Big Monday

Posted on October 10, 2018September 14, 2020 by Alias Tagami

The 2018 NAHBPC is done, and another season of North American bike polo is complete. We would not be here without the hard work of many people. First, a thank you to this year’s host of NAs, Milwaukee Bike Polo. They worked hard to provide a great space for this year’s event, and their work resulted in a reinvestment to bike polo infrastructure that will surely strengthen the region and help players for years and years to come. We should also be thankful to the ten hosts of the regional qualifiers who helped make this year’s qualification series. It is a lot of work to coordinate regionally and provide an accessible tournament for all those who are eager to compete for the North American Championship title.

I’d like to personally thank Mark Aseltine, who was not physically at the NAHBPC, but was quietly supervising remotely from out west. Mark designed the entire tournament, qualification system, and documentation for the event. Will Robbins helped make sure the event had scheduled refs and helped track all the volunteers for that labor. Joe Rstom helped with on-site event management when I was not there and also helped provide some tech support for the live stream that was setup by David Barthod. I’m very glad to have a quality video record of some amazing matches from this year’s event. I’m sure that this model for live streaming will become more and more popular in the future, and the NAH encourages events to try and budget for this kind of media coverage. If your event is interested in doing this, reach out to us for more information about costs, supplies, and how to host on the official NAH YouTube channel.

At the closing ceremony, I announced that I was done with being President of the NAH. While I am stepping down from that role, I plan to remain in support of the NAH in two other roles. I will continue to support the NAH as Treasurer and as Governor. The latter title is not a functional position in the NAH, but rather it means that I am the point of contact for the U.S. Government for the NAH in managing and maintaining our 501(c)3 non-profit status as an organization. With the help of Meghan Shoop earlier this year, the NAH created a roadmap document for clubs who are interested in formal incorporation and establishing themselves as their own 501(c)3 non-profit. If this interests your club, please do not be shy about asking questions or seeking advice.

My former teammate Greg Russo calls the melancholy Monday after a bike polo tournament “Big Monday,” and last monday was one of the biggest I’ve had in a long time. Although I have stepped down from the role of President, I have a few outstanding agenda items. For the benefit of the community, I’ll outline what work remains to be completed.

1) NAH Census

The need for good data on the status of bike polo has been asked for of the NAH for a few years. This data could be useful to future NAH leadership rebalancing regions, providing targeted support, and reviewing existing policies. The NAH has created a census form. This form is not like previous surveys that the NAH or others have produced. The census was designed to be a repeatable questionnaire to help track the health and development of bike polo at the club level. What makes this questionnaire different is that only one entry if filled out per club. It is not a form for individual players.

The census will be administered through the NAH’s Regional Reps and local club leaders. The census will open soon and we hope to collect all responses by the end of December. Regional Reps will be given early access to the form in the near future. The result summary will be made public and raw data will be made available to all Regional Reps.

2) 2019 Survey of Players

Forms forms and more forms, but this survey is for all players who attended the 2018 NAHBPC and the NAH Regional Qualifiers. This information will be provided to the NAH’s new leadership to help inform their decisions on the design, format, and schedule of the 2019 NAH Qualifying Series and how players will qualify and be certified for the 2019 WHBPC in Córdoba, Argentina.

This form will be sent to all team captains from the 2018 NAH season starting with the captains from the NAHBPC and later the captains from the Regional Qualifiers. Captains will be responsible for dissemination of the link to all members of their team roster.

3) New NAH Leadership

Perhaps most obvious is the need to fill any vacant positions in the NAH and reorganize as needed. In addition to myself, Joe Rstom and Will Robbins will also be stepping down from their roles in the NAH as Rules Director and NAH Head Ref respectively.

The NAH will provide descriptions for the roles and responsibilities on our website in the next week. If you are interested in filling any of these roles, you should start thinking about your experience and qualifications. Once we have collected information about interested nominees, the NAH will publish short profiles of each person online. More information about the selection process will be published in the near future.

This is not Goodbye!

As I look back on the times I’ve spent with the NAH, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together and with groups like WTF-FRST. I’m proud of the last two years of development and the kinds of changes we’ve seen new rules and the squad format. Change can be uncomfortable and sometimes letting go is hard, but I have full confidence in our community. I know that whoever steps up will do great things.

Lastly, some unsolicited advice from me, leadership is not merely having opinions and it’s not measured solely in what people like (although trying to make people happy should always be at the front of one’s mind in a service position). You will make hard choices, and you will face criticisms, but worse is existing in a state where nobody is let down because nobody expects anything from you. Criticism means that people agree that you’re in a position of responsibility and one of consequence. I’ve tried to take criticism and constructively focus it into my decisions over the last few years, and I hope that my legacy will read charitably of my judgment, candor, and optimism for what we can be. Last year I asked that we all make bike polo special for someone else, and I want everyone who made it special for me to know that I’m forever in their debt. Thank you for letting me have the honor of your service, and I look forward to seeing you all on the court, wherever it may be next.

If you have questions about the Census, email Alias Tagami at alias@nahardcourt.com.

If you have questions about the Player Survey, email Joe Rstom at joe@nahardcourt.com and Jenny Spencer at jenny@nahardcourt.com.

2018 NAHBPC Format, Schedule & Groups

Posted on September 21, 2018September 14, 2020 by Alias Tagami

For the full schedule, groups and results, follow along here:
https://goo.gl/7i2jQY

Next weekend is the 2018 NAHBPC in Milwaukee! Here’s what you should know about the schedule and format of the events.

Friday Sept 28th

Phase 1: 3 groups of 8 teams, round robin play

The field of 24 teams will be divided and balanced into 3 groups (see groups below). Teams will play 3 or 4 matches on Day 1.

Saturday, Sept 29th

Phase 1: continued from Day 1

Teams will remain in their same groups and play the remaining 3 or 4 matches. At completion of Day 2, all teams in a group will have completed a round robin and will have played every other team in their group. The top 4 teams in each group advance to Phase 2.

Sunday, Sept 30th

Phase 2: 3 groups of 4, point-based competition

The top 12 teams will be divided into 3 groups. Teams play 3 matches. At completion, each team’s Phase 2 record (win/lose/tie, goal differential, etc) will determine ranking across all three groups in one list. The top 8 teams will advance to phase 3.

Phase 3: Single Elimination Bracket

The top 8 teams will be seeded into a bracket based on their Phase 2 results. All ties at the end of regulation time will be played out in overtime until golden goal.

Phase 1 Groups:

Group 1

Control
Quietly, Once
Hodag
Ursa Minor
Superpolo
Hannya
Deadfish Handshake
Lottery Winner

Group 2

Bob Ross
Mosquito
Peanuts
The Low Fives
🔥🙃
Alek’s Greek Burger
Camp
Moon Dust

Group 3

Judgement
Spooky
MUCHO
Les Beehive Baes
Malort Politics
Paul’s Bunyan’s
Slack is Wack
Fine Thanks

For a list of players on each team, visit the official NAHBPC website.

If you have any questions regarding schedule, format or grouping, send an email to mark@nahardcourt.com.

2018 NAHBPC Dates and Allocations

Posted on July 10, 2018September 14, 2020 by Alias Tagami

Hello North America! We’re almost through all of the Regional Qualifiers (RQ) and we’re very excited about the results! The NAH has been working with Milwaukee Bike Polo (MKE) on a few announcements so that teams can begin their trip planning for the NAHBPC! We are confident this will be an excellent event!

Courts

First off, the big news! We will have three courts! This is exciting because it means that the NAH will be inviting additional teams from across North America! MKE has seized upon this opportunity to renovate and update their local court infrastructure. They will be modifying their existing courts with better door access and building a new third court!

Allocation Update

The original allocation was for 18 teams. The new allocation is for 24 teams! The new 6 spots are being allocated different than the first 18 as a measure of equity to promote diversity, development, and encourage greater regional interest in the event. The updated allocation break out will be as follows:

Cascadia (CS): 4
Southwest (SW): 4
Heartland (HL): 2
Eastside (ES): 2
Great Plains (GP): 2
Great Lakes (GL): 2
South Central (SC): 2
Southeast (SE): 2
Mexico (MX): 2
Northside (NS): 2

Tournament Format

The format will be similar to the NAHBPC 2017 and WHBPC 2017. The NAHBPC will have three phases over three days. A detailed schedule of the NAHBPC will be posted on the official event web page when they are finalized.

Date & Location

The NAHBPC schedule will span September 28th to September 30th. All matches will occur at Washington Park. For those familiar with MKE, this is the same location their current polo courts are located. The courts have lights. Details on additional amenities will be announced at a later date.

Website

We are happy to present to you the 2018 website! We hope that this site will serve as a helpful landing page for all your questions about the 2018 NAHBPC! We will add additional information on housing/hotels, food, and other travel related information as it becomes available. Payment, schedule, and team information will be posted here as well.

nahbpc.com

New Logo

Thanks to the work of Alyssa Johnnes, we are pleased to present the logo for the NAHBPC. This logo is not just for this year’s NAHBPC, but will be the icon for the future of the event for years to come!

WHBPC 2019

The 9th World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championship is up for public vote! An international committee with global representation collected bids this year and has worked with the potential hosts to make sure the event will be a success no matter where it is located. The NAH full embraces the work of the committee and grants its full confidence in both potential host’s capacity to provide a top class event.

All that remains is you! Yes you! The committee is polling the international polo community on preferences on

1) Venue
2) Format (Squad versus 3v3)

Polling continues through July 31st, so make sure your voice is heard! Currently, there is a low polling from the North American community!

To vote go here.

¡Hola América del Norte! ¡Casi hemos superado todos los Regional Qualifiers (RQ) y estamos muy entusiasmados con los resultados! El NAH ha estado trabajando con Milwaukee Bike Polo (MKE) en algunos anuncios para que los equipos puedan comenzar su planificación de viaje para el NAHBPC. ¡Estamos seguros de que este será un evento excelente!

COURTS

Primero, ¡la gran noticia! ¡Tendremos tres cortes! ¡Esto es emocionante porque significa que el NAH invitará a equipos adicionales de toda América del Norte! MKE ha aprovechado esta oportunidad para renovar y actualizar su infraestructura judicial local. ¡Modificará sus tribunales existentes con un mejor acceso a la puerta y construirá un tercer tribunal nuevo!

ACTUALIZACIÓN DE ASIGNACIÓN

La asignación original fue para 18 equipos. ¡La nueva asignación es para 24 equipos! Los nuevos 6 espacios se asignan de manera diferente a los primeros 18 como una medida de equidad para promover la diversidad, el desarrollo y fomentar un mayor interés regional en el evento. La distribución actualizada de asignación será la siguiente:

Cascadia (CS): 4
Southwest (SW): 4
Heartland (HL): 2
Eastside (ES): 2
Great Plains (GP): 2
Great Lakes (GL): 2
South Central (SC): 2
Southeast (SE): 2
México (MX): 2
Northside (NS): 2

FORMATO DEL TORNEO

El formato será similar al de NAHBPC 2017 y WHBPC 2017. El NAHBPC tendrá tres fases durante tres días. Se publicará un calendario detallado de la NAHBPC en la página web oficial del evento cuando se finalicen.

FECHA Y UBICACIÓN

El cronograma de NAHBPC abarcará del 28 de septiembre al 30 de septiembre. Todos los partidos ocurrirán en Washington Park. Para aquellos familiarizados con MKE, este es el mismo lugar donde se encuentran sus actuales pistas de polo. Los tribunales tienen luces. Los detalles sobre servicios adicionales se anunciarán en una fecha posterior.

SITIO WEB

¡Nos complace presentarles el sitio web 2018! Esperamos que este sitio sirva como una página de inicio útil para todas sus preguntas sobre el NAHBPC 2018. Añadiremos información adicional sobre vivienda / hoteles, alimentos y otra información relacionada con los viajes a medida que esté disponible. El pago, el cronograma y la información del equipo se publicarán aquí también.

Sitio web oficial de NAHBPC

NUEVO LOGOTIPO

Gracias al trabajo de Alyssa Johnnes, nos complace presentar el logotipo de NAHBPC. ¡Este logo no es solo para NAHBPC de este año, sino que será el icono para el futuro del evento en los años venideros!

WHBPC 2019

¡El noveno Campeonato Mundial de Hardcourt Bike Polo está listo para votación pública! Un comité internacional con representación global recabó ofertas este año y ha trabajado con los posibles anfitriones para asegurarse de que el evento sea un éxito sin importar dónde esté ubicado. El NAH completo abarca el trabajo del comité y otorga plena confianza en la capacidad de ambos posibles anfitriones para ofrecer un evento de primera clase. ¡Todo lo que queda eres tú! ¡Sí tú! El comité está encuestando a la comunidad internacional de polo sobre las preferencias en

1) Lugar
2) Formato (Squad versus 3v3)

La votación continúa hasta el 31 de julio, ¡así que asegúrese de escuchar su voz! ¡Actualmente, hay una baja votación de la comunidad norteamericana!

Para votar ve aquí.

WHBPC Bid Candidates

Posted on May 28, 2018September 14, 2020 by Alias Tagami

The World Bike Polo Organizing Committee have received three bids to host the 9th World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championship. The committee is composed of representatives from NAH, EHBA, AHBPA, AsiaHBPA, and BPLA. The last two continental regions to host (NA and Aus/NZ) were not eligible to bid unless there were no competitive bids submitted. Fortunately there was a huge response, and we have three excellent candidates to host then next world championship!

The bidding cities are:

Bike Polo Vienna (Austria, EHBA)
Córdoba Bici Polo (Argentina, BPLA)
Perpignan Bike Polo (France, EHBA)

All bidders are offering venues with three to four courts, and with host dates in August-September 2019.

Location Information

Vienna – Martinek Army Base (closed): Google Maps
Cordoba – Parking of Stadium Mario Alberto Kempes, Forja event center: Google Maps
Perpignan – Parc des Sports – Avenue Paul Alduy: Google Maps

What Next?

The committee is now asking the bidders to expand on the information provided, including providing pictures of the venues, and we will present final bids for a vote starting 01-July-2018 and closing on 31-July-2018.

En Español

Propuestas para el noveno Campeonato Mundial de Hardcourt Bike Polo

El Comité Organizador Mundial de Bike Polo ha recibido 3 propuestas para organizar el noveno Campeonato Mundial de Hardcourt Bike Polo. Las ciudades candidatas son:

Bike Polo Vienna (Austria, EHBA) – https://www.facebook.com/BikepoloVienna/
Córdoba Bici Polo (Argentina, BPLA) – www.facebook.com/cordobabikepolo/
Perpignan Bike Polo (Francia, EHBA) – https://www.facebook.com/perpignanbikepolo/

Todos los postores ofrecen lugares con 3 a 4 canchas y fechas en septiembre de 2019.

Base del ejército de Viena – Martinek (cerrada): Google
Córdoba – Estacionamiento del Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, centro de eventos Forja. Mapa de lugares: Google
Perpignan – Parc des sports – avenida Paul Alduy: Google

El comité ahora está solicitando a los postores que amplíen la información provista, incluyendo la provisión de imágenes de los lugares. Presentaremos las ofertas finales para la votación que comenzará el 1 de julio de 2018 y finalizará el 31 de julio de 2018.

Africa needs bike polo... — Global Bike Polo Clubs

Milwaukee to Host NAHBPC 2018

Posted on May 14, 2018September 14, 2020 by Alias Tagami

The NAH is very pleased to announce that the 2018 NAHBPC will be returning to Milwaukee, WI!

Milwaukee (MKE) has been a bike polo institution in the short history of our sport. It has forged champions, and it no stranger to hosting major events. The NAH knows that the MKE club will provide an excellent continental championship, and we were very pleased with the content of their bid. The final date of the event is still being finalized, but it will still occur within the original NAHBPC window (Between Sept 21st and Oct 22nd).

As more details are known will be posted here: nahbpc.com

MKE’s bid took excellent advantage of the grant initiative funding that the NAH reserved for the event, and the entire North American bike polo community should praise them for their work thus far and to come. Their bid features supplemental support from Wausau Bike Polo, and as such praise and thanks should be passed on to both clubs for their collaboration. The bid is ambitious, and involves potential new court infrastructure. If you are already familiar with MKE’s court setup, the bid outlined how the tournament space will adapted for the squad format should existing infrastructure be used for the event.

Please be patient while we work with MKE. In an abundance of caution, we won’t over-promise on details, so today’s announcement is limited to the location and time-window of the event. The Regional Qualifiers (RQs) have already begun, and we are excited about the season. Because of the NAHBPC’s timing, we remind all regions who have not yet scheduled their RQ that as a courtesy that they not schedule their tournament within six weeks of the NAHBPC. This allows for players and teams to have the bare minimum time needed to plan and schedule leave for the event and ensures a high quality competition.