Team 1×1 consisting of Dustin(Mr. Do), Nick D and Sven tied for 5th place at the South Central Bike Polo Championships in Little Rock, AR. By placing in the top 8 Team 1×1 has qualified for the North American Bike Polo Championships in Calgary.

We had an absolute blast the whole time we were in Little Rock. Thursday night we rolled into town around 9pm and immediately went to a local watering hole. This turned out to be a private club that stays open until 5am. When we arrived 30 drunk and screaming locals were playing bottle toss. Its exactly what it sounds like, people chucking beer bottles across the bar and into a trash can about 20 feet away. Last person to miss the bucket buys a round for everyone.

We left that madness to go and play some pickup at the courts around 11pm. Played for a bit and then headed back to Dan’s place to crash for the night. Problem being Machine(SF) and Cody(SEA) just showed up and needed some beer. A few hours later we left Machine and Cody to close down the place while we got some much needed shuteye.

Thursday morning found me(Sven) feeling like microwaved vomit after ingesting one too many $1.50 beers. We got ready for a full day of pickup polo at the courts by finding a Waffle House and consuming greasy food, and by we I mean Dustin and Nick. I tried to nap in the car to no avail. Turns out all I needed to feel better was to vomit out of the moving car on the way to the pickup courts.

We played about 8 hours of pickup on Friday and we all agreed this was crucial for Minneapolis to shake off the winter’s rust.

Saturday Team 1×1 had a record of 3-1-1 to place 7th overall in the Swiss Rounds. With our only loss (2-5) at the hands of Barry White Supremacy, the eventual tournament winner and the only undefeated team at SCBPC.

First up on Sunday we played a tough game against local favorites Performance Enhancing Hugs who had beat the formidable Polo High from Colorado springs the first round. After winning 5-3 we were matched up against Los Cuatreros from Austin, TX. They beat us 5-1 and sent us to the loser’s bracket.

From there we faced Come and Take It also from Austin and Scary Larry from Lawrence, KS. Nick and Dustin were on fire during these games each scoring hat tricks as we dispatched both these teams 5-0.

Los Cuatreros, after losing a close game 3-4 to Hide yo kids, Hide yo wife were knocked down to our bracket and matched up against Team 1×1 for the second time that day. We played them much tighter this game and took the game to time losing 1-4. We really made them work for those 4 goals.

Thus ended the tournament for Team 1×1. A damn good run.

I’d like to take this opportunity to brag about a few things. We were 6-3-1 on the weekend. Our only losses coming from the #1 and #2 overall teams. We were never shut out. We scored in every game. Half of the teams we played, we shut out. Lastly, every Team 1×1 member scored a hat trick at SCBPC.

Congrats to Little Rock Bike Polo for dealing with the rain and keeping everything running smooth. You guys should be proud of how well this went down.

Congrats to Barry White Supremacy(1), Los Cuatreros(2), Hide yo kids, Hide yo Wife(3) and the Bluegrass Blazers(4). It was truly a joy to watch your teams slay this weekend. Polo is a beautiful thing.