Category: NAH

Big Monday

Posted on 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.

Vote for the location of WHBPC 9

Posted on by Joe Rstom

Following the process for choosing the 9th World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championship host, the World Bike Polo Organizing Committee received three bids from Bike Polo Vienna, Córdoba Bicipolo and Perpignan Bike Polo. The bidders had a month to put a presentation together to show the world what they have to offer, including pictures of the venues, so the world wide community can choose a winner.

After we contacted all the bidders, we received notice from Perpignan Bike Polo withdrawing their bid.

Final Two Bids

Cordoba Bike Polo: https://cordobabicipolo.com/en
Vienna Bike Polo: https://public.3.basecamp.com/p/cU6Jf5BXPj1pBFPVfx3MR59p

Voting Open!

https://goo.gl/forms/3rHggTFL6SpZJNMB2

The committee has developed the following voting form for you tell us your preferred host.

The form also includes a vote on format. Both hosts have confirmed that they can accommodate a 3v3 or squad tournament. The vote on format is optional but the decision is binding for the 9th Worlds only.

Voting starts now and finishes on July 31. Go!

Issues like regional allocations, the tournament schedule and referring will be determined after we decide the host.

As you know, the committee is composed of representatives from NAH, EHBA, AHBPA, AsiaHBPA, and BPLA.

Versão em português abaixo

Siguiendo el proceso establecido para elegir sede del 9no Mundial de Bicipolo, el comité organizador del mundial recibió tres propuestas de los clubes de Vienna, Córdoba y Perpignan. Los clubes postulantes tuvieron un mes para realizar una presentación que le mostrara al mundo lo que sus ciudades pueden ofrecer, estas incluyen fotos de los lugares y canchas para que la comunidad polera pueda escoger un ganador.

Después de contactar a las personas postulantes, recibimos la información de que Perpignan retiraba su postulación. Como resultado de esto, presentamos las dos propuestas finales.

Bicipolo Cordoba: https://cordobabicipolo.com/

Bicipolo Viena: https://public.3.basecamp.com/p/cU6Jf5BXPj1pBFPVfx3MR59p

El comité desarrolló el siguiente formulario en el que la gente puede votar por su anfitrión favorito. El formulario también incluye una sección opcional sobre el formato, pero la información que de ahí surja será vinculante. Ambos anfitriones confirmaron que el torneo organizado puede acoplarse a cualquiera de los dos formatos (3v3 or squad tournament). Esta decisión será únicamente para el 9no mundial.

La votación empieza hoy y finaliza el 31 de julio, ¡a votar!
https://goo.gl/forms/3rHggTFL6SpZJNMB2

Temas como lugares para cada región, horarios de juego y arbitraje serán discutidos después de junto al club anfitrión.

Como saben, el comité está compuesto por representantes de NAH, EHBA, AHBPA, AsiaHBPA and BPLA.

2018 NAHBPC Bids Due April 15th!

Posted on by Alias Tagami

 

NAHBPC

The NAH is now collecting bid information from clubs interested in hosting the 2018 NAHBPC.  This year we are providing start-up funds (up to $2,275.00 USD!) to help ensure the best quality event possible and to encourage quality bid submissions.  Read more about this year’s Regional Qualifiers and Continental Championship here.

Here is a quick breakdown of the money we will be offering up to a host club looking to take on this years event:

$500 Winning bid (two courts)
$300 Additional Courts (for each additional court) max 4
$75/court Lights (until at least 10pm) to a maximum of $225
$50/court Court Access (symmetrical squad ready doors) to a maximum of $150
$100/court Reffing facilities (elevated, covered stands with functional scoreboards)
50% contribution Free Food (match costs on food, snacks, beverages) max $100/day
$5/Game Refereeing (for every game in the tournament we will front $5 for reffing)

These are the financial perks we will be offering up to the host of the 2018 NAHBPC. This along with the support from our team and the skills of past tournament organizing, we feel any club in the NAH has the ability to take this on and we encourage you to submit a bid. Interested hosts should consider how else they would fundraise for the NAHBPC in conjunction with NAH funds. It is okay if your club cannot provide all details now.  Submit what you plan to provide and qualify what you can commit to provide and what you seek to provide.  Additional review and work between the host and the NAH may result in additional funding if additional features are added. Bids should be submitted via email (mark@nahardcourt.com) with the documents provided here.  It is okay if your club cannot provide all details now.  Submit what you plan to provide and qualify what you can commit to provide and what you seek to provide.  Additional review and work between the host and the NAH may result in additional funding if additional features are added.

The 2018 NAHBPC should be held no earlier than September 21st and no later than October 22, 2018. If you would like to host outside of this time window, please contact the NAH Tournament Organiser to discuss the feasibility.

If you have any questions about this year’s qualification series and the championship, email mark@nahardcourt.com

Other Items

REF PAYMENTS:  Over the weekend, the NAH reviewed all available documents from the 2017 WHBPC to pay referees.  Some documents were damaged and/or lost which delayed the process.  We apologize for the delay on closing out this effort, and thank everyone who helped.  We are currently collecting emails, and will be sending out contact info so that we can PayPal you for your work.  Keep an eye out in your inbox!  If you wish, you may reject your payment and donate it to one of three initiatives/causes:

  1. Support to San Juan Puerto Rico Bici Polo Club players (cash to the club for them to use however they see fit)
  2. NAH Incorporation Fund (money to be used to help clubs register/incorporate in their state/providence or towards non-profit status)
  3. 2018 WTF-FRST Scholarship Fund

WTF-FRST: We are already into 2018, and are looking to help WTF-FRST raise more money this year to support the community and promote diversity, growth, and competition!  If you’d like to donate to this initiative, PayPal your donation to treasurer@nahardcourt.com with a note that says “WTF-FRST”!

If you have any questions about WTF-FRST, email genderinpolo@gmail.com 

2018 NAHBPC Bids & Regional Qualifiers

Posted on by Mark Aseltine

Welcome to the official call for bids for the 2018 NAHBPC. This year’s call is going to be different than past years. As you might know last year the NAH brought an added level of support and collaboration to the NAHBPC than in past years. We helped create schedules for the tournament, we aided in the collection of team names and registration. We used our website and social media platform to distribute information and communicate to team captains directly.

This year we will be doing all of this and more. This year we will be giving out seed money to the club successful in hosting the 2018 NAHBPC. That’s right, we’re giving out money! Up to $2,275.00!

Here is a quick breakdown of the money we will be offering up to a host club looking to take on this years event:

$500 Winning bid (two courts)
$300 Additional Courts (for each additional court) max 4
$75/court Lights (until at least 10pm) to a maximum of $225
$50/court Court Access (symmetrical squad ready doors) to a maximum of $150
$100/court Reffing facilities (elevated, covered stands with functional scoreboards)
50% contribution Free Food (match costs on food, snacks, beverages) max $100/day
$5/Game Refereeing (for every game in the tournament we will front $5 for reffing)

These are the financial perks we will be offering up to the host of the 2018 NAHBPC. This along with the support from our team and the skills of past tournament organizing, we feel any club in the NAH has the ability to take this on and we encourage you to submit a bid. Interested hosts should consider how else they would fundraise for the NAHBPC in conjunction with NAH funds. Bids should be submitted via email (mark@nahardcourt.com) with the documents provided here.

The 2018 NAHBPC should be held no earlier than September 21st and no later than October 22, 2018. If you would like to host outside of this time window, please contact the NAH Tournament Organiser to discuss the feasibility.

Regional Qualifiers

Like last year, we are using the new prorated ranking system for regional allocation which factors a region’s performance over the previous four years. For a more information on 2018 regional qualifiers, read more here.

For any questions regarding the bid process or the application form, please contact Mark Aseltine directly at mark@nahardcourt.com.

For questions regarding hosting the NAHBPC, please contact Jennifer Spencer directly at jennifer@nahardcourt.com or Matt Krofcheck at thiscarcrash1@gmail.com.

Photo by Carlos Hauck

2018 North American Bike Polo

Posted on by Alias Tagami

Happy belated new year to all!  We hope you’re enjoying your winter, and maybe (weather permitting) finding some time to play polo!

The NAH wants to give you a rundown of some of our initiatives for the end of winter into spring, as well as introduce some new team members!  We also know that everyone is eager to know what this season will look like, and we can report some early details to help you in your bike polo season planning and scheduling!

Initiatives

WTF-FRST – One of the things we were most proud of in 2017 was working with WTF-FRST to get six bike polo scholarships out to WTF athletes to assist in their development and competitive season!  In 2018, we intend to continue the program, and with the generous contributions from the bike polo community, we hope to exceed our previous year!

Going Official – The NAH is a registered corporation in the District of Columbia that is tax exempt due to its 501(c)3 status.  This was the primary feature that let us bid for the money we needed to put on the WHBPC stream last year!  This taught us a lot, but it also got use thinking about what kinds of more formal and official structures that could be established at the local level so that clubs could take advantage of public funds and non-profit status to build infrastructure.  What we’ve seen in the past is often a club will have a PayPal account that is in reality simply a member’s private account.  This is a good vehicle for collecting funds, but if that person was audited by the IRS, they might have a very bad time proving they didn’t owe back taxes.  For these reasons and more, the NAH has a new initiative to get clubs to formally incorporate so that they also have legal and financial protections.  This initiative in 2018 will consist of a series of documents on how to do this, but may additionally include some limited financial support for the associated processing fees that the state will collect.

Grants – Building off the last initiative, we’ve brought on a new team member to search publicly listed grants that clubs might be able to use for tournaments or infrastructure development.  Anyone who has been around for a while and worked on polo development knows that this is the biggest thing holding us back.

The NAH Team

Alias Tagami – President, Governor, Treasurer

Mark Aseltine – Tournament Director

Kayla Story – Outreach Director [NEW]

Joe Rstom – Rules Director, Head Ref

Megan Shoop – Grants & Public Programs Coordinator [NEW]

Adam Hite – Web Development

Alyssa Johnes – Graphic Design [NEW]

Jennifer Spencer – Social Media Director

Will Robbins – Reffing Consultant

2018 NAH Schedule

The details as of today are few, but we can tell you that we plan to have a later season than the previous year.  This is in part due to only hosting one major, the NAHBPC.  As with each year we try to constrain the NA championship to some later point in the year then work backwards in season planning.  We want all region qualifiers to be finished with eight weeks to spare before NAs.  This provides some time for teams to plan and save money.  We will continue to use the Squad format.

Who will host RQs?  The RQs have always been the responsibility of the regions to coordinate and plan.  The NAH’s position remains as it has in previous years, once regional allocations of teams are published, we leave it to the regions to decide how they will send their teams.  We know that each region has different challenges in coordinating and hosting, so we hope to see creative leadership from clubs and NAH Regional Reps.

Who will host NAs?  We’ve had some rumors fly around, but we will introduce a place to submit bid info next month.  This year the NAH will do something different.  We will provide starter funds for the host club.  These starter funds increase with the number of criteria the host bid fulfills (e.g., More money if the host is providing three courts versus two).  Expect to see a post on this topic to come soon in the next weeks.

2017 was an incredible year for North American bike polo.  But before we get too far into 2018, we’d like to thank a few people and groups in particular.  First a foremost, the hosts of the WHBPC, Lexington Bike Polo.  We could not have made it happen without the generous contribution from our sponsor Kentucky for Kentucky and the generous public grant from the Kentucky Department of Tourism!  Special thanks to Broomwagan Coffee & Bikes, West Sixth Brewing, County Club, and numerous other local businesses who helped make players from around the world have the greatest time in Lexington.  We had lots of other sponsors pour in prizes for the WHBPC as well like Pake and RYB Denim.  Rustbelt Welding provided trophies for the NAHBPC and WHBPC.  We want to also thank Lancaster United Bike Polo and DC Bike Polo for their work on the NAHBPC.  We’d like to thank all of the hosts of the regional qualifiers. We couldn’t have done without you!

If you have any thoughts or ideas on how to help us on the year or if you’d like to get more involved, email Alias (alias@nahardcourt.com).