Offbeat Sports

Offbeat Sports — page 1 — CHAPTER 1 BIKE POLO The world of sports goes far beyond the games seen on TV Big sports get most of the attention but many people play sports that aren’t as well known Take bike polo for example Bike polo was invented in 1891 in Ireland Also known as cycle polo the game was played on a grass field It became so popular that it was included as a demonstration sport at the 1908 Olympic Games in London England Today people mostly play bike polo on a hard court such as a parking lot or another paved surface Hard-court bike polo was developed in Seattle in 1999 Thousands of people around the world play the sport The game is played with teams of three or five players and teams can be coed or all one gender Only three players from each team are on the court at a time Larger teams swap out their players throughout the game A three-on-three game usually lasts 12 to 15 minutes or until one team reaches five points whichever comes first A five-on-five game takes 30 to 60 minutes depending on the tournament and uses a running clock Cycle polo was popular during the early to mid-1900s

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Offbeat Sports — page 3 — Players hit the ball with their mallets and prevent the other team from scoring The object of bike polo is the same as in traditional polo Players use mallets to advance a small hard ball into the opponent’s goal They must stay on their bikes at all times If they touch the ground with their feet they will be touch the ground with their feet they will be considered out of play considered out of play Most players ride with one hand on their Most players ride with one hand on their handlebars and one hand on their mallet They handlebars and one hand on their mallet They can use any type of bike though it must adhere can use any type of bike though it must adhere to league specifications Many players customize to league specifications Many players customize their bikes Most of these bikes have smaller handlebars and only one gear to make them easier to control to control Players may not Players may not touch the ground touch the ground at all during at all during the game the game

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