WESTON, Fla., Oct. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- South Florida's four bike polo clubs, Dania-based online bicycle purveyor and title sponsor Republic Bike and Miami's equipment and services vendor St. Cago Polo Works have set the stage for the world's leading sixty-four bike polo teams, comprising 192 players from six continents, to converge on Weston Regional Park's rinks on October 16th-20th to compete for the top spot at the Republic Bike World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championship (WHBPC) 2013 presented by St. Cago Polo Works.
The championship opens with a qualification tournament - the WHBPC 2013 Wild Card Entry - slated for Wednesday Oct. 16th, which will allow many of South Florida's first-rate male and female polo players to showcase their skills and compete for a chance to swing their mallets in the championship.
The WHBPC 2013 International Ladies Bench Event is scheduled for Sunday Oct. 20th, an opportunity for the female cyclists who participate in the sport to tout their talent in the rink and battle it out.
"Bike polo is an amazing community of incredibly passionate people doing something they love. The group of people I've met playing is incredibly supportive, especially the women. I've met women from around the world, and you can jump on the court and play and there's an instant sense of camaraderie and friendship," said KCJ Szwedzinski, a 31-year old artist who lives and plays polo in Jacksonville, FL. A native of Charleston, SC, KCJ trains service dogs and works at Lululemon Athletica.
"There are some badass women playing this sport. Bringing women from around the world to play for a bench minor is incredibly exciting because it highlights women in a sport that others might not think women would play, and cheering on my fellow ladies is always fun!" said KCJ, who has been playing bike polo for two years.
Hardcourt bike polo is a rapidly growing alternative sport. It combines the athleticism of precision cycling with the team camaraderie of soccer and hockey. Over 400 international clubs are registered with the sport's governing bodies and it's seen a 25% growth in the last 18 months alone. South Florida's expanding polo community consists of clubs in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Broward and Palm Beach. The oldest among the local clubs, Ft. Lauderdale hosted the North American Hardcourt Bike Polo Southeast Regional Qualifier in May 2012 and the All Florida Bike Polo Championship in December 2009. Miami's club, which just passed its two-year anniversary, is one of the largest in the nation and among the strongest at introducing new players to the sport.
"Our main priorities have always been to spread awareness of the sport, make it easy for new players to get in the rink and to supply quality gear for current players," said Andrew Feher, the 30-year-old lighting director for Univision's Despierta America who is behind Miami's St. Cago Polo Works.
"Tournaments are a key part in supporting those priorities, advancing the sport and most importantly bringing our polo community together. When talks started about hosting WHBPC 2013 in South Florida we couldn't let this opportunity pass. Ever since Eric Madrid, now president of Miami Bike Polo (MBP), and I founded MBP a little over two years ago, we've wanted to host a major tournament. Now with the help of the four host clubs, our sponsors, the NAH (North American Hardcourt Polo Association) and St. Cago, we hope to produce one of the best WHBPCs to date. We all couldn't be more excited," he said.
Eric Madrid, a 32-year-old freelancer in film and TV production who founded the MBP club and is also the president of the Magic City Bicycle Collective – a nonprofit bicycle repair education center – is among the local talent set to throw in his mallet in the WHBPC 2013 Wild Card Entry on Oct. 16th for a chance to compete in the championship.
A leading online source for made-to-order bikes based in Dania Beach, FL, Republic Bike offers customized bicycles with versatile components based on quality, value and aesthetics. Their bikes are practical, affordable and built by design, encouraging customers to take an active role in creating the perfect bike for their individual needs. Republic Bike also extends their "built by us & you" designs to certain corporate customers needing something as unique as they are and have outfitted Google with a fleet of bikes that employees use to get around the Googleplex campus in Mountain View, California.
St Cago Polo Works is South Florida's top purveyor of bike polo equipment and services, focusing on custom mallet builds, dual pull brake levers and fusion capped HDPE heads renowned for their quality and durability.
Other sponsors for the Republic Bike WHBPC 2013 include bike component fabricator Origin 8, British bike polo clothing brand Chunk Clothing, polo bicycle frame specialist Velo Lucuma, bike polo equipment source Fixcraft, Canadian bike polo equipment purveyor Northern Standard, London-based equipment vendor Magic Bike Polo, Toronto-based mallet maker Modifide, Massachusetts helmet manufacturer Bern, Miami's bike-friendly Wood Tavern in the Wynwood Art District and the National MS Society.
Media Contact: Rosita Valderrama, Republic Bike World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championship 2013, 305-299-0144, whbpc2013media@gmail.com
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SOURCE Republic Bike World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championship 2013
RELATED LINKShttp://whbpc2013.com
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