Milwaukee Bike Polo Club

Spring is peaking around corner.  This season will be epic.

Judgment as been amended and we will be charged with trespassing on land rather than trespassing a dwelling.  Our next court appearance is on May 19th and we will be  pleading Not Guilty to the new charges.   After this we will be meeting with the Sheriff’s department, Milwaukee County parks, and the DA to agree on a location that is suitable for both parties.  The stipulation for getting the charges dismissed is we are to clean-up & repair the court that is decided “ours”.  Overall we are very happy the DA has realized the importance of keeping a positive relationship between the Sheriff’s, County Parks, and MKE Bike Polo.

You should have seen the grin on Brian’s face a few days ago when he came into the shop to build his new MKE BIKE CO. BRUISER.  I must say, it turned out very pretty.  This particular frame is an older prototype made by Waterford Precision Cycles with a different tube set than the current production model, but same geometry.  The painter refers to this color as “weird blue”.

My team for the Pensacola Spring Break Tournament will now be complete with 3 MKE BIKE CO. BRUISERS!  Look for us on the podium on the 28th of this month

THIS SATURDAY FEB 20th 2pm start at Roman Coin on Brady st.
This is not a Race, its a fun ride with prizes!
Prizes will be awarded for best poker hand and there will be over $1000 in other raffle prizes to be won!

Milwaukee 11 Mugshot t-shirts will be for sale as well! Get ‘em while they last!

All proceeds go to help the 11 arrested players pay any fines as well as help the club pay for facilities costs for a sanctioned polo court.

2 or 4 wheels are welcome!!
about 20 miles round trip

See you there!

Judging from the trailer this should be a beautiful film.

The purpose of government: I attended Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner’s town hall meeting at the Elm Grove Village Hall on Jan. 15. A man asked the congressman what the purpose of the federal government was. Sensenbrenner answered that the role of government is spelled out in the Constitution, and, he added, the Constitution also describes what the federal government cannot do. It was a concise, illuminating answer to a provocative question.

Coincidently, copies of the U.S. Constitution were handed out at the start of the meeting. They were 43 pages, including index, fit easily in a shirt pocket and are perfectly readable. I couldn’t help contrasting this historic document with the 2,000-page impenetrable mess that is the Democratic health care reform bill. The founders must be rolling over in their graves.

Fudging numbers: I spent most of 2009 dieting. I used a purchased software package to help me keep track of calories consumed and calories burned, weighed myself daily and charted the results. From the start to the end of the year, I gained nine pounds. I figure if I hadn’t been dieting, I would have gained 15 pounds. Thus, I “lost” six pounds during the year, and my diet was successful.

The Obama administration has done some similar figuring. In an Associated Press report in the Jan. 14 Journal Sentinel, the President’s Council of Economic Advisers claimed that last February’s stimulus bill saved or created up to 2 million jobs, even though an estimated 3 million jobs have been lost since then! The council’s chairwoman said, “That’s truly a stunning and important effect. It has done exactly what we have anticipated it would do.” Just like my diet.

Furloughs and bike polo: A recent Journal Sentinel article related Milwaukee County officials’ concerns that budget furloughs could compromise public safety, slow prosecutions, delay trials and slow restraining orders in domestic violence cases.

Why then the concern about bicycle polo players? On Jan. 10, sheriff’s deputies arrested 10 bike polo players and one spectator for trespassing in the O’Donnell Park parking structure. The bikers’ version of the incident appears on their Web site, www.mkebikepolo.com. It is fascinating reading. They were spread-eagle against the wall, hauled to the courthouse in zip ties and detained for 10 hours.

Joe Burge, a member of the Milwaukee Bike Polo Club and one of those arrested, told me the parking structure was a perfect place for club members to get out and do what they love to do in the winter. They couldn’t do any damage if they tried, he stated. He acknowledged that they have been warned not to play there several times in the past few years, but he didn’t know why. Joe Roszak of the Parks Department told me they were working with the polo group to find a site for them where they could obtain appropriate permits.

I’d vote for the county to stop worrying about young adults engaging in wholesome activities in empty parking structures on cold winter days. Use the time saved to lessen the impact of furloughs on public safety.

Jack Bruss of Elm Grove is a retired chemical engineer who is married with three children. E-mail jackbruss@yahoo.com

Original article http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/82977322.html

Tonight Jake ,Matt, Brian and myself went around the city looking at possible courts that we are working on with the county.  It was hard to get a good feel for the courts with a 4° windchill but we did our best.  Jake was kind enough to pick us up even though his car doesn’t have heat.  The car also shook when ever we would stop at a light.  Jake said he though it was because he was low on oil but I think it was just from the shivering cold.  After I got home I couldn’t stop thinking about playing polo, especially in the summer.  I miss the way a red ball handles in 70°.   Ya know when you go to scoop it, It almost clings to the head of your mallet?   I started going through Danes flickr and I found this Photo of Jake, Matt, Armahn and myself.  I think it sums up summer pretty well.  Flats, shorts, sleeveless shirts and polo.

Kremin

http://www.flickr.com/photos/danehaman/

Save the Date April 17, 2010.  Awesome race and fun times in MKE!

The past 2 years we have held a bike polo tourny the day after the race.  We’ll probably do the same again this year.  Check back for more details.

Bike polo has come to point where more players are taking an extra step to ensure their safety on the court.  Ben Shultz of Chicago Bike Polo is one of those players.  Check out his recent modification to his existing helmet using a hockey cage.  I really believe modifications and protective gear will become more popular in the coming year due to increasing personal injury and safety awareness.

Most of the polo community knows at least someone who has had close calls to the face.  Meaning they have gotten hit, but it hasn’t amounted to serious or permanent injury.  If you don’t want to be one of the unlucky players than consider this idea or something similar.

Ben’s Cycle was buzzing today with a thick group of the best Fixed Gear Frestylin’ this side of the globe has to offer.  Litterally was mayhem at the shop today.  I’m suprised they weren’t in the warehouse jumping off the dance floor.  Tomorrow will be a whole different story.