Marco? Polo!

Horses are high-maintenance: They smell, they poop, they need to be fed. No one has time for that, especially serious polo players. And even for the less serious polo players, bikes are much cheaper than buying a horse anyway. Granted, bike polo won't replace Ralph Lauren's emblem anytime soon, and...

By Jess Swanson

October 17, 2013

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Horses are high-maintenance: They smell, they poop, they need to be fed. No one has time for that, especially serious polo players. And even for the less serious polo players, bikes are much cheaper than buying a horse anyway. Granted, bike polo won't replace Ralph Lauren's emblem anytime soon, and Prince Harry will not exchange his poised Arabian for a Schwinn either, but bike polo is taking off. The riders still maneuver the ball with a long mallet, but they're a little rougher around the edges than their Victorian predecessors, since they don't bother with helmets, knee guards, and all that preppy protective gear. Teams are made up of three players each and aim to make five goals before the other team to win the round. By the end of the weekend, world champions will be crowned. Come out to Regional Park to witness the best teams in the world from as far away as Australia and as close as Miami battle it out on the bike polo court in the 2013 Republic Bike World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championship. It's free to watch, and matches will be going on from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Regional Park is located 3700 NW 11th Place in Lauderhill. Visit whbpc2013.com.
Sun., Oct. 20, 9 a.m.-10 p.m., 2013

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Jess Swanson is a staff writer at New Times. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami’s School of Communication and wrote briefly for the student newspaper until realizing her true calling: pissing off fraternity brothers by reporting about their parties on her crime blog. Especially gifted in jumping rope and solving Rubik’s cubes, she also holds the title for longest stint as an unpaid intern in New Times history. She left the Magic City for New York to earn her master’s degree from Columbia University School of Journalism, where she spent a year profiling circumcised men who were trying to regrow their foreskins for a story that ultimately won the John Horgan Award for Critical Science Journalism. Terrified by pizza rats and arctic temperatures, she quickly returned to her natural habitat.

Contact: Jess Swanson

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Twitter: @jesssswan