s the thought that counts.

SONY DSC

Howl rocked some Sram swag on his camping stove while making some tea off the court. Who needs whiskey when you can have tea? (I do.)

Finally we did get in half a game on Sunday as the sun was setting and people gingerly rode around piles of salt on the court. But then we realized it wasn’t as fun as clearing the court so we went home. The end. -CF

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

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I love Bike Polo
Posted on January 10th, 2014 at 10:00 am by polonick

There has been some literature on the internet (you know what) this week that encouraged me to explore my feelings towards bike polo. At first I thought bummed things; I didn’t feel comfortable questioning the legitimacy of the activity which I hold so dearly. But I quickly realized I was becoming the victim of the law of attraction:  Yes, I’ve spent many nights and years and dollars and beers, and polo may have burnt me out once or twice. But, being burnt out ain’t that hard of a problem to solve. I mix it up, take a break, go snowboarding, hang with old friends, switch to flat pedals. You’ll feel the love. I’ll feel the love.

I love EVERYTHING about it. I love the all bike polo people and all the bike polo places. I love all the bike polo clubs, all the bike polo companies, and all the bike  polo rules (except high-sticking).  I love all the bike polo blogs and all the bike polo forums. I love the bike polo #hashtags and instagrams, and I especially love the bike polo nudes. I love the places bike polo has taken me. I love Burlington, Vermont, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Vancouver, British Columbia, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Montreal, Quebec, Lexington, Kentucky and Seattle, Washington. I fucking love Seattle Bike Polo. I love that polo gives me an excuse to take a long road trip or a quick weekend to the other side of the continent, no matter how broke I am. I love traveling with my bike. I love taking my bike on an airplane. I love taking off my fork when I am packing up my bike. I love putting my bike together in the airport, but not as much as I love how stoked OTHER people are when they see me putting my bike together in the airport. I love not knowing where the fuck I am when I leave a new airport on my bike. I love how when you show up to pickup from the airport, you are hanging out with the same people you would have been if you’d lived in that city your entire life.

 

I love riding my polo bike. I love riding in a gang filled with all sorts of other polo people and polo bikes from near and far forming a mob spanning the street in the night. I love the whirrly sound the mob makes because everyone has the same sick freewheel.  I  love riding TOO fast on my polo bike, skitching across the Mass. Ave. bridge or up Pine Street. Thats a guaranteed adrenaline high.  I know its not safe but I just love polo too much to wait any longer to get to the court and play. I love meeting a random polo player on the street because I noticed that they’re riding a polo bike. That’s how I started playing polo in the first place.

Polo Love

Polo Love

I love all of the polo people, even if they are from New York. I love the polo people with beards and shitty tattoos, and the ones without beards or with good tattoos. I love all of the polo people from other countries who have crashed on my couch and spoke with funny accents, and who did or would let me do the same at their place. I love all of the polo people who travel across the GLOBE to play polo. I love all of the polo people who lend me bike parts when mine get fucked up. I love the polo people who share tokes of herb. I love the polo people who share swigs of booze, especially when they’re from Kentucky. I love all of the polo people I will one day meet. But more than all of these tangible things, I love how much fucking PASSION all of these polo people have.

 

I  love bike polo even when it’s dirty. I love cheap shots, unless someone gets hurt. I love polo heckles, especially if they cut deep. I love that I’ve lost significant amounts of blood playing polo. I fucking love when I get slammed cleanly into the boards, even more when it’s by Dirks.

I love playing pickup. I love all throw-ins. I hate dabbing. I love how stoked a new player gets when they score their first goal. I love that I can spend an entire day at the polo court and not get bored. I love that it gives me an excuse to drink outside because I love drinking outside. I love that shotgunning brings us together.

I love that reggae music sounds just a bit more irie during a polo game. I love when someone is doing a jay mid court and I go stop next to them and they hold it up to my mouth. It is the perfect pit stop. I also love saving the puff in my lungs and blowing it into the opponents face as intimidation. I love trying trick shots instead of taking wide open gimme goals. I love taking long shots and I love it even more when they go in. I love when there are only six players so you never have to stop playing. I love when we keep playing during downpours. I love that we played last week, two days after a blizzard.

I love that polo love is spreading with no end in sight. -Addison

(And to prove I’m not alone and full of shit here is a small collection of photos of other people who also love bike polo):

IMG_6040

IMG_1314

IMG_1605

porchin

classic-5

classic-7

IMG_1678

IMG_4756

IMG_4733

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I Hate Bike Polo, Too
Posted on January 6th, 2014 at 3:57 pm by polonick

Today isn’t even over and it already sucks.

The first link I clicked on this morning was www.hatingonbikepolo.com, where I was greeted with an excellently written, well-thought out argument against playing bike polo entirely. And it was shared all over the internet— by my friends! Who all love playing bike polo more than they love their parents. Was it an inside joke? Because I don’t know if I entirely “get” it. Was it a manifesto? Because it had some very poignant arguments that really forced me to reevaluate my priorities. Was it a rant? Because this page was written in a very upsetting tone, to which I can certainly relate. Well guess what, friends: sometimes I fucking hate bike polo too.

This new blog accomplished everything it set out to achieve: it left me feeling kind of empty inside, like all the money and sweat and blood I’ve spent over the last two years was for nothing. Suddenly, all my experiences with the awesome people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting at tournaments and events were meaningless. What am I doing? Why am I doing this to myself? Is there anything to be gained from my involvement in this young, dumb, [relatively] poorly organized sport? And as a NAH rep, am I part of the problem?

You're not the only one who hates bike polo. We all hate bike polo, you were just the first person to put it into writing.

You’re not the only one who hates bike polo. We all hate bike polo, you were just the first person to put it into writing.

I don’t always love bike polo, in fact sometimes I hate it. I hate that no matter how hard I try, I am still not good enough to win a tournament, or oftentimes even just a pickup game. I hate that I feel like I have dropped several large stacks of $20 bills into a paper shredder for a bike that will likely snap in half while I’m riding it. I hate the rules and the regulations and the refs. I hate the people that make bike polo hate-able: the stuck-up bike snobs that call me “butt hurt” when I express frustration, the renegade pricks that threaten my well-being with dangerous and irresponsible play, and the care-free veterans that make me feel bad for trying or caring. Maybe I do care too much. Maybe I am trying too hard. Maybe I’m not macho or drunk or stoned enough. Maybe, paradoxically, I’m not invested enough, even though I write these blog posts about the best polo bike or the coolest video of a “pro” game. [Maybe I’m just feeling under-appreciated, and I’ll completely regret this post tomorrow.] But seriously, tell me, what does it take to get good at bike polo?

I can’t stop playing bike polo, I won’t stop playing. I’m too invested— monetarily, emotionally, physically. I’ve put in too much time to care whether or not I will win a tournament, a prize, or an award. And if I’m being 100% honest with myself, I’ve grown too much as a person to stop playing. I’m reading, writing, thinking and doing more than I ever have in my entire life. I have learned more about myself in a year than I had learned in the previous ten. And even though I doubt bike polo will ever have corporate sponsors or be featured at the X Games, I’ll know that I did something active, different, and interesting with my Sunday afternoons, instead of watching football, singing karaoke, and playing board games. I can do all that stuff any other night of the week. -ZS

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Polo Specific Bikes: The Choice is Yours
Posted on January 6th, 2014 at 11:00 am by polonick

Bike polo specific bikes are so tight. Tight in geometry, tight in the way people from California Cascadia say it, as in, “This pizza is so good, it’s hella tight.” There are new specs coming out every month and I, for one, welcome our new bike builder overlords.

If I had the money to build some new 26" wheels, I would get this bangin' bike and all new underwear (because the old ones would be moist-- in a fun way)

If I had the money to build some new 26″ wheels, I would get this bangin’ bike and a 12pack of underwear (because the old ones would be moist– in a fun way)

The mania started last month with the announcement of the 2014 version of the Hija de la Coneja, or as we call it colloquially in Boston, the Rabbit. Personally, I have coveted the Rabbit since Tobi got one last summer. As soon as he saddled up on his new bike, his game instantly stepped up. He dabbed less, he turned tighter, and he biked faster (although sometimes it still takes him forever to get physically onto the court). The only thing keeping me from getting a Rabbit is the cost of building brand new wheels. For some reason, switching from 700c to 26” feels like a big decision. I love the look of the bike, and at $500 for the shipped (!) frame and fork, it is a relatively low price on a huge upgrade.

In other worldly polo bike news , the European bike builder / power ranger Max Power releases some specs on his 2014 model of a 700c wheel polo bike. At €490, or approximately $665, it is a sleek aluminum alloy machine with smooth welds and pretty colors. Max Power metal was everywhere you looked at Worlds this year, and I would be interested to test ride the XL frame  to see if it can accommodate my long monkey arms. Personally I don’t know too much about the bikes, but clearly they are dope because people are kickin’ up the jams at tournaments riding these sexy steeds.

This is a dank, "buttery"  700c bike, but the price of admission is definitely going to keep some people from taking the plunge, myself included.

This is a dank, “buttery” 700c bike, but the price of admission is definitely going to keep some people from taking the plunge, myself included.

For those who want to stick with their current 700c wheel set, FBM just released the specs and geometry for the Ballista, a “new” polo specific frame that has been three years in the making. Built in America, this is the most premium local polo bike frame set your freedom-dollars can buy. Everything about this bike looks sexy, and everyone that rides one is wicked hella pro (meaning currently on blue chip polo teams). As much as I love the look of this bike and the promise of super tight polo bike geometry, I couldn’t ever see myself dishing out over $750 for a frame and fork that will likely end up in pieces on the court someday. I look forward to reading a review or hearing a friend talk about this bike someday— maybe Charlie Sprinkle, since I know for sure that he threw down on the pre-order.

Rustbelt hasn’t released anything “new” recently, but for those who are able to get a hold of him, Lou makes a pretty dank polo frame, called the Marco for 26” wheels. At every tournament I’ve ever been to, I see a frame snap at a weird place, and someone (usually Nico) yells “Should’ve got a Marco!” and everyone with a Marco frame laughs hysterically for an uncomfortably long time. Either way, I think Rustbelt builds a quality product in the USA, and judging by the way Redbeard rides his, the bike is built to last.

Not a stunner, but she gets the job done. This is my bike, Pake Rum Runner frame with a Soma Cross Disc fork. Cheapest bike on the market, but the most bang for your buck.

Not a stunner, but she gets the job done. This is my bike, Pake Rum Runner frame with a Soma Cross Disc fork. Cheapest bike on the market. Look, I’m still using yellow stuff. I’m a purist, ok?

At the end of the day, there are always budget specials for kids considering new polo bikes. My Pake Rum Runner has been holding up nicely, and despite its extra weight and wonky head tube angle, you can’t really beat the $180 price tag on the frame (before shipping). And despite the warnings, a large percentage of kids will always play polo on Marino and Velolocuma bikes. I’ve seen a lot of snapped forks on the internet, but for a serious looking polo frame I don’t know how anyone could overlook the price ($350 for frame and fork).

If you know of a polo specific bike that I overlooked, or if your budget bike is better than any of the ones I listed, please let me know in the comments section! -ZS

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Dedication + Physical Labor = POLO
Posted on January 5th, 2014 at 12:28 pm by polonick

Over the past week Mother Nature dumped about 15 inches of powder snow on the city of Boston. Most urbanites were stoked, as it meant they didn’t have to report to work or school. But Boston Bike Polo folks were fully aware of reality of the situation: we may have to actually heed Lancaster Polo’s advice.

Not playing Polo this weekend was a an option we could not swallow, so a small crew headed to Allston yesterday to assess the situation and see if we couldn’t make the court playable. Upon arrival, much to our surprise, a 2014 miracle! A rogue group of out-of-town hockey enthusiasts had clear half of the court! We went to work and moved a butt ton of snow! When the temps buldge above freezing today, our court will be ready for a january whack session.

Some may think we’re crazy for spending our breaking backs, hauling snow. But we’re not crazy. We are just polo players.

IMG_6616

IMG_6615

<a href="http://www.bostonbikepolo.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/IMG_6614.jpg" rel="lightbox[1444]" title="IMG_6617“>IMG_6614IMG_6617

The post Dedication + Physical Labor = POLO appeared first on Boston Bike Polo.

Dedication + Physical Labor = POLO
Posted on January 5th, 2014 at 12:28 pm by polonick

Over the past week Mother Nature dumped about 15 inches of powder snow on the city of Boston. Most urbanites were stoked, as it meant they didn’t have to report to work or school. But Boston Bike Polo folks were fully aware of reality of the situation: we may have to actually heed Lancaster Polo’s advice.

Not playing Polo this weekend was a an option we could not swallow, so a small crew headed to Allston yesterday to assess the situation and see if we couldn’t make the court playable. Upon arrival, much to our surprise, a 2014 miracle! A rogue group of out-of-town hockey enthusiasts had clear half of the court! We went to work and moved a butt ton of snow! When the temps buldge above freezing today, our court will be ready for a january whack session.

Some may think we’re crazy for spending our breaking backs, hauling snow. But we’re not crazy. We are just polo players.

IMG_6616

IMG_6615

<a href="http://www.bostonbikepolo.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/IMG_6614.jpg" rel="lightbox[1444]" title="IMG_6617“>IMG_6614IMG_6617

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2014 Polo Resolutions
Posted on January 1st, 2014 at 6:24 pm by polonick

It’s that time of year – the time to make New Year’s resolutions, only to fail at them around the third week of January, make a half-hearted attempt to restart them in mid-February, and then totally abandon the resolutions all together by March. Maybe this year it will be different. Probably not. But either way, here are MY polo related resolutions for 2014:

– Master the Mateusz (of Berlin/Krakow) Goal. It’s that goal when you’re racing down the court and on the goal line you just tap the ball between the goalie’s wheels. I’m going to master it this year.

– Don’t break any more bones. (This is kinda a big one.)

– This is going to be the year of being that person. You know that person – the one who goes to the court on off days to hit around by themselves (ideally with some headphones listening to some sweet reggae tunez), shows up early to pick-up, and, you know, practices. I want to be that person this year. For once.

– GO TO LADIES ARMY. BUT SRSLY THIS TIME.

– Play tournaments in the northeast, and make northeast polo friends (I’m looking at you Eastside polo).

– Encourage more rad women to play polo in Boston.

– Be a good club member in Boston/help get shit done/be friendz.

SHOTGUN MOAR BEERZ

SHOTGUN MOAR BEERZ

I asked some of the other members of BBP for their goals, and this is what they said:

 

Radd I son’s Resolutions:

– be able to to put every shot (that i want) top shelf

– bring the radcaps lifestyle interstellar

– talk less shit to the refs (especially while i’m playing) (unless they deserve it)

– shotgun way more beers

– stay fully fanged

 

Alan’s Resolution:

 

I’d like to strengthen my off court relationships with my club mates. While not directly polo skill related, I think it’s something that can really affect what happens on the court. Also, I’d like to play in more tournaments and play in those tournaments with more players from other clubs.  

 

The game must go on

Bone Stimulation

(Amateur) Jav’s Resolutions:

-stay injury free

-go to nahbpc and maybe worlds

– improve shot accuracy

-teach Diego how to ride a push bike

 

 

 

 

BEARCAT2004/ZAC’S RESOLUTIONS:

Never lose my temper on the court

-Get on my bike and practice ball touches once a week, separately from pickup

-Qualify for NAs

-Qualify for worlds, even if i can’t afford to go

-Write cooler articles for the blog

-And alan i’m with you on hanging out with polo kids when not at polo.

YoungBlood said that he’s going to “actually play polo.”

And

Toby’s resolution

is to post a picture of his lunch everyday on our forum. This was his first one.

nom nom nom

nom nom nom

The post 2014 Polo Resolutions appeared first on Boston Bike Polo.

2014 Polo Resolutions
Posted on January 1st, 2014 at 6:24 pm by polonick

It’s that time of year – the time to make New Year’s resolutions, only to fail at them around the third week of January, make a half-hearted attempt to restart them in mid-February, and then totally abandon the resolutions all together by March. Maybe this year it will be different. Probably not. But either way, here are MY polo related resolutions for 2014:

– Master the Mateusz (of Berlin/Krakow) Goal. It’s that goal when you’re racing down the court and on the goal line you just tap the ball between the goalie’s wheels. I’m going to master it this year.

– Don’t break any more bones. (This is kinda a big one.)

– This is going to be the year of being that person. You know that person – the one who goes to the court on off days to hit around by themselves (ideally with some headphones listening to some sweet reggae tunez), shows up early to pick-up, and, you know, practices. I want to be that person this year. For once.

– GO TO LADIES ARMY. BUT SRSLY THIS TIME.

– Play tournaments in the northeast, and make northeast polo friends (I’m looking at you Eastside polo).

– Encourage more rad women to play polo in Boston.

– Be a good club member in Boston/help get shit done/be friendz.

SHOTGUN MOAR BEERZ

SHOTGUN MOAR BEERZ

I asked some of the other members of BBP for their goals, and this is what they said:

 

Radd I son’s Resolutions:

– be able to to put every shot (that i want) top shelf

– bring the radcaps lifestyle interstellar

– talk less shit to the refs (especially while i’m playing) (unless they deserve it)

– shotgun way more beers

– stay fully fanged

 

Alan’s Resolution:

 

I’d like to strengthen my off court relationships with my club mates. While not directly polo skill related, I think it’s something that can really affect what happens on the court. Also, I’d like to play in more tournaments and play in those tournaments with more players from other clubs.  

 

The game must go on

Bone Stimulation

(Amateur) Jav’s Resolutions:

-stay injury free

-go to nahbpc and maybe worlds

– improve shot accuracy

-teach Diego how to ride a push bike

 

 

 

 

BEARCAT2004/ZAC’S RESOLUTIONS:

Never lose my temper on the court

-Get on my bike and practice ball touches once a week, separately from pickup

-Qualify for NAs

-Qualify for worlds, even if i can’t afford to go

-Write cooler articles for the blog

-And alan i’m with you on hanging out with polo kids when not at polo.

YoungBlood said that he’s going to “actually play polo.”

And

Toby’s resolution

is to post a picture of his lunch everyday on our forum. This was his first one.

nom nom nom

nom nom nom

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