NATIONAL BIKE POLO TOURNAMENT HERE JUNE 6-7

Cog Magazine Milwaukee Invitational Bike Polo Tournament
Seeks to Draw Attention, New Participants to Growing Sport
this Weekend at Kosciuszko Park

Above: Eric Kremin of Milwaukee Bike Polo Club awaits challengers

Special to the Readers of Milwaukeeworld.com

By Michael Horne

And the Milwaukee World Hound Dog Team

Organizers of Bike to Work Week decided to move the event from May to June 6-12th this year hoping the "better weather" will make folks want to bike regularly. Well, it's June now, and the temperature is a mere 15 degrees above freezing in Milwaukee.--Ed.

But the bike commuting celebration is going to roll, we are assured, so why not get into the spirit of things a little early? This weekend, June 5-7, 2009, an unofficial kickoff to Bike to Work week is in the offing, according to a press release from the The Milwaukee Bicycle Polo Club. [text below--Ed.].

TEAMS FROM ACROSS THE NATION TO GATHER HERE

Sixteen teams of Bicycle Polo players from across the country will converge at Kosciuszko Park to play in the Cog Magazine Milwaukee Invitational Bike Polo Tournament. The free event is open to the public Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to dusk.

So what is bike polo? What can I say? It is a game where reckless insanity meets sublime athleticism. Milwaukee has a very successful team that practices and holds matches year round, usually by becoming temporary tenants in downtown parking garages. The national tournament, it is hoped, will bring new attention to this growing sport, introduce visitors to the wonders of this community, and maybe generate support for dedicated courts here.
The Milwaukee team itself is a draw, as well, having taken two first prizes and one second prize in tournaments, most recently winning the gold in the NYC challenge in Madison on January 1st, 2009. Eric Kremin, pictured above, is a key player, and is also an inventor and producer of specialty bike polo products for Milwaukee Bicycle Company, a sponsor of the event.
Bike Polo has its roots in the 19th century, and Milwaukee has a long history of bicycle competition dating from that time.
As I wrote in the August 2008 Milwaukee Magazine, the profession of bicycle messenger was founded here in Milwaukee in 1891 when Edward Steichen (yes, the famous photographer) proposed using bike messengers to the manager of the Western Union office here. [The office still stands, and is now Mike Murphy's Swingin' Door Saloon, 219 E. Michigan St., a popular gathering spot for bicycle messengers.--Ed.]

The players and organizers hope the tournament will draw new attention and participants to the sport. Organizer Jake Newborn points out that Bike Polo and Street Hockey are played on the same court, and with the same ball. Although some park systems have established hard court street hockey / bike polo areas, the Milwaukee County Park System has not yet done so. Players suggest Red Arrow Park's ice rink, unused in clement seasons, would be an ideal place for a court, and certainly for demonstration / exhibition games.
Although the officials have embraced such modern sports as beach volleyball, they appear slow to adapt to such emergent sports as bike polo. Perhaps this tournament will raise the profile as Milwaukee continues to evolve as a bicyclist's paradise.

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NATIONAL BICYCLE POLO TOURNAMENT

TO KICK OFF “BIKE TO WORK WEEK” HERE

Contact: Jacob Newborn mkebikepolo@gmail.com

Milwaukee, June 2, 2009 -- The Milwaukee Bicycle Polo Club will be the host team for the Cog Magazine Milwaukee Invitational Bike Polo Tournament, to be held June 5-7, 2009 at Kosciuszko Park, 700 W. Lincoln Ave., Milwaukee. The event is expected to draw over 100 participants from 16 cities across North America, including the Milwaukee team which has had two first-place victories and one second-place in recent tournaments.

The tournament will kick off Bike to Work Week, June 6-12, 2009. Prizes, including thousands of dollars of equipment and supplies from manufacturers and retailers have drawn the best players from East Vancouver, B.C. to New York City and everywhere in between to compete in Milwaukee.

"The COG magazine/MKE Bike Pike Polo Invitational will be one of 2009's most prestigious Bike Polo Tournaments,” says organizer Jake Newborn. “Bike Polo has risen in popularity the past few years and tournaments such as this one have attracted large scale numbers and some of the best players in the world. Look for your hometown squad to do well in this one, they have won two tournaments and got 2nd in another so far in 2009.”

The event is free to the public to watch and goes on from 9am-sundown both Saturday June 6th and Sunday June7th.

Media Coverage is invited; the sport affords excellent photo opportunities.

What is Bike Polo?

Bicycle Polo originated in the late 19^th century, shortly after the development of the modern bicycle. Hardcourt Bike Polo is a 21^st century take on the sport, and is played with teams of three players. It combines elements of polo and street hockey. Bike Polo is the quintessence of improbability and athleticism, and has become a rabidly popular spectator sport due to the excitement of the game, along with the grace and agility of the players.

WHAT: Cog Magazine Milwaukee Invitational Bike Polo Tournament

WHEN: 9 a.m. – Dusk; June 6-7, 2009

WHERE: Kosciuszko Park, 700 W. Lincoln Ave., Milwaukee

HOW MUCH: Free and open to the public