Category: WHBPC

WHBPC Call for Bids

Posted on by Mark Aseltine

The World Hardcourt Bike Polo Organising Board is seeking early bids to host the 9th edition of the World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championship.

As previously advised, bids will be accepted only from Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

Interested host clubs or regions are asked to complete the following form to provide information on their preliminary bid by 13 May 2018 – https://goo.gl/forms/Ituz5y5p3e5c5Zf72

Where information is unknown, note that in the form. Bidders will have an opportunity to update and refine their bid prior to a community-wide vote.

Bids will be presented to the polo community for feedback and discussion from mid May 2018. No new bidders will be accepted after 13 May 2018!

Bidders will be asked to submit final bids by 30 June 2018 and a vote of the community will take place in July 2018 with the winning bid announced in early August 2018.

Please note: the bid form does not include competition format (i.e. 3v3 or squad). Our top priority is finding a host club. Without a host, the competition format is irrelevant.

If anyone has any questions please contact your local rep about the bid.

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
eurohardcourt@gmail.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

2018 World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championship Announcement

Posted on by Mark Aseltine

Since the 2017 World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championship, an informal group with members in official or semi-official roles in the five bike polo regions (NA/EU/ANZ/LA/ASIA) have been discussing the future World Championships.

The current group involved with this discussion are:

  • 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
    eurohardcourt@gmail.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

We have been conversing for a couple months now and so far our conversations have been productive. They are ongoing and have been revolving around a few key questions.

We want to find a way to answer questions such as:

  • How do we determine who hosts the WHBPC?
  • What format should the WHBPC be?
  • How often should the WHBPC be held?
  • How do we properly represent the world community?

We have agreed that the community needs to make a decision on the host of the next WHBPC sooner than later.

We have also agreed that the region that last hosted the WHBPC (i.e. North America) should not be able to submit a bid, and that the host region before that (i.e. Australasia) should only get a chance to bid if no other region bids. That leaves Asia, Europe and Latin America as potential bidders.

The next step is to determine the bid criteria, a bidding timeline, and a method of voting on the bids. Questions on format and timing may be more difficult to resolve but we believe it can be done.

Before we go too far, we wanted the community to know what we are doing and how to get involved. All regions will be invited to add a second representative to the group as discussions continue. However, we wish to hear from all interested players so please get in touch with your reps (above) and tell them your ideas and together we can get the best results for the community.

2017 WHBPC Survey

Posted on by Mark Aseltine

We are gathering feedback from this year’s WHBPC and would love to get your input. This survey is for everyone, whether you watched from home, played in the Wildcard or competed in the finals! This information will help organizers of future world championships. Thank you!

Take the Survey!

2017 WHBPC Starts Today!

Posted on by Adam Hite

Today the 2017 World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championship begins!

Wednesday and Thursday we will be doing an “amateur stream” from our mobile devices while testing our equipment. Then on Friday and Saturday we will be bringing in the professional cameras and crew.

http://live.whbpc.org

PRO TIP: Using the link above, you will see a “SUBSCRIBE” button which will enable email notifications when the stream is live. If you are using the YouTube app, you should be able to set up push notification for your phone.

Players and fans who want to follow along you can use this document:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vS8nJ_LhiCOZr7QYs5m3CQBMMKYxhR8mD9D_81QOCZKCoM6dZkNj4Ag6q_WrZXrZyZTD359LFa34Nb8/pubhtml

For up-to-the-minutes updates, make sure to follow us on Facebook.

Conduct at WHBPC ’17

Posted on by Mark Aseltine

Conduct on the court at the WHBPC 2017

The NAHBPA along with our host club, Lexington Bike Polo are doing many things to make this year’s WHBPC a wonderful and memorable experience for all attendees.

As part of our efforts to make the experience as enjoyable as possible for players, volunteers, and spectators, we will be actively encouraging players to steer clear of unsportsmanlike conduct. Excessive protest of referee decisions, general disruptions of game proceedings, and verbal and/or physical assault (both on and off the court) will not be tolerated throughout the week.

The NAH will be advising all referees to treat rules §6.7 & §7.2 with firm and immediate action. On the court this means immediate penalties and personal game misconduct penalties. Off the court this could lead to game suspension for players and removal from the event facility for spectators and volunteers. The NAH will also reserve the right to review player conduct by request of the head referee, a member of the NAH, or the opposing team captain following a match. Post match reviews could lead to further suspension. Players will be notified by the NAH and the Referee at the start of the game whether they are to immediately serve an escalated Game Misconduct penalty or could be subject to one during that game. These escalations will follow a player for the duration of the tournament.

Below you can find the full text for §6.7 & §7.2. We encourage all players to review the entire 2017 ruleset prior to WHBPC 2017. We look forward to having you all and we expect everyone to play and spectate in accordance with these simple rules, and treat one another with decency and respect.

– NAH & Lexington Bike Polo

https://nahbpa.gitbooks.io/nah-ruleset-2017

  • §6.7 – Personal Misconduct
    • §6.7.1 – Physical aggression or verbal abuse as defined in §7.2 is subject to an automatic Personal Misconduct penalty.
    • §6.7.2 – If necessary, the Referee immediately stops game play to end an altercation. The penalty is assessed per §1.1.9.3. Possession goes to the fouled team and the game restarts according to §4.2.3 with the following modifications:
      • §6.7.2.1 – The offending player is removed from the court for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or the remainder of the game – at the discretion of the Referee.
      • §6.7.2.2 – On the first offense, their team continues play with 2 players on the court for 30 seconds – the duration of a minor penalty – before a third player can enter play. On subsequent offenses, their team continues play with 2 players on the court for 2 minutes – the duration of a major penalty – before a third player can enter play.
    • §6.7.3 – Prior offenses and the impact of the infraction on the course of play will determine the severity of the penalty for both the player and their team. If a team receives multiple severe Personal Misconduct penalties in one game, the Referee stops the game immediately and the penalized team forfeits the game. The offending team is subject to tournament ejection based on review by the tournament organizers and head Referee. The final scoreline is determined by the head Referee.
  • §7.2 – Unsportsmanlike Conduct
    • §7.2.1 – An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty is assessed when a player is judged by the Referee to be behaving in an unsportsmanlike manner. Examples of this include, but are not limited to:
      • §7.2.1.1 – General disruption of game proceedings or excessive protest of Referee’s decisions.
      • §7.2.1.2 – Verbal or physical assault of a Referee, Goal Judge, Timekeeper, Scorekeeper, Event Organizer, Spectator, or any other Player on the court.
        • §7.2.1.2.1 – This is automatically assessed as Personal Misconduct per §6.7.
      • §7.2.1.3 – Relocating an opponent’s dropped mallet in order to make it more difficult for them to recover per §9.6.
      • §7.2.1.4 – Failure to tap-in or leave the play after dabbing.
    • §7.2.2 – This penalty is assessed as a Minor, Major or Personal Misconduct at the Referees discretion, except in §7.2.1.2.