Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Bicycle Polo

I am continually amazed by what the seemingly fearless fringe of humanity is able to do physically, and create conceptually. Next time you are feeling uninspired just Google search yourself some "inspiring people", "craziest artists", or "extreme sports videos" and you will be amazed what people are doing on this tiny planet.

I cannot credit a Google search with my own bizarre and totally awesome inspiration tonight - the gem of a hobby known as Bicycle Polo was introduced to me this evening by my boyfriend. Initially I thought he was making it up, but according to one New York Times video I found on YouTube, Bicycle Polo has been around a long while (it was actually a demo sport in the 1908 Olympics!).
The sport itself is pretty self-explanatory: think horse polo on a bike. Granted, the speed of the game is not too rapid and the talent is as much in the cyclist's handling skills as it is in the explosive power of his or her gams. Nevertheless, what a totally odd and surprisingly (well, at least to me) popular international sport! Check out the clip below to see what the traditional bicycle polo game looks like. There are street polo versions of the game too - think small asphalt courts and single speed road bikes or fixies as the mounts. Intrigued? Fortunately there's a U.S. Bicycle Polo Association Website and the Bicycle Polo Organization Website to get you started.

More crazy and totally amazing inspiration to come soon!


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