Segway appears to have really hit on something with their line of personal mobility products. The motorized scooters are used for recreation, police patrols, workers at large facilities and now…sports.
Polo is a game that is normally played on horseback. In a modern twist, Segway Polo has players using a mallet to hit the ball while riding a Segway scooter. Segway Polo has been described as a mix of hockey and polo, but on a motorized scooter that travels at speeds as high as 12.5 mph. The rules of the game have been borrowed and adapted as necessary from bicycle polo and horse polo.
Segway Polo teams are composed of five members who use mallets to try to get a ball into the other team’s goal. The game is played on a field that is 200 feet long and 128 feet wide. Games are divided into four quarters (or “chukkers”) of eight minutes.
Every serious sport needs organization. The International Segway Polo Association (ISPA) was created for this purpose. There are now several dozen known Segway Polo teams in a handful of countries.
A world championship game has been held in different locations each year since 2006. The championship game is known as the Woz Cup.
The first international Segway Polo tournament was held recently in Britain. Teams from four countries competed in the tournament, including Britain, Barbados, Finland and Germany. The tournament was held at Rugby College. Teams played seven games each before the top two teams advanced to a final round. Two German teams made it to the final round: The Funky Move Turtles and Balver Mammuts. In the end, Balver Mammuts won a 2-1 victory.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is reportedly a Segway Polo player and a fan of the fast-growing sport.