Arizona Hardcourt Bike Polo 

Although certain segments of the cycling crowd might call us pussies for saying so, wearing a helmet while riding your bike is really a wise idea. This advice proves doubly true for those riding their steel steeds during one of Arizona Hardcourt Bike Polo’s weekly games.

Julio Castro, one of the event’s organizers, says that collisions are commonplace during the fast-paced Monday night event, either when players hit the ground or each other. “Oh yeah, we tend to fall down a lot,” he says. “It’s bike-on-bike, body-on-body during games.”

The action gets fairly intense as Castro and other tattooed-and-pierced participants play the two-wheeled version of polo in the parking lot of Tempe’s Grace Community Church, 1200 East Southern Avenue in Tempe. Matches unfold in three-on-three fashion, utilizing homemade mallets and other D.I.Y. gear while players trade insults, while trading goals in a quest for street supremacy.

The competition commences at 8 p.m. on Monday, September 5. Participation is free.

— By Benjamin Leatherman

Website: http://www.azhc.blogspot.com

Price: free