Melbourne Autumn Polo Invitational 2010
May 8/9

Registration is now closed. We will not be taking registrations on the day

Where: North Carlton / Princess Hill secondary college. Corner of Paterson and Arnold. Click the link for a map

When: Saturday May 8th 2010 with Check in starting at 10am sharp. Don’t be late!

Format: Teams of 3. Feel free to mix it up with players from other cities. Melbourne style rules. Double-elimination with 15 minute games and first to 5 goals.

There will a BBQ set up with $1 veggie & meat snacks for sale to players and spectators, and some hella good polo. Everyone seems to be itching for more tournaments, so get yourselves down here & play!

We have prizes from Anticoast, Fibreflare, Skin grows back, Waiting for the sun, Velo cycles, Knog, Commuter cycles and Human powered cycles. Heaps to win!

If people need accomodations, we can sort that out as the weekend nears.

Any questions post em up!

Bench Tournament style.  Everyone who turns up will be in one of 3 teams, selected on the day.  Dodgy prizes,  BBQ and cold beverages.

Starts at 2pm sharp so get there early. Usual location

All going well Adelaide Bike Polo will hold a more formal and better organised tournament later in the year and extend the invitation out to other cities.

Heys just a quick heads up that I`m coming up to brisvegas for the 20th-21st of Feb.

Loads of prizes with proceeds going to haiti relief fund

Registration 1pm, $6 per player
Random mix of of players for teams, drawn by names in  a hat.
Play starts at 1:30pm
Round robin, with two top teams play out for a final

Lots and lots of prizes from:

• 100% KNOG
• streetlevelcrew
• BO gear
• GEAR

More Info at fixed.org.au - Will

1st Place, Lora, Patricia and Cara, Bushwackers, East Van.

On Friday, the first all womens Bike Polo Tournament was held in Vancouver.

Top four in standings for THE LADIES ARMY…

1. Bushwackers (East Van – Cara, Lora, Patricia)
2. In my back pocket (Ottawa – Jen, Ohlea, Shelly)
3. Vagic Moments (East Van – Lisa, Naomi, Polly)
4. Killer Ladybugs (Victoria – Cordelia, Naomi and Valley)

Photos by Polly Here

Photos by Cara Here

Bikepolo.ca Discussion Here

Last Saturday the Melbourne polo players held the two-on-two Fight Like Hell Melbournament at the Princess Hill court. Last summer’s Saturday games were held here, but probably half of the day’s players started this year. There were seven pairs registered for the 10 minute, first to three, round robin games and 15 min single elimination finals:

ZQKFX ::: <AJ.Vive>
Tap Tap ::: <Damon.Ray>
Stop the Rott ::: <Scott.Rob>
Wreck n Ruin ::: <Caff.Sam>
Jailbreakers ::: <Lorry.Paddy>
We Were Expecting Horses ::: <Nick.James>
Borries ::: <Bart.keZ>

It was great to see the Jailbreakers take time out of their busy (prison) schedule to represent, but Castlemaine can’t be that bad if they play polo there. I arrived late and without any planned teammate, but fortunately Bart was arriving later even than me and without an offsider too (if only we had decided on a title before someone named us Borries!). Vive’s mate Edryan was nice enough to bring some wood from Flagstaff to ensure the little edging we needed was of a suitable and consistent standard. Tap Tap would be looking to continue their winning streak (normally playing with Pete, who took mascot duties), while Sam, riding the Green Machine, was looking to show off his new yellow chain.

Unfortunately the yellow chain didn’t even complete the first game and the mascot had to be called to interrupt the beer run to picking up a replacement. It was decided that a pink one might work better. TT, WXH and STR showed strong form at the start, with early games proving that utilizing the extra space and keeping pressure on the ball carrier were necessary requisites to a successful team strategy. The stationary goalkeeping recently employed with some success by a few of the (three player) teams wasn’t going to suffice. This was obvious when Borries got crushed by STR in their first game, with Rob being particularly accurate with some quality early goals through Bart’s defenses.

Tap Tap may have been favourites, but STR showed that they wouldn’t have everything their own way by holding them to a 1-1 draw in their first game with a last second goal by scott, like a bomb defuser in a hollywood movie. Two points were offered for a win, a point shared for a draw and any tie being broken by goals scored/conceded. The two on two format made for some exciting individual efforts to defeat direct opponents. The accuracy of Damon’s shot from distance was clinical, while the strength and speed of Nick’s game made WXH the initial dark horses.

One of the goals of the tournament came in the game between WNR and ZQPTSX when Caff passed under a wheel to Sam who gently shot backhanded under pressure to score from a crazy angle. This brought the crowd to life and following a cautious beginning, the players began to warm up to the task too. One of the games of the tournament came when Jailbreakers met ZKXPTFJT. After an early goal, play continued under intense pressure, with easy shots hard to find. With only a few minutes remaining, Lorry scored to tie the game at 1-1. The crowd counted down from ten seconds. AJ collected the ball with close attention from Laury and as the crowd yelled “TWO”, launched his mallet at the ball. Before having a chance to call time, the crowd erupted in delight as the ball sailed through the witches hats and AJ held his mallet aloft victorious!

The top four teams would play off to determine the winner, and following some polo mathematics they were TT, Borries, STR and WXH to play 15 minute first to 5 games. WXH fought gallantly but TT finally found their passing mojo and managed to hold them off. By some minor miracle, the Borries fluked our semi-final against STR. We went down a goal early, but Bart and I combined well, creating space and shepherding opponents. It helped that I actually shot accurately a few times, but mostly I think we got lucky – Rob’s arm was so restricted from an earlier crash he couldn’t even lift a beer to his mouth after the game!

So TT would meet the Borries in the final. I don’t recall much about it. I remember losing the ball a couple of times when the ball didn’t roll my way, and not shooting as well as I did in the semi. I’m fairly sure we didn’t give away any easy goals, and Bart stood strong in defense, so we took the fight up to TT, but they were too good and deserved winners by 4-1. As you can see from the group photo, a great day was had by all.

A few additional words must be recorded – Happy Birthday to Scott and James and thanks to Caff for baking the chocolate&guiness cake. Thanks to Edryan for shifting the wood with Vive. Thanks to our mascot for the beers and chain, but boo for not playing!

Results:

1st. Tap Tap
2nd. Borries
3rd. Stop The Rot

Full results here.

Stop The Rot (Rob, Scott)
ZQKFX (AJ, Vive)
Wreck ‘n Ruin (Caff, Sam)
Tap Tap (Damon, Ray)
Jailbreakers – Castlemaine (Laurie, Paddy)
Borries (Bart, keZ)
We Xpctd Horses (James, Nick)

Abbly supported by the Melbournament mascot, a great day was had by all. A big thankyou to all who turned up TO PLAY (yes, i’m looking at you Pete!), especially to the Castlemaine crew, who proved that living in the sticks is no impediment to playing good polo.

Results:

1st. Tap Tap
2nd. Borries
3rd. Stop The Rot

A more complete roundup will be posted soon!

Last weekend the World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships 2009 were held in Philadelphia.

Flickr Photos Tagged WHBPC 

1st: Smile (Seattle, Seabass Leon Dustin)
2nd: Ballz Deep (East Van, Rory Chris Pieter)
3rd: Faceless Emotion (NYC, Doug Paul Zack)
4th: Wisconsin A (Jon A, Matt H, BriBri)
5th/6th: Ottawa (Coach / Ange / Alexix) and RVA (JT Nick Ian)
7th/8th: Madbikepolo (Jonny Ben Kev) / NYC/Philly (Chris R, Alex, Capriotti)
9th/10th/11th/12th: I’m not too sure, but i think it was Hero Squad (MKE), Machine Politics (LA/PDX? EDIT: Joe/Ben/Matt from Chicago), Prophecy (East Van), and retroactive abortions from PDX/LA?)

Photos from Urban Velo

Here are photos from the winner’s bracket: http://twitpic.com/gqlv6 and http://twitpic.com/gqlga

Male MVP: Seabass (SEA)
Female MVP: Kayla (PDX)

In view of keeping our polo skills sharp, and honing our organisational skills for the upcoming Aussie Nats, we announce the FIGHT LIKE HELL! 2 VS 2 Melbournament!

See map: Google Maps

$5 individual entry
Cash Prizes.

All skill levels and bikes welcome.

drinks afterwards at Bar Fred 797 Nicholson St

More details to come.

Register your interest HERE

]]> http://www.bikepolo.com.au/2009/08/fight-like-hell-2-vs-2-melbournament/feed/ 2 http://www.bikepolo.com.au/2009/08/what-to-bring-bbq-food-drinks/ http://www.bikepolo.com.au/2009/08/what-to-bring-bbq-food-drinks/#comments Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:00:46 +0000 Rob M http://www.bikepolo.com.au/?p=998 What to bring to the Tournament

As a spectator

Camping chairs if you plan to stay for the day, seats are limited.

A rug or picnic blanket, an esky and a jacket for the evening or incase it rains.

Sun screen, glasses and a hat may save you from turning into a lobster

As a player

The usual, bike, mallet, spare mallet, helmet, gloves.

Bring spares such as tyres, patch kits, inner tubes, spokes and tools such as spoke keys and multi-tools as a bike breakdown will not pause play and could cost you your match.

Having a spare bike is advisable, whether it be from a friend on the day or another player.  There are some bike stores in the area, but are at least a 10 min ride each way.

Media and Press

The courts are 40m long and 20m wide, side by side.  Most of the action happens within 1 second, so sports shooting camera equipment is a must.

Wide angle lenses are great for capturing the atmosphere, while 70-200 zoom lenses will hone in on the action.

Photography positions are available for photography at the sides of the courts.

Food

As the Flagstaff Gardens is just over the road from the Queen Victoria Market, where there is a wide range of food to be had. The market has a large Delicatessen, Butcher, Seafood stall and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.

We will be cooking a BBQ for all players which spectators may enjoy for a gold coin donation.

BBQ

There will be a BBQ for players with both Vegetarian and Carnivore varieties. Sausages, fried onion and fried mushrooms may feature on the menu. More details TBA.

There are picnic tables available next to the BBQ.

The BBQ has two plates so the Vegetarian and Meat plates could be separate

Drinks

Drinking in any area outside of the playing field is welcomed, with recycling bins a plenty.

Drinking on the court is forbidden as broken glass and liquid will affect game play and everyone will be mad at you.

There are a number of shops in the area which will sell you refreshing beverages.  Check on the Google Map for nearby bottle shops.  If you are on a tight budget, we advise that you visit a larger supermarket on the way to Flagstaff.

View larger Nationals Guide Map

Cycling is usually the easiest way to come to Flagstaff from the inner suburbs, but if you forgot your bike…

Train stations

Flagstaff Train Station is the closest but is CLOSED on WEEKENDS. The nearest train station is Melbourne Central.
Melbourne Central Train Station is a 10 minute walk or 5 minute bike ride
You are allowed to take bikes on trains at all times

Tram Stops

Catch the Tram number 55, jump off at Tram stop 9 outside the Queen Victoria Market and walk towards the roundabout to Flagstaff gardens and the Multi Purpose tennis/netball courts.
Only folding bikes are allowed on trams.