TRADITIONALISTS MAY SCOFF, BUT BIKE-BASED POLO HAS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS HORSE POOP. The Menomonie Bike Polo group says any kind of rider with any style of bike is welcome.

There are some people who complain about what the Chippewa Valley is not, and then there are some people who make the region what it is. William Christenson is one of those people who is making things happen.

Bike polo has been making a comeback from the early 1900s through fixed gear culture and Christenson wanted to be a part of that resurgence. He read up on the rules, figured out how to make a mallet, and got his feet wet playing with people in the Minneapolis bike polo scene. Word travels fast in a small town like Menomonie, and one day while Leif Erickson was at Simple Sports bike shop, he found out Christenson was looking for people to play bike polo. Erickson started coming to the matches and they shared ideas. Before long, more people started showing up for games.

On a typical bike polo day, there are between six and 10 people. Two teams of three compete at a time. People casually decide who plays and who sits out as the matches progress. Like pool, bike polo is played with a mix of core rules and house rules. The main idea is to move a ball down the court and through the goal without your feet touching the ground.

Since balance is a major issue in this sport, people often ride fixed gear bikes for greater control, but members of the group sport anything from multi-speed commuter bikes to modified fixies. Aside from bikes, the only other things needed are goal markers (blocks of wood work just fine), a street hockey ball, and mallets. “You can’t go buy a polo mallet at Wal-mart,” says Erickson. “You have to make it happen.” Christenson is the primary mallet-maker for Menomonie Bike Polo. He says polyethylene, especially HDPE (high density polyethylene) pipe works best because it is more durable. The hardest thing is finding old aluminum ski poles to use for the handles.

    The riders represent many skill levels, from first time newbies to people who play every week. “The vibe is pretty chill,” says Christenson. “We’re all just looking to have a fun time, but there is definitely some competitive spirit at times.” Light contact is acceptable – mallet to mallet, person to person, bike to bike – but this is not roller derby. “We don’t want to see any major injuries,” says Christenson. Bad tempers and arguments are also discouraged. Christenson says the best thing about bike polo is “getting a bunch of fun people to hang out outdoors, ride bikes, talk, and have a good time.”

“We’d love to organize a tournament in the area,” says Erickson, “but we need a better venue. Also, we want to get more people playing, especially in Eau Claire.” Rumors of bike polo in Eau Claire are currently floating around. “We are planning on trying to get some bike polo together before winter starts,” says Eau Claire rider Dave Smuhl, but no major games have happened yet. One of the setbacks is materials since old ski poles are hard to find, but a bike polo group is definitely being planned.

Until then, if you want to stay in the loop with the bike polo scene, check out the fan page on Facebook under Menomonie Bike Polo.