Segway polo
Segway polo is a team sport in which a player driving a Segway has to hit a ball into the opposing team's goal using a mallet .
history
The first official Segway polo game took place in the USA. It was a two-on-two game that included the Bay Area Segway Enthusiasts Group (Bay Area SEG). It all started when Jonathan van Clute suggested that the Bay Area SEG play polo against each other at halftime in an American football game for the Minnesota Vikings . A member of the Bay Area SEG tried playing polo using a Segway as a mode of transport and found it worked and was fun. After a few months, the first official game took place on July 11, 2004. In the following time, the sport increased its popularity. Teams were formed in New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany and Switzerland. A first set of rules was drawn up. Tournaments were held for the first time in 2006 under the name “WOZ Challenge Cup”, and since 2008 it has been co-organized by the International Segway Polo Association (ISPA). The tournament name WOZ Challenge Cup is derived from the nickname of the self-playing Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak .
The first Segway polo club in Germany to take part in a Segway Cup tournament were the Funky Move Turtles from Lohmar- Wahlscheid near Cologne.
From July 16 to 18, 2010, the first open European Segway Polo Championship took place in Hemer on the grounds of the State Garden Show .
regulate
The rules are pretty close to polo . The two opposing teams, however, play five players each. The speed of the Segway is only controlled by shifting the weight of the players on the Segway, the direction of travel - depending on the Segway model - by swiveling the handlebar to the side (Gen2) or by turning the handle on the left side of the handlebar (Gen1).
equipment
It is played on a Segway in its original state, the tire pressure of which must be between 0.06 and 0.08 bar above or below the pressure prescribed by the factory. The speed of the electrically powered vehicle must not exceed 20 km / h .
The players must wear a helmet with a chin strap.
The dimensions of the racket are limited to a maximum length of 106.68 cm and a stem diameter (shaft) of 2.54 cm. The impact head at the end must not exceed 7.62 cm in diameter and 22.86 cm in length. It must not weigh more than 283.50 grams. The club head is padded with a closed-cell foam (6 mm thick) to prevent injuries to the players.
The ball has a diameter of 10.16 cm. It is made of compressible foam so that no players are injured and no damage is caused to the vehicles.
matchfield
Until the end of 2016, the playing field was a fixed size of 61 meters × 39 meters with side boundaries. In order to be able to organize Segway on hockey and soccer fields, the official rules of the International Segway Polo Association (ISPA) were adapted on January 1st, 2017 so that the field dimensions in length between 55 meters and 68 meters and in width between 35 Meters and 43 meters. If it is feasible, the entire playing area should have a size of 2379 square meters.
The goal is in the middle of each goal line. The distance between the goal posts is 2.4 meters. The goal posts must be made flexible enough that the player can drive over them safely and then quickly straighten up again without assistance. The goal height, measured from the lower edge of the crossbar to the ground, is 1.5 meters. A tolerance of 5 centimeters plus / minus is permitted for the door dimensions. The goals have a net with a maximum mesh size of 5 centimeters. The goal zone consisting of a semicircle in front of each goal must be marked. The center of the semicircle is in the middle of the gate. The radius is equal to the dimensions of the inner door width. The penalty spot is located 15 meters from the center of the goal line in the field of play. The corners are 10 meters to the right and 10 meters to the left, also at the height of the penalty spot. These points must be made visible with tape or chalk.
The boundaries of the playing field, which consists of four fields, must be clearly recognizable by means of marking lines and / or cones. The penalty lines are marked at 15 yards, measured from the goal line, along the sideline. Another mark is made in the middle of the side lines.
There is a 3 meter wide safety zone around the playing field.
Umbrella organization
The International Segway Polo Association (ISPA), based in California, is the umbrella organization for the international Segway Polo sport. The aim of the ISPA is to coordinate the sporting activities, to provide a uniform set of rules and to help set up new Segway polo teams. The ISPA chairman Olaf Funke, captain of the Funky-Move Turtles from Germany, takes care of the establishment of European teams. SegwayPolo Germany e. V., based in Lohmar, promotes and coordinates sport in Germany.
Teams
Teams that have participated in a World Championship (WM), European Championship (EM) or German Championship (DM) are:
| society | origin | year | venue | space |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Silicon Valley aftershocks
|
California | 2006 (WM) 2007 (WM) 2008 (WM) 2009 (WM) 2010 (WM) |
Auckland , New Zealand San Francisco , California Indianapolis , Indiana Cologne , Germany Barbados |
|
|
California Gold Rush
|
California | 2008 (WM) 2009 (WM) |
Indianapolis , Indiana Cologne , Germany |
|
 New Zealand Pole Blacks
|
New Zealand, Auckland | 2006 (WM) 2007 (WM) |
Auckland , New Zealand San Francisco , California |
|
 Hanover Hot Wheels
|
Germany, Hanover | 2015 (WM) 2017 (WM) |
Cologne , Germany Hemer , Germany |
|
|
Funky Move Turtles
|
Germany, Lohmar- Wahlscheid | 2008 (WC) 2009 (WC) 2010 (EC) 2010 (WC) 2011 (WC) 2012 (WC) 2012 (EC) 2015 (WC) 2017 (WC) |
Indianapolis , USA Cologne , Germany Hemer , Germany Barbados Folsom Stockholm , Sweden Balve , Germany Cologne , Germany Hemer , Germany |
|
|
Hemer Butterflies
|
Germany, Hemer | 2009 (WC) 2010 (EC) 2011 (EC) 2012 (WC) 2012 (EC) 2016 (EC) 2017 (WC) |
Cologne , Germany Hemer , Germany Berchtesgaden , Germany Stockholm , Sweden Balve , Germany Denia , Spain Hemer , Germany |
4 11 |
|
Blade Pirates
|
Germany, Solingen | 2010 (EM) 2010 (WC) 2011 (WC) 2012 (WC) 2012 (EM) 2015 (WC) 2017 (WC) |
Hemer , Germany Barbados Folsom , California Stockholm , Sweden Balve , Germany Cologne , Germany Hemer , Germany |
1 2 2 4 |
|
Blade Dragons
|
Germany, Solingen | 2012 (DM) 2012 (WM) 2012 (EM) 2015 (WM) 2017 (WM) |
Möhnesee , Germany Stockholm , Sweden Balve , Germany Germany Cologne , Germany Hemer , Germany |
|
|
Blade gliders
|
Germany, Solingen | 2011 (WM) 2012 (DM) 2012 (WM) 2012 (EM) |
Folsom , California Möhnesee , Germany Stockholm , Sweden Balve , Germany |
|
|
Blade Allstars
|
Germany, Solingen | 2013 (World Cup) |
Washington, DC , USA | 3 |
 Team Barbados (Barbados Flyin Fish from 2009 to 2011) |
Barbados | 2009 (WM) 2010 (WM) 2011 (WM) 2012 (EM) 2017 (WM) |
Cologne , Germany Barbados Folsom , California Balve , Germany Hemer , Germany |
1 |
|
California Black Rose
|
California | 2009 (WM) 2010 (WM) 2017 (WM) |
Cologne , Germany Barbados Hemer , Germany |
|
 SegwayPolo Austria
|
Austria | 2009 (WM) 2010 (EM) 2012 (WM) 2012 (EM) |
Cologne , Germany Hemer , Germany Stockholm , Sweden Balve , Germany |
|
|
Team Barbados Rum Runners
|
Barbados | 2010 (WM) 2017 (WM) |
Barbados Hemer , Germany |
|
|
Oakland Junkyard Dogs
|
California, Oakland | 2010 (World Cup) | Barbados | |
 Stockholm Saints
|
Sweden, Stockholm | 2010 (WM) 2012 (WM) 2012 (EM) 2017 (WM) |
Barbados Stockholm , Sweden Balve , Germany Hemer , Germany |
5 3 3 |
|
Balver mammoths
|
Germany, Balve | 2010 (EM) 2011 (EM) 2012 (DM) 2012 (WM) 2012 (EM) 2017 (WM) |
Hemer , Germany Berchtesgaden , Germany Möhnesee , Germany Stockholm , Sweden Balve , Germany Hemer , Germany |
1 1 1 1 2 |
|
Balver Caveman
|
Germany, Balve | 2012 (DM) 2012 (WM) 2012 (EM) |
Möhnesee , Germany Stockholm , Sweden Balve , Germany |
7th |
|
Vineyard Devils
|
Austria | 2012 (EM) 2015 (WC) 2016 (EM) 2017 (WC) |
Balve , Germany Cologne , Germany Denia , Spain Hemer , Germany |
4 10 3 7 |
 Team Cornwall
|
United Kingdom | 2015 (WM) 2017 (WM) |
Cologne , Germany Hemer , Germany |
9 14 |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Official Rules of the International Segway Polo Association. Effective January 1, 2017. Accessed August 6, 2017
- ↑ Tournament overviews Woz Challenge Cup ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Segwaypolo Germany: The Turtles.Retrieved August 6, 2017
- ↑ Team Barbados ( Memento of the original dated August 7, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
