Segway polo

Last updated
European Polo Championship 2010 in Hemer Hemer-Landesgartenschau-Segway-Polo.JPG
European Polo Championship 2010 in Hemer

Segway polo is a team sport which started to gain some measure of popularity after being played by members of the Bay Area Segway Enthusiasts Group (Bay Area SEG) in 2004. The Bay Area SEG was not the first to play polo on a Segway HT; a team sponsored by Mobile Entertainment played in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome at a Minnesota Vikings halftime show in 2003 although the Bay Area SEG members were not aware of this match at the time they first played the sport. Segway polo was developed as it is played today by the members of the Bay Area SEG and other groups and teams that have joined subsequently. [1]

Contents

History

Segway polo is similar to horse polo, except that instead of playing on horseback, each player rides a Segway PT on the field. The rules have been adapted from bicycle polo and horse polo. Two teams of five players each hit a ball with their mallets, trying to get the ball into the other team's goal. The regulation field size is 200 by 128 feet (61 by 39 meters), and the goal is 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide by 5 feet (1.5 meters) high. A regulation match consists of four 8 minute quarters, known in polo as "chukkers." The ball can be struck with the mallet or any part of a player's body or Segway but may only be directed using the mallet. A goal can not be scored off of any part of a player's body or Segway unless it occurs accidentally.

Although not a major sport, Segway polo is gaining popularity and teams have begun forming in the United States, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Barbados, Lebanon, the United Kingdom, Holland and Spain among others. The International Segway Polo Association (ISPA) has been established as the official governing body for segway polo.

Woz Cup

Steve Wozniak with then-girlfriend Kathy Griffin at an April 2008 Segway polo match Kathy and Woz (2400485190) (cropped2).jpg
Steve Wozniak with then-girlfriend Kathy Griffin at an April 2008 Segway polo match

The Segway polo world championship is the Woz Challenge Cup. It is named after Steve "Woz" Wozniak, cofounder of Apple Inc., and a player of Segway polo. [2]

The Woz Cup was established in 2006 when the Silicon Valley Aftershocks played the New Zealand Pole Blacks in Auckland, New Zealand. The result was a 2–2 tie.

In 2007, it was played in San Francisco, California, with the Aftershocks defeating the Pole Blacks 5–0.

The 2008 Woz Cup was played in Indianapolis, coincident with Segway fest 2008. The California Gold Rush defeated the Silicon Valley Aftershocks for the championship by a score of 3–2. The Funky-Move Turtles (Germany) placed third and the Polo Bears (California) placed fourth.

The 2009 Woz Cup was played in Cologne, Germany. The Flyin' Fish from Barbados took first place, beating the Silicon Valley Aftershocks 2–0. Steve Wozniak was there to play and present the cup; Victor Miller, who wrote the script for Friday the 13th , was also on the Aftershocks team. The Flyin' Fish have been playing Segway polo for only four months and dominated the other teams hailing from the United States, Germany and Austria. [3] [4]

The 2010 Woz Cup was played at the Lion Castle Polo Estate in Barbados. Once again, the Barbados Flyin' Fish won, this time beating the Germany Blade Pirates 3–1. A total of eight teams participated, including two teams from Barbados, two teams from Germany, one team from Sweden and three teams from California. [5]

The 2011 Woz Cup was hosted by the Folsom Breakout [6] and played in Folsom, California from June 16 to 19, 2011. There were a record 12 teams competing. The Germany Blade Pirates avenged their previous year's loss against the Flyin' Fish and beat them in the championship match by a score of 1–0. The Swiss Tournament rules was applied.

The 2012 Woz Cup was hosted in Stockholm, Sweden by Stockholm Segway Polo Club. It was played with 14 teams participating from 9 nations.

The Balver Mammuts won over The Blade Pirates in the final with 2–0. The Stockholm Saints, Sweden, beat the Austrian team Vineyard Devils with 4–0 for the bronze match. The goal zone rule was introduced in Woz Cup for the first time. The games were held during June 6–10 at Östermalms IP and Zinkensdamm in central Stockholm. Moving from one arena to the other after group play, the caravan of Segways was 102 Segways through central Stockholm. Finland and Lebanon were among the new national teams joining for the first time.

The 2013 Woz Cup was held at the Hotchkiss field at Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C., from July 20 to 24th. 9 teams from 5 nations participated. The competition was hosted by the Lebanon Cedars. The Stockholm Saints (Sweden) won over Team Barbados in the final with 2–1. In the bronze medal match, the Blade Allstars from Germany beat the Balver Mammuts (also from Germany) on penalties.

There was no Woz Cup in 2014.

The 2015 Woz Cup was played in Cologne, Germany from July 16 to 19, 2015. A record number of 19 teams from 9 countries participated. Once again, the team captained by Nevin Roach from Barbados took first place, beating the Balver Mammuts (Germany) 1–0. In the bronze medal match, the Stockholm Saints (Sweden) beat the Blade Pirates (also from Germany) 2–0. Steve Wozniak was there to play for the Silicon Valley Aftershocks.

There was no Woz Cup in 2016.

The 2017 Woz Cup was played at the Overhoff Arena in Hemer, Germany from July 27 until July 30, 2017. 18 teams from 7 countries participated. Once again, the team from Barbados took first place, beating the Balver Mammuts (Germany) 3–1. In the bronze medal match, the Stockholm Saints (Sweden) beat the Blade Pirates (also from Germany) 2–0.

There was no Woz Cup in 2018.

The 2019 Woz Cup was played at the Zinkensdamm Arena in Stockholm, Sweden from July 25 until July 28, 2019. 12 teams from 5 countries participated. Once again, the team captained by Nevin from Barbados took first place, beating the Balver Mammuts (Germany) 3–0. In the bronze medal match, the Stockholm Saints (Sweden) beat the Hemer Butterflies (also from Germany) 3–1.

Woz Cup venues

2017 Woz Cup in Hemer Hemer-SegwaypoloWM2017-3-Asio.JPG
2017 Woz Cup in Hemer

Known teams

TeamPlace/CountryNote
Aftershocks [7] Silicon Valley, United States Original Segway polo players and creators of Woz Challenge Cup. Tied in first Woz Cup, 2006, and 2007 Woz Cup winner.
Junkyard Dogs [8] [9] Oakland, United States
Folsom Breakout [10] California, United States
The OriginalsCalifornia, United States
Polo Bears [11] California, United States
Pole Blacks New Zealand Original challengers for newly created Woz Challenge Cup in 2006
Segway Polo Club of Barbados [12] Barbados Club has several teams (see below)
Flyin' Fish 2009–2011 [13] BarbadosWinners Woz Cup 2009 and 2010, Runners Up 2011
Rum Runners 2010–2011 [14] Barbados4th Woz Cup 2010
Team Barbados 2013–BarbadosRunners Up Woz Cup 2013, Winners Woz Cup 2015, Winners Woz Cup 2017, Winners Woz Cup 2019
Funky-Move Turtles [15] Germany 3rd place Woz Cup 2009, 2010
Blade Pirates [16] Solingen, GermanyRunners Up Woz Cup 2010, Winners Woz Cup 2011, Runners Up Woz Cup 2012,
Blade DragonsSolingen, Germany8th Woz Cup 2015
Blade GlidersSolingen, Germany4th place EM 2011
Balver Mammuts [17] Balve, GermanyWinner EM 2011, Winner German Masters 2012, Winner Woz Cup 2012, Runners Up Woz Cup 2015
Balver CavemenBalve, Germany7th Woz Cup 2015
Swiss HT-Polo [18] Switzerland
Austrian National Team [19] Austria 4th Woz Cup 2009, 3rd place 2011
Vineyard DevilsAustria4th Woz Cup 2012, 10th Woz Cup 2015
Stockholm Saints/former Sweden National Team 2009–2011 [20] Sweden 5th Woz Cup 2010, 4th Woz Cup 2011, 6th EM 2011, 3rd Woz Cup 2012, Winners Woz Cup 2013, 3rd Woz Cup 2015
Stockholm Blue Saints [20] Sweden
Stockholm Vikings [20] Sweden15th Woz Cup 2015
Lebanon National Team Beirut, Lebanon 5th Woz Cup 2015
Finland National Team Finland
Hemer Butterflies [21] Hemer, Germany4th Woz Cup 2009
Team GB (UK Segway polo) [22] Rugby, United Kingdom 13th Woz Cup 2015
Team EnglandUnited Kingdom16th Woz Cup 2015
Lichfield Lions Lichfield, United KingdomWarwick Winter Tournament 2015
Warwick Allstars Warwick, United KingdomWarwick Winter Tournament 2015
Warwick KnightsWarwick, United KingdomWarwick Winter Tournament 2015
The Famous Five Tring, United KingdomWarwick Winter Tournament 2015
The PudsTring, United KingdomWarwick Winter Tournament 2015
Warwick BearsWarwick, United KingdomEuropa – Klingen – Zurich Cup 2015
Cornwall Segway Polo Team [23] Cornwall, United Kingdom9th place in Woz Cup 2015 (2015 UK Champions)
Segway Trip Polo Madrid, Spain 17th place in Woz Cup 2015
Hannover Hot Wheels Hannover, Germany18th place in Woz Cup 2015

Other tournaments

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Wozniak</span> American electrical engineer and programmer (born 1950)

Stephen Gary Wozniak, also known by his nickname "Woz", is an American electrical engineer, computer programmer, philanthropist, and inventor. In 1976, he co-founded Apple Computer with his early business partner Steve Jobs. Through his work at Apple in the 1970s and 1980s, he is widely recognized as one of the most prominent pioneers of the personal computer revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Segway</span> Dicycle

A Segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing personal transporter device invented by Dean Kamen. It is a registered trademark of Segway Inc. It was brought to market in 2001 as the Segway HT, and then subsequently as the Segway PT.HT is an initialism for "human transporter" and PT for "personal transporter."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ullevi</span> Multi-purpose stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden

Ullevi, sometimes known as Nya Ullevi, is a multi-purpose stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then has also hosted the World Allround Speed Skating Championships six times; the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 European Athletics Championships; the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990; the UEFA Euro 1992 final, the UEFA Cup final in 2004; and annually hosted the opening ceremony of the Gothia Cup, the world's largest football tournament in terms of the number of participants. IFK Göteborg has also played two UEFA Cup finals at the stadium, in 1982 and 1987, but then as "home game" in a home and away final. The stadium has hosted several events, including football, ice hockey, boxing, racing, athletics and concerts.

The IFAF World Championship of Football is an international gridiron competition held every four years and contested by teams representing member nations. The competition is run by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the international governing body for the sport. Seventy-one nations have a national American football team. The most recent tournament, in 2015, featured seven teams.

<i>Pirates of Silicon Valley</i> 1999 American biographical television film

Pirates of Silicon Valley is a 1999 American biographical drama television film directed by Martyn Burke and starring Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs and Anthony Michael Hall as Bill Gates. Spanning the years 1971–1997 and based on Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine's 1984 book Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer, it explores the impact that the rivalry between Jobs and Gates (Microsoft) had on the development of the personal computer. The film premiered on TNT on June 20, 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 World Cup of Hockey</span> 2004 edition of the World Cup of Hockey

The 2004 World Cup of Hockey was an international ice hockey tournament. It was the second installment of the National Hockey League (NHL)-sanctioned competition, eight years after the inaugural 1996 World Cup of Hockey. It was held from August 30 to September 14, 2004, and took place in various venues in North America and Europe. Canada won the championship, defeating Finland in the final, held in Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Djurgårdens IF Fotboll</span> Football club

Djurgårdens IF Fotbollsförening – commonly known as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården Fotboll, Djurgården, and Djurgår'n, Dif or DIF – is the professional men's association football department of its parent association Djurgårdens IF. Founded 1891 on the island of Djurgården, the club's home ground is Tele2 Arena, situated in the Johanneshov district of Stockholm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Sweden</span> Overview of football in Sweden

Association football is the most popular sport in Sweden, with over 240,000 licensed players with another 240,000 youth players. There are around 3,200 active clubs fielding over 8,500 teams, which are playing on the 7,900 pitches available in the country. Football was first played in Sweden in the 1870s, the first championship was decided in 1896 and the Swedish Football Association was founded in 1904. Despite being a relatively small country population-wise, both the men's and women's national teams and the club teams have gained rather large success from time to time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycle polo</span> Team sport originating in Ireland; related to polo but played on bicycles

Cycle polo, bicycle polo, or bike polo is a team sport, similar to traditional polo, except that bicycles are used instead of horses. There are two versions of the sport: Hardcourt Bike Polo and grass court bike polo. The hardcourt game saw a sharp spike in interest in the first decade of the 21st century and new teams are sprouting up across the world in China, Canada, Ireland, Switzerland, France, India, Germany, Pakistan, Ukraine, Russia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Hungary, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, England, Scotland, Argentina, Italy, Spain, United States, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Nepal, Brazil and Cuba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horseball</span> Sport

Horseball is a sport played on horseback where a ball is handled and goals are scored by shooting it through a hoop with a diameter of 1m. The sport is a combination of polo, rugby, netball, and basketball. It is one of the ten disciplines officially recognized by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.

The Regional Four Day Competition, formerly known as the Shell Shield, Red Stripe, Busta and Carib Beer Cup, is the West Indies's first-class cricket competition that's run by Cricket West Indies. In the 2013–2014 season the winner of the tournament was awarded the WICB President's Trophy while the winners of the knockout competition were awarded the George Headley/Everton Weekes trophy. In a few previous seasons the winners of the tournament were awarded the Headley/Weekes trophy. On from the 2016–17 season, the Competition was sponsored by Digicel and was known as the Digicel Four Day Championship. Since 2019–20, the competition has been renamed as the West Indies Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friends Arena</span> Association football stadium in Solna, Stockholm, Sweden

Nationalarenan, currently known as Friends Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof multi-purpose stadium in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Bay Area Segway Enthusiasts Group held its first meeting on September 20, 2003, at the California FIRST Robotics Competition. The group was formed to increase knowledge and public acceptance of the Segway Human Transporter and to provide a resource to local owners and enthusiasts for information and group events. Not only was it one of the first Segway Enthusiasts Groups but it has become the largest and one of the most active. They are based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filip Filipović (water polo)</span> Serbian water polo player (born 1987)

Filip Filipović is a Serbian professional water polo player widely considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. He was a member of the Serbia men's national water polo teams that won bronze medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and gold medals in 2016 and 2020. He also held the world title in 2009 and 2015 and the European title in 2003, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018. He was named Most Valuable Player at the 2011 World Championships. He was also voted as the male water polo "World Player of the Year" in 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2021 by the FINA magazine. He played for Pro Recco in Italy and won three LEN Champions League and three LEN Super Cup with them. Currently, he plays for Novi Beograd.

Sports in Barbados are many and varied. The large Barbadian diaspora around the globe and wide-scale availability of International television covered on the local cable service and DirectTV has meant that Barbadians have always been up to date on international trends. Barbadians now follow a wide cross-section of sport from around the world. In recent years, the Barbadian government has implemented a policy of sport-based tourism. Including the hosting of the 2007 Cricket World Cup and various other events locally. Beyond this, the Barbadian calendar has many sporting events throughout the year.

The 2006 World Golf Championships-Barbados World Cup took place 7–10 December at the Sandy Lane Resort and Country Club in Barbados. It was the 52nd World Cup and the seventh and last as a World Golf Championship event. 24 countries competed and each country sent two players. The prize money totaled $4,000,000 with $1,400,000 going to the winning pair. The German team of Bernhard Langer and Marcel Siem won. They defeated the Scottish team of Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren at the first playoff hole.

WOZ, WoZ or Woz may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's football in Sweden</span> Historical summary of womens football in Sweden

Women's football in Sweden is one of the traditional powers of women's football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandy in the United States</span>

Bandy in the United States is played mostly in Minnesota. The national team regularly plays in Division A of the Bandy World Championships. In terms of licensed athletes, it is the second biggest winter sport in the world. Bandy is a team sport played on ice with ice skates, a ball, and a curved stick on a large sheet of ice called a bandy field. In the United States, the national governing body for bandy is the American Bandy Association (ABA), also called USA Bandy which was established in 1981, the same year it became a member of the Federation of International Bandy (FIB). The USA Bandy Hall of Fame is located in Minnesota.

Hobby horse polo is a mixed team sport played on hobby horses. It is similar to other polo variants, such as canoe polo, cycle polo, camel polo, elephant polo, golfcart polo, Segway polo, auto polo, and yak polo in that it uses the basic polo rules, but it has its own specialities.

References

  1. http://ispa.segpolo.org/polo_variants , International Segway Polo Association, retrieved 23 July 2015.
  2. Daily Planet. 1 May 2017. Discovery Channel Canada.
  3. Clemens Schminke, "Fliegende Fische auf kippeligen Rädern" Archived 2009-10-16 at the Wayback Machine , Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger 20 July 2009, retrieved 28 April 2010.
  4. WOZ-Cup 2009 at Segway-Polo Deutschland e.V. (German)
  5. "2010 Woz Cup Schedule and Results",, retrieved 10 January 2011.
  6. "Folsom Breakout", Archived 2012-07-30 at archive.today , retrieved 10 January 2011.
  7. "Welcome! – Bay Area Segway Enthusiasts Group". Bayareaseg.com. 2004-07-11. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  8. "Segway of Oakland". Segway of Oakland. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  9. "Segway Junkyard". Segway Junkyard. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  10. Folsom Breakout (2010-03-29). "Folsom Breakout Segway Polo Club". Folsombreakout.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-30. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  11. http://www.polobears.org Polo Bears
  12. "Segway Polo Club of Barbados". Segwaypoloclubbarbados.org. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  13. "Barbados Flyin' Fish Segway Polo Team". Facebook. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  14. "Barbados Rum Runners". Barbados Rum Runners. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  15. "Google". Funky-move-turtles.de. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  16. "blade pirates". www.blade-pirates.de. Retrieved 2016-09-03.
  17. "Startseite - segwaypolobalves jimdo page!". www.segwaypolobalve.de. Retrieved 2016-09-03.
  18. "Domaine Enregistré". Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  19. "SEGWAY mieten in Oberösterreich (OÖ)". Segway-emotion.at. Archived from the original on 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  20. 1 2 3 "Stockholm Segway Polo Club". Stockholmsegwaypoloclub.se. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  21. "Segway Polo – Hemer Butterflies". Hemerbutterflies.jimdo.com. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  22. http://spolo.co.uk/
  23. "Segway Polo – Cornwall Segway".
  24. "Segway polo starts today". www.nationnews.com. 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2022-12-23.