Back in the summer when Lucky proposed having a bike polo lock-in in January I was one of the first to commit. How could this go wrong? 23 hours of hardcourt bike polo in an indoor skating rink? Brilliant.

7 Minneapolis Poloists made the 10 hour trip on Friday afternoon. 80 spots were announced for sale and Minneapolis was able to pick up 6 spots. Spectators were allowed to come for a small fee. Jerry, Dustin, Ebbin, Trevor, John, Jeff and Sven represented from Minneapolis.

Clubs from 4 of the 7 regions of North American Hardcourt were represented. Midwest, South Central, South East and Eastside were all there. 12. 12 was the number of states represented at the lock-in. Florida, Colorado, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Illinois, Kansas, Indiana, Missouri and Minnesota. If I tried to name all the clubs in attendance I know I’d miss a few.

For a lot of these players this was their first organized polo event. I think a lot of eyes were opened this weekend. Techniques learned. Rules put to practical test. I know for a fact that the Midwest region grew in strength many fold that night. The majority of the clubs were from the Midwest and having that much energy and enthusiasm in one location built a lot of bridges that night.

Our club was excited about our upcoming opportunity to host a major tournament. The 8th Midwest Bike Polo Championships gave us the opportunity to talk to a wide variety of people and clubs. People are pretty excited about coming to Minneapolis for bike polo and we’re aiming to please.

A game of 87 person foot down was played.

At midnight-ish the piñata was brought out. You could either jump off a ramp and take a swing at it or spin around on your mallet three times and then attempt to ride your bike and take a swing. It really was the best piñata I’ve ever whacked.

There are tons more impressions, photos, videos, tweets and insane ramblings on the internet. Click here for a collection of media collected by @bikepolo or check the threads on The League of Bike Polo.

Thanks to our wonderful host, Julia who put up with 7 dudes sleeping on her floor. Thanks for the beers, breakfast and all the unexpected comfort your thoughtfullness brought us.

Thanks to St. Louis Bike Polo for having all the bases covered and throwing a wonderful party.