Forget the horse. For this kind of polo, players only need to know how to ride a bicycle.

It might not be as elegant, but it’s a lot more accessible and cheaper than its equestrian counterpart. All the athlete needs is a bicycle, a mallet and a street-hockey ball. A helmet might come in handy, but it’s optional.

The rules of the game are simple. Play begins by placing a ball in the center of the playing area. Players wait at opposite sides until a countdown frees them. Then they charge toward the ball.

It all sounds kind of dangerous, and Lee Geer, a member of Columbus Bike Polo, said accidents do happen.

“There [have] been some serious injuries in tournaments,” Geer said. He said that members of Columbus Bike Polo have been lucky in avoiding injury, however.

Once the game starts, players must keep their feet on their bicycle pedals at all times. They can use their mallets as tripods for balance assistance if needed. If a foot touches the ground, the player must leave the play and “tap out” by hitting the center court sideline with his mallet. That’s the only time players are allowed to intentionally hit something with their mallet other than the ball.

“You can check a player, but you can’t use the mallets on each other,” Geer said.

To score a point, players hit the ball into the goal with their mallet. If the side of the mallet is used, the goal doesn’t count. A team wins when it scores three or five points or when time runs out, depending on the team’s rules.

Geer said that because the game is relatively simple, players are often capable of officiating.

“We self ref,” Geer said. “Even in big tournaments you rarely see a ref.”

According to polo-velo.net, bike polo was invented by Richard J. Mecredy in 1891 in Ireland. It was even a demonstration sport in the 1908 London Olympics. Back then, the sport was played predominately on grass courts, but it has become a hard-court sport in urban areas.

Columbus Bike Polo plays every Tuesday at 9:30 p.m., but also tries to get together on weekends. They normally play near the Ohio State campus. Regular spots include street hockey courts on north campus and Tuttle Park. Play goes year-round, even through the winter season.

“It amazes me. It can snow inches, and we will come out with shovels and clear the court off,” Geer said.

The group is always looking for more members and welcomes all ages. Geer said there is no age limit.

“During the summer there are even middle school-aged kids at tournaments,” Geer said.

“Well I’m 56,” said Jon Blake, a fairly new bike polo player for the group. “So I don’t know where the cutoff is,” he said with a laugh.
Blake said he saw the group playing for the first time last fall while riding a bike trail through Tuttle Park with his granddaughter.

“I went home and looked it up online,” Blake said. He started playing soon after.

Geer said that you don’t need any previous experience to come out and play, and any bike is sufficient for the game.

“No special bikes,” he said. “You can use mountain bikes, to BMX bikes, to track bikes.”

The mallets are even homemade. Geer said they can be made out of ski poles, PVC pipe or gas piping.

“Everything about this sport is pretty much [do it yourself],” he said.
Geer said that Columbus Bike Polo includes at least five OSU students. He said they plan to make bike polo a student organization at OSU this spring. The goal for the group is to attend bike polo tournaments around the U.S.

If interested in Columbus Bike Polo or the future bike polo student organization, e-mail [email protected] or find Columbus Bike Polo on Facebook for more information.