Polo Thursday at 10PM! Indy fieldtrip before!

On Thursday Zach, Donniekong, Corey, and Sideshow Bob will be venturing to Indy at 5PM to play pickup. If anyone has freetime on Thursday you should go up with us for some out of town play! We'll play from 6-9 with them, then we'll return and play here 10-late. Come Play Polo!

IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING...

LIGHTNING STRIKES IN ATX!!!

Just checkin in and saying hey and to remind you guys that I haven't forgotten about you.

Man, I wish I could have been at the invitational, it looked like a great time was had by all!

(We gotta keep that sparkleramp tradition going)

Everything in Austin has been great. Great people, great city, and GREAT POLO!

In case you guys were missin me here are a few photos of my new set up...

New bars, new crank, new freewheel with a 20 tooth cog running 32/20

(But as you know, I gotta keep the Lightning)

I think it was a omen from the polo gods that I didn't bring my polo bike and upgraded to what I have now which I'm liking a lot cause I am really use to the feel of my bike(and I can still switch out the back wheel to get to work!)

More photos of games to come of my summer polo camp here in Austin!

- Lightning Lembo

Little Bayer in the Big City

I just got off the phone with Bloomington's own polo sweetheart Ashley Bayer. She's standing at the ESPI courts in Brooklyn right now watching the final match of Ladies Army (currently tied 2-2). Tomorrow she'll be tearing it up with some other East Coast ladies! Can't wait to hear the results and see the pictures. GO CRASHLEY!

Some of the best teams in the world will be there tomorrow (NYC, Seattle, etc) so this tourney will serve as a preview (of sorts) for the North American Championships happening next month. Go Beaver Boys!

Indiana Invitational - this Saturday!

Indiana Invitational Bike Polo Tournament
June 19th, 2010 - Bloomington, IND

Q: Where are the courts located?
A: Two 110x60 tennis courts (retrofitted with boards) are located at E. 7th St. & N. Campbell St. (47405) on the Indiana University campus.

Q: When will the tournament start?
A: 10am sharp. Players should be at the courts by 9:30am for a quick meeting (signup, rules, and seeding).

Q: How long will it last?
A: Swiss rounds should be finished by ~3pm. Double elimination should be finished ~7pm.

Q: Is there a rain date or location?
A: No. We will play at that location rain or shine.

Q: What about Friday night?
A: Teams are strongly encouraged to show up Friday night (1) cause pickup will be going on from 7pm to midnight that night and (2) so they can get some sleep and still be at the courts on time.

Q: Is there an afterparty?
A: Of course! Immediately following the final match we'll all move to the local polohaus for booze, bands, and revelry.

Q: Is there housing available?
A: Absolutely! Local members will put you and your friends up on both Friday and Saturday nights if you need. We will try our best to accommodate special requests.

Q: Do i need to be on a team to play?
A: Not necessarily. Single players will be matched up with other singles before play starts. Make sure to show up on time though.

Q: Is there a cost?
A: Yes. $5 per single player or $15 per team. For your entry fee you'll receive food, housing, spokecard, lots of polo, and a sweet afterparty.

Q: Will food be provided?
A: Yes. The menu is baked goods/fruit/coffee in the morning, burgers/chips/veggies/fruit around noon/1pm, and a burrito bar in the late afternoon. Vegetarian friendly options at every meal.

Q: Is alcohol allowed at the courts?
A: No, no, and no. The courts are located on the Indiana University campus from which all alcohol is banned. This is our regular pickup spot so please respect this rule. There will be plenty of time to drink afterwards.

Q: Will there be prizes?
A: Yes. Nothing fancy- but homemade trophies, local brew, custom mallet heads, and an assortment of silly prizes will all be up for grabs. Awards for the winning team and MVP, but also for non-skill things like best crash, most heart, and mr/ms.congieniality.

Q: Who is sponsoring this tournament?
A: Revolution Bike & Bean, St. Cago Poloworks, Kroger, Auris Apothecary, and Velocity USA have all donated prizes for the event, while the Bloomington Bike Polo Club is donating their time and money to make it happen.

Q: Are uniforms required?
A: No, but they are strongly encouraged! Teams are easier to identify for both players and spectators. Plus they're just fun.

Q: Are there any special rules I should be aware of?
A: Specific rules will be covered at the players' meeting before the tournament starts. No referees will be used but we expect players to abide by an honor system for fouls. The only special/local rule you may not be aware of is (since we use no referees) that players must tap-out BEHIND a player they foul. For example- if you t-bone or mallet-in-front-of-the-wheel someone you wait until they tap-out and then must tap-out behind them before returning to play. Also, ball-jointing ("cupping") and scoop shots are not legal shots- you must release to shoot.

Q: What is the point of this tourney?
A: For young clubs to experience competitive play, meet other Midwestern players, and expand their knowledge of the poloverse. While we wouldn't ban anyone from playing, keep in mind this tournament is intended more as a learning experience for "young guns" then as high-level competition for "old hands". We all just want to play polo, make new friends and have fun!

Indiana Invitational - June 19th, 2010

Finally, real polo is coming to the great state of Indiana! We ladies and gents of the Bloomington club will be hosting our (and Indiana's) first tournament on June 19th. We wanted to have an Invite (instead of an Open) so that all the younger/newer teams around the Midwest have a chance to experience fast-paced tournament play without getting 5-0'd by slayers every game (we were originally gonna call this tourney "Young Guns" but decided against it). That being said, anyone who really wants to attend can. We've already extended invitations to Indianapolis, Muncie, Ft.Wayne, Lafayette, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Decatur, Lexington, St.Louis (sort of), and have made attempts to contact Nashville and Louisville. We're also hoping to invite many of the Ohio clubs but we've had our hands full this week. The poloverse is rapidly expanding, so if you know any club or player who would like to attend point them in our direction!

For a mere $5 a person you'll get a day of competitive polo, housing with locals, spokecard, 2.5 meals, a crazy afterparty, and the chance to win one of many silly awards.

Housing/Registration contact - tdavies@indiana.edu

More info (rules, maps, etc) will be posted in the following days, so stay tuned!

T-shirt time!

So we're finally getting tshirts made! This'll be the design- nice and simple. Color hasn't been settled on yet, so get your suggestions in now. Jared (the printer) is sending me a color chart that i'll post shortly. If we can get organized they should be done in time for the tourney (which is in TWO WEEKS!).

Here's what i need from you- (1) the size you want, (2) how many shirts you want, (3) $10 for each one. Just make a comment on this post saying what you want.

[club tshirts * = paid]
-*zachary (2 sml, 1 med)
-*drew (1 sml)
-*travis (3 sml, 1 med)
-*donnie (3 XL)
-*jordan (1 sml)
-*lembo (1 med)
-*katie (1 sml)

-ashley (1 sml)
-bruce (1 sml)
-corey (2 XL)
-kyle (2 med)
-hamad (1 sml)

not ordered but assumed... rinzin, evan, jake, ???