EHBPC 2009 registration open

Registration is open and teams have started signing up for Europe’s hottest bike polo tournament this summer 09.

To register go to http://www.ehbpc.org/ and to keep fully updated with the championships news!

The Polo Worlds! WHBPC

Registration for the Hardcourt Bicycle Polo World Championships is now officially open. Please go to hardcourtbicyclepolofederation.com to register. The Fed website is a joint effort of Chris Dilts and Ben Schultz (M.I.A.) in Chicago; I accept neither credit nor blame for the bulk of its content. Thanks, both of you.
I have competing nightmares, one where nobody shows up, one where 113 teams register – please put my mind at ease by registering as early as possible, so I have a reasonable headcount to make arrangements for. I have presently reserved/plan to build four hockey rinks which I think should accommodate sixty teams (Chicago had two courts for 35 teams, and I only died of boredom/anticipation twice during the whole weekend). If my numbers exceed 60 I may choose to cap the event, rather than allow it to collapse under its own weight.
The cost per team is $120 until July 1st (less than my initial estimate of sixty dollars per player), $200 thereafter. There should be a feature allowing you to register now, but pay at the tournament: $180. Don’t think I don’t know how expensive that is – I apologize. After almost three months of trying to squeeze money out of what I thought were likely sources, I have embarrassingly little to show for my efforts. If I hear somebody say “in this economy” one more time… Roxy (London) and I are presently in negotiations with a familiar bicycle industry company for a sponsorship which may bring an influx of cash to the Worlds, as well as the EHBPC and North Americans. If we secure significant cash support in the near future, lowering the cost of entry will be my first priority. Please don’t take that as a reason to delay your registration, the Fed account will promptly refund all those already registered if the price is lowered.
There is also a forum at the the Fed website which your registration will grant you access to. Ben (Chicago), Mike (London), myself and a few others will, shortly, post conversations about/suggestions for a unifying rulebook for Hardcourt Polo. We would very much appreciate your input and opinions on the rules for tournament play. The ultimate goal will be a set of rules that everyone can agree to prior to the Worlds in September, hopefully with trial runs at EHBPC and NAs.
Thanks so much, everybody, I can’t wait to play all of you in Philly.

words by the world fed

LHBP League team photos

To mark the end of the league we got a polo playing photographer James Purssell to do some team shots*, here they are…

(*some teams are MIA)

BAD POLO

Malice Nternational

Malletov Cocktail

Black Rebel Polo Club

No Sympathy

JiHaD

Sitting Ducks

The Zombie

James’s flickr set & website:

http://www.jamespurssell.com