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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Trail cam spots two pups born to Rogue pack this spring ... Ashland Calendar, Thursday, Aug. 6 ... Our View: Watershed perspective ... Trail cam spots two pups born to Rogue pack this spring ... Ashland Calendar, Thursday, Aug. 6 ... Our View: Watershed perspective ... Bike polo taking off in Ashland Comment By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted Jun. 11, 2015 at 8:35 PM By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted Jun. 11, 2015 at 8:35 PM » Social News A transformation is taking place on court five at Hunter Park. It’s six o’clock on a sweltering Monday, and there is not a soul on any of the tennis courts save Eric Michener, and he isn’t playing tennis. In fact, he is in the process of rendering the court incapable of hosting a tennis match for the next five hours. He removes the posts supporting the net and carefully rolls the webbing around them, then sets the whole bundle off to the side. He constructs a plywood wall to cover the gap in the four-foot chain link fence that partially encloses court five. A fully-contained court is required for the sport that is about to be played: bike polo. If you haven’t heard of bike polo, you’re not alone. Michener says when he and other enthusiasts in Ashland began looking for places to play, they often met resistance to what many consider a fringe sport. He says the group initially played on the basketball courts at Briscoe School, but when winter weather coupled with early sunsets sent them looking for other venues, they tried playing on the top level of the parking garage downtown where there was lighting. “The cops would come, and they’d ask us to leave. So we’d go over to Hunter Park and play. And they’d come over and kick us out. So we’d let them cool down a bit, then go back to the parking garage, and it became just this ridiculous back and forth.” Michener says he eventually contacted Ashland Parks and Rec to begin a real conversation as to how the group could play in town. “We got sick of being kicked out of every place we played bike polo, so I went to Parks and Rec, and spoke to multiple people. There was some reluctance to it, but they did their homework, and found out there were clubs in Eugene. In Corvallis, in Everett, in Seattle, Vancouver, Davis … they all have permitted courts. So they found out the cities around us were all allowing it, and decided to give us a shot.” It took about six months to hammer out the details of liability and answer some questions the city had, but eventually, the group secured the space at Hunter Park on Monday nights as a two-month trial run. “That was the big question, was how is the public going to respond? How are the tennis players going to respond? How are the neighbors going to respond?” Michener says the only complaint so far was that the group hadn’t tightened the net enough for regulation courts, but the group quickly remedied the problem by tightening the net to the prescribed height, and since then there have been no complaints. He says Hunter Park is close to ideal for the sport. “We have lights and we can play later. It’s smoother and safer court. Bike polo originated on a tennis court, so it’s pretty close to perfect. What you’d like to see is a solid line along the wall, and you can see here there are some posts for the lights that are a big extrusion from the wall, so they are a little bit of a hazard. And you’d like to be able to play a little more like hockey and play the ball off the wall, but this is pretty close.” He says the group has begun playing better as a result of a safer, more controlled court. As Michener finishes prepping the court, about a dozen folks show up on a motley collection of bikes. These are not the garage trophies often seen around town, but rather a ragtag collection of frames that look to have been scavenged. Upon closer inspection, however, there are similarities. First, the frames are small for their riders. Polo bikes need to be short to allow the riders to maintain an upright stance. Some have had the right side of the handlebars completely hacked off. This allows the rider to swing a mallet, similar to those used in horse polo, without clipping the handlebar. Only one brake lever graces the bikes, on the left side, and the gear ratio is fixed in what most would refer to as a granny gear. Michener explains that you need to be able to accelerate quickly, but that high top speeds are unimportant. Odd bits and ends of gear to protect brakes, pad hard spots and prevent balls from sticking in spokes are attached to nearly all the bikes, although some riders are using their own street bikes as well. There are literally dozens pages of official rules. Bike polo has quietly become a global phenomenon, with official leagues and governing bodies. Suffice it to say that the point of the game is to smack a round ball into a hockey-sized goal using a hollow mallet. You must do this without knocking anyone over, and without letting your feet touch the ground. And without jamming the mallet through your spokes or under your bike, both of which tend to eject riders onto the hard surface. As the game at Hunter Park gets underway, the skills of the riders are impressive. More so, however, is their obvious love of the game. They grin as they ride and cheer one another on. Crashes are shaken off with a laugh, and an occasional injury substitution. Watching this bunch of adults play like children, whooping and grinning with joy, it’s easy to see why they have pursued a home for their sport in Ashland. And by the looks of things, they’ve found it. Alec Dickinson is an Ashland freelance writer. By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted Jun. 11, 2015 at 8:35 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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