In a recent survey, we collected your feedback for the 2022 – 2023 NAH competitive season schedule leading up to the 2023 WHBPC in France. We also met with and gathered input from the Regional Representatives. With your and the Regional Reps feedback, we’ve selected Option A, which includes the following schedule:
NAH Regional Qualifiers will be held between Sept. 1 – Oct. 31, 2022.
The NAHBPC will take place between April 15 – June 15, 2023.
Overall survey and Regional Rep feedback
Most players preferred Option A (Qualifiers in the fall of 2022 and NAHBPC in the spring of 2023) because it gives players and clubs time to get back in shape, to practice, to get organized after more than a year away from competitive polo due to Covid, and to help grow new players’ skills and get them excited about playing in their Region’s qualifier in the fall.
However, some players from Regions with snow were concerned that Option A — which would host the NAHBPC in spring— won’t give them enough time to practice or compete before they attempt to qualify for the Championship. Because of these concerns, we have extended the window for hosting the NAHBPC into mid-June, pending a search for a venue.
Next Steps
We will work with the Regional Reps to schedule Qualifier dates and locations for 2022 and to find a host city for the 2023 NAHBPC.
If your club is interested in hosting the NAHBPC in late Spring of 2023, please reach out to Mark (mark@nahardcourt.com) to discuss the possibility and to have any of your questions answered.
Coming up in the next month(s), we will send information regarding the following items:
Regional allocation for the qualifiers to gain entry to the NAHBPC.
More detail on how NAH plans to prioritize in-region teams and players for their local qualifier.
We will make an official call for bids to host the NAHBPC in spring 2023.
We will announce dates and locations for regional qualifiers as they become available.
It’s a very exciting time for bike polo in North America and we hope to be able to host many successful and exciting events this year and beyond. Most importantly,we can’t wait to see you all on the court!
For any questions regarding the NAH competitive series including the NAHBPC, please contact Mark Aseltine directly at mark@nahardcourt.com.
1) Shannon our Event Director move to Australia to pursue her PhD. 2) We’d like to welcome our new NAH Event Director, Seema!
Read the deets below!
Thank you, Shannon!
Shannon was our Event Director since 2019 but had to step down this year because she moved to Australia to pursue her PhD. She joined the team to help improve the organization and running of the NAH Championship series. One of her big contributions while on the NAH Team was creating the NAH Tournament Handbook, in collaboration with Dan Vee. This Handbook will help clubs more smoothly organize and host NAH Championships.
Congrats Shannon on the move and pursuing your PhD and thank you SO MUCH for all your hard work over the years, we appreciate you and we’ll miss you!
Welcome Seema, our new Event Director!
We’d like to welcome our new NAH Event Director, Seema! Welcome to the team! We’re excited about your energy and all the big ideas you have!
About Seema
Seema was born out West, grew up in the South and spent her college and post college life in the Midwest. She currently resides in Greenville, SC where she looks to revive the Bike Polo club while creating a “How to Start a New Club” guide for other players to utilize.
Seema started playing Bike Polo in 2017 for Lafayette Bike Polo (Lafayette, IN), just 2 months prior to hosting her first Bike Polo Tournament. In the 5 years she has been playing she has hosted the following Bike Polo Events.
Riverside Spring Opener (2017)
“ Bike Polo Actually has Rules” Workshop (2018)
Riverside Spring Opener(2018)
Donata Bike Polo: Base Camp (2018)
Star City Tournament (2018)
Riverside Spring Opener(2019)
During her time in Lafayette, she worked to strengthen the relationship with the local Parks Department which eventually allowed LBP to build a permanent shed on Parks Property to house loaner equipment. Seema also established the club’s non-profit status as a 501(c)3 – Amatuer Spots Club. She was in the process of writing grants and looking to raise funds for future courts to be able to house regional (and possibly worlds) tournaments when covid hit, causing her to close her Venue in Lafayette (which she had for 8 years) and return home to South Carolina.
See now works as a Freelance Event Coordinator and venue consultant specializing in Artist Relations, Hospitality, and Event Logistics for Music Festivals and events that house anywhere between 2,000 to 200,000 people.
Seema hopes to bring to NAH an energetic view to the event experience in the Bike Polo world by offering virtual workshops and assisting clubs in strengthening the relationships between clubs and their local parks departments. She also hopes to help clubs see the positive benefits in hosting bike polo events in their community.
While listed as “Princess Slaya” on podium, she has not been successful in getting the nickname to stick in the polo community. Any help is greatly appreciated 😉
Want to say hi or connect? Send Seema an email at seema@nahardcourt.com
We just launched a survey for bike polo players who currently live and play in North America (Canada, U.S. and Mexico). The survey will be open until Feb 25th, 2022.
Each year, the North American Bike Polo Association (NAHBPA) hosts 10 regional qualifiers throughout Canada, United States and Mexico. These qualifying tournaments are referred to as NAH Regional Qualifying Tournaments.
Each of the 10 regions is allocated a certain number of spots to compete in the yearly North American Hardcourt Bike Polo Championship (NAHBPC).
Due to Covid, we were unable to host these tournaments in 2020 or 2021. We are currently assessing whether we can host these tournaments for the 2022 season. This decision depends on clubs’ capacities to host, how Covid cases and risks impact our ability to keep players and organizers safe, travel restrictions and other ongoing Covid related issues.
This survey is collecting feedback on a number of proposed 2022 & 2023 NAH Championship series timelines. We would like to gather NAH player and club feedback to help inform our decisions. In addition, we also are collecting information about what kind of Covid precautionary measures would make you feel safe and then general information.
If you have questions or concerns regarding this survey, please contact jennifer@nahardcourt.com or mark@nahardcourt.com
Below are the timeline options that are included in the survey:
Option A
Description of option A (see table below for timeline):
NAH Regional Qualifiers hosted by and for each region from Aug.- Nov. 2022
NAHBPC Hosted by the NAH with a TBD partner host club from Apr. – May. 2023
WHBPC Hosted by the EHBA in France, Aug. 2023
Pros: provides time for most recent Covid Omnicon surge cases to possibly come down and gives clubs time to plan for tournaments and implement Covid precaution measures in case of new variants, new Covid guidelines, etc.
Cons: It leaves a large gap of time between the Regional Qualifiers and the NAHBPC
Option B
Description of option B (see table below for timeline):
NAH Regional Qualifiers hosted by and for each region from July-Aug 2022
*backup plan in case of Covid surge would shift Qualifiers to later in season, Sept. 2022
NAHBPC Hosted by the NAH with a TBD partner host club from Oct.-Dec. 2022
**backup plan in case of Covid surge would shift NAHBPC to April 2023
WHBPC Hosted by the EHBA in France Aug 2023
Pros: provides plenty of flexibility in the timeline to allow for adjustments if we see new COVID surges and risks, travel restrictions, etc.
Cons: it potentially leaves a large gap of time between the NAHBPC and the WHBPC.
Option C
Description of option C (see table below for timeline):
2022
NAH Regional Qualifiers hosted by and for each region from Apr. – May 2022
NAHBPC Hosted by the NAH with a TBD partner host club from Sept.-Dec. 2022
2023
NAH Regional Qualifiers hosted by and for each region from Apr.-May 2023
NAHBPC Hosted by the NAH with a TBD partner host club from June 2023
WHBPC Hosted by the EHBA in France, Aug, 2023
Pros: has a more traditional NAH tournament schedule with lots of tournament competition.
Cons: It does not allow any flexibility for COVID complications/surges or travel restrictions. It leaves a very tight turnaround time to plan for a trip to France after the 2023 WHBPC.
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La encuesta es para jugadorxs que actualmente residen y juegan en Norteamérica (Canadá, Estados Unidos y México).
Cada año, la Asociación Norteamericana de Bici Polo (NAHBPA) tiene 10 torneos clasificatorios regionales a lo largo de Canadá, Estados Unidos y México. Dichos torneos clasificatorios son denominados Torneos Regionales Clasificatorios para el Norteaméricano.
A cada una de las 10 regiones se le asigna un número determinado de lugares para poder competir en el Torneo Norteamericano de Bici Polo en superficie dura (NAHBPC) que se lleva a cabo anualmente.
Debido a la pandemia de COVID, dicho torneo no ha podido suceder en los años de 2020 y 2021. Actualmente estamos analizando si será posible llevar a cabo los Torneos Regionales Clasificatorios y el Torneo Norteamericano en la temporada 2022. Esta decisión está basada en la capacidad de los clubes para ser anfitriones y de mantener a los jugadores y organizadores seguros, el número de casos de COVID, restricciones de viaje y otras situaciones que puedan suscitarse relacionadas a la pandemia.
Esta encuesta tiene como objetivo recolectar tu opinión acerca de las opciones que proponemos para la serie de Torneos Regionales Clasificatorios y el Torneo Norteamericano de la temporada 2022-2023. La retroalimentación recibida por jugadores y clubes guiará las decisiones de la temporada. Además, también queremos saber qué tipo de medidas de precaución relativas a COVID te hacen sentir seguro.
Opción A
Descripción de la opción A (ver la tabla de abajo):
Torneos regionales Clasificatorios que se lleven a cabo de Agosto a Noviembre 2022.
Torneo Norteamericano de Bici polo (NAHBPC), organizado por la NAH y un club anfitrión de Abril a Mayo 2023.
Mundial de Bici Polo (WHBPC), organizado por la Asociación Europea de Bici Polo en superficie dura en Francia durante Agosto 2023.
Pros: provee tiempo para que los casos de COVID Omicrón disminuyen, mientras los clubes tienen tiempo para planear torneos y definir las medidas de precaución contra COVID.
Contras: Hay un intervalo de tiempo considerable entre el Torneo Norteamericano y el Mundial.
Opción B
Descripción de la Opción B (ver la tabla de abajo)
Torneos regionales Clasificatorios que se lleven a cabo de Julio a Agosto 2022.
*En caso de que los casos de COVID incrementen, los torneos se llevarían a cabo en Septiembre de 2022.
Torneo Norteamericano de Bici polo (NAHBPC), organizado por la NAH y un club anfitrión, de Octubre a Diciembre 2022.
*En caso de que los casos de COVID incrementen, el torneo norteamericano se llevaría a cabo en Abril 2023.
Mundial de Bici Polo (WHBPC), organizado por la Asociación Europea de Bici Polo en superficie dura en Francia, durante Agosto 2023.
Pros: Provee suficiente flexibilidad en caso de necesitar ajustar fechas de torneos por si los casos de COVID incrementan y existan restricciones de viaje.
Contras: Existe la posibilidad de que haya un intervalo de tiempo considerable entre el Torneo Norteamericano y el Mundial.
Opción C
Descripción de la Opción C (ver la tabla de abajo)
2022
Torneos regionales Clasificatorios que se lleven a cabo de Abril a Mayo 2022.
Torneo Norteamericano de Bici polo (NAHBPC), organizado por la NAH y un club anfitrión, de Septiembre a Diciembre de 2022.
2023
Torneos regionales Clasificatorios que se lleven a cabo de Abril a Mayo 2023.
Torneo Norteamericano de Bici polo (NAHBPC), organizado por la NAH y un club anfitrión, en Junio de 2023.
Mundial de Bici Polo (WHBPC), organizado por la Asociación Europea de Bici Polo en superficie dura en Francia, durante Agosto 2023.
Pros: ésta opción tiene un calendario más tradicional y brinda múltiples torneos en qué competir.
Contras: No brinda flexibilidad alguna en caso de surgir complicaciones por COVID como restricciones de viaje. Esta opción brinda muy poco tiempo para planear un viaje al Mundial de Francia en 2023.
The World Bike Polo Organising Committee recently discussed hosting the 10th World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championship in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic that has disrupted the world for the past two years.
The results of the discussions are as follows:
The host city will remain Perpignan in France. They have told us that they are ready and willing to host when the Covid-19 situation allows
The 10th WHBPC will be held in 2023 at the earliest. This is because of the continuing uncertainty surrounding international travel, and the desire of regions to have time to re-establish their normal seasons and qualifiers.
If you have questions get in touch with the World Bike Polo Organising Committee, contact info below:
Últimas Noticias sobre el Décimo Mundial de Bicipolo
El Comité Mundial Organizador de Bicipolo se reunió para discutir acerca del Décimo Mundial de Bicipolo ya que la pandemia Covid-19 ha afectado a todo el mundo durante los últimos dos años.
Los resultados de dicha discusión son los siguientes:
La ciudad anfitriona seguirá siendo Perpiñán, Francia. El club ha comunicado estar preparadxs y dispuestxs tan pronto la situación relativa a la pandemia de covid-19 lo permita
El Décimo Mundial de Bicipolo tomará lugar en el año de 2023. Está decisión está basada en la continua incertidumbre relacionada a los viajes internacionales y en que las regiones han expresado necesitar tiempo para organizar y re establecer la temporada de clasificatorios.
Si tienen dudas o preguntas, les invitamos a contactar el Comité Mundial Organizador de Bicipolo:
Asia Ai Tanaka xxxaiaiaixxx@gmail.com Member of the Japanese Bike Polo Association
Australia/New Zealand Nick Dixon-Wilmshurst xoqz01@gmail.com Canberra representative on the Australasian Hardcourt Bike Polo Association
Europe Gernot Gruber aka. Django info@eurobikepolo.com Member of the European Hardcourt Bikepolo Association
Latin America Vero Enríquez Ruiz vero.enriquez.ruiz@gmail.com Member of the Latin American Bike Polo Association
North America Mark Aseltine mark@nahardcourt.com NAH Tournament Director
Like many of you, we are closely following COVID-19 developments. We are continuing to monitor the latest advice from our federal health agencies. Currently, the state of affairs is such that we are advising all of our regional reps to press pause on 2020 Regional Qualifier tournament planning. We are also strongly encouraging anyone hosting a tournament in the coming months to follow all guidelines put in place by your local or federal governing bodies. It is critical that we all do our part to help our health system to function as best it possibly can. This means avoiding all unnecessary contact with others.
Furthermore, we were informed last week that the WHBPC 2021, which was scheduled to be held in July 2021, will now be taking place in October 2021. This of course significantly impacts the schedule NAH announced on March 10th.
The NAH Executive team is working to reconfigure the 2020 and 2021 tournament season schedules given the concerns and information outlined above. We will be in close contact with your Regional Reps to work out how we would like to move forward in the coming months. Please stay tuned and most importantly stay safe.
