NORFOLK, Va. — Regardless of which member of the Norfolk Bike Polo club you ask, they give some variation of the same answer.
Community, camaraderie, the "people"; those are the themes that define what brings competitors back to the club.
Make no mistake, there's a lot more going on here. Competition varies from fierce to fun loving, and players enjoy every emotion in between. Goals are celebrated, or cursed depending on the team. Athleticism is on full display, with players required to keep all body parts of the ground while simultaneously maneuvering a ball across the pavement on a bicycle. There is a full fledged SPORT going on here, one that is played in cities and towns throughout America in 2022.
"When we started playing, the mixture of adrenaline and playing a team sport just connected with me," says Stephen Darnell. "They have a saying, if you crash or you score at polo, you'll be back. I crashed AND I scored on my first night of playing," continues Darnell, who oversees the club in addition to crashing and scoring.
The club has used a number of different Norfolk locations over the years, and are hoping to find a permanent home.
"We've come together with our club and other members of the bike community. Bike Norfolk has been very supportive. We're still trying to build it up and still trying to find other people to play, it takes time," says Darnell, "We're expecting, I think there's gonna be a multi use court built in the city of Norfolk, like parks. I hope that's gonna be our new home where we can play."