Wisconsin hosts bike polo teams from around the nation this weekend. Bike polo is a sport that’s been growing in popularity in Madison and elsewhere. Event organizer Jonny Hunter says the Madison bike polo club put in a bid last November to host the North American Hard Court Bike Polo Championship tournament, and was the overwhelming choice. “The sport’s been growing very fast, and Madison has been part of that,” Hunter says. “Our club (Mad Bike Polo) isn’t as big as others, but we’ve been participating in big tournaments and doing well. We’re respected in the scene.”
Three person teams, from as near as Milwaukee and as far as Los Angeles and Paris are competing at Madison Area Technical College this weekend. Wisconsin-based bicycle maker Trek is a sponsor. “Trek called us and said they would support this tournament,” says Hunter. “It meant a lot to us because we’re able to put on a tournament with 68 teams. We wouldn’t have been able to do that otherwise. It kind of says we’ve arrived.”
The winning team will receive three bikes and $3600, which could help pay for their trip to the World Championships next month in Berlin. And while the teams are made up overwhelmingly of the young and fit, Hunter says that demographic may be changing a bit. “There’s some people in their forties, and I think you’re starting to see a couple people’s parents pay, because their kids are so into it. I think as the sport kind of grows up a little bit we’ll see a greater variability in age.”
AUDIO: Bob Hague interview (4:00)
