Segway of Oakland Gets First Taste of Segway Polo

Chalk up another great use for the Segway HT -- polo! Two members of Segway of Oakland enjoyed a great match against some valiant members of the Bay Area Segway Polo Team Jan. 30 at Ponderosa Park in Sunnyvale, Calif.

(PRWEB) February 9, 2005 -- The Bay Area team organizes four-on-four matches at the park (yellow key only) and now claims two monthly get-togethers on the first and third Sundays from 11 a.m. to around 12:30 p.m. Spectators are encouraged to check out the newest sport to take hold in this special corner of the world.

Our homemade polo mallets worked well enough last Sunday but our swinging technique left something to be desired. Fortunately, theres plenty of room for novices like us to play defense.

Playing polo on the Segway was really interesting," said Segway of Oakland partner Darren Romar. It was definitely not stellar play from our standpoint. We are new so we didnt facilitate much action. We got in the way a lot and didnt really follow all the rules, but Im sure well get better."

It was a great experience and now we want to find some more players in Oakland or the East Bay so we can form a team," said Steve Steinberg, a partner in Segway of Oakland.

Steinberg constructed two specialty Segway units for the match and for sale at the Segway of Oakland shop. The Polo Master p utilizes the lower cargo frame accessory with added padding to protect the rider and act as a roll bar. It also has the larger i Series wheels, thus accommodating a kickstand and providing higher ground clearance than an i Series.

The Polo Master i, meanwhile, has motocross-style brush-guard handlebar grip covers to protect the riders hands and the handlebar in the event of a collision, since broken handlebar grips are a major problem when playing polo with the Segway.

Both specialty polo units add to a unique collection of customized Segways for sale only at Segway of Oakland, including the popular OT, EMT and Heavy Hauler models. A new golf unit is also available.

T.J. Schmidt of San Jose competed Sunday in his second polo match. He owns an i Series and finds the comraderie of playing with my Segway buddies" the most rewarding aspect of the matches.

Its great -- I love it! Its great exercise," said Schmidt, a design engineer. As with any sport, there are guys who are out there to win and other guys who are just having fun."

Schmidt admits Segway polo may not appeal to everyone, given its high start-up cost. Most of the players in the Bay Area matches are tech engineers. Nevertheless, he notes that Segway polo is a great way to learn more about your machine.

These guys go on Segway rides together but thats not the same as hitting a ball and chasing it across the field," he said. This really helps you learn balance. I found myself gripping the steering mechanism differently, just trying to stay on it. The Segway is very intuitive and it makes a lot of sense since you rock forward to go forward and rock back for backward. Then you find yourself doing the same thing in your car."

More information on the matches can be found at www.bayareaseg.com. Our hope is to help expand interest in this new Segway use. The polo matches held by the Bay Area Segway Users Group have already produced press, some positive and some negative, but like everything related to Segway, none of it neutral. Come by the Segway of Oakland shop (212 International Blvd., rear warehouse off Second Avenue) or call us first at (800) 659-8731 to check out these new polo units and talk to us about a great, nearby park where Oakland Segway polo could become reality!

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