From ‘Polo Fred’ Pakkala comes word there will be a Hardcourt Bike Polo demo down at the lacrosse box at Parksville Community Park this Thursday from 3-5 p.m.
The demo, he said, is being put on at the request of a local middle school mountain bike club with the hopes of introducing a new crop of players to the growing sport.
According to Wikipedia, Hardcourt Bike Polo is a variation of traditional Bicycle Polo in which teams of players ride bicycles and use mallets to strike a small ball into a goal.
Bicycle Polo was invented in Ireland in 1891 by Richard J. Mecredy. Modern Hardcourt Bike Polo surfaced in Seattle in the early 2000s and is now played on tennis courts, in parking lots and lacrosse boxes around the world.
The First Annual North American and European Hardcourt Bicycle Polo Championships were both held in August 2009.
“I will be giving some basic bike polo skills, demonstrations, and then they will be offered the chance to practise on their own or get right into some games. Usually people just want to get into playing.”
Fred said he’s hoping to have some of the other regular pick-up players stop by “to put on a real-speed demo as well as provide some coaching assistance … I’m also hoping for some good weather.”
