Bike Polo every Sunday afternoon at Lindenwood Park! Most Wedesday evenings, too! You could get good, travel to tournaments in exotic lands (Kentucky) and win crap (like, really, crap).
57 comments:
Ben
said...
Sunset is scheduled for 7:07 on Wednesday night. That means it'll be too dark to play before eight (Last week, after gathering my gear, I left the park at 8:06). I suggest we hit Maplewood or a parking garage if anyone wants to play more than a couple of hours.
Alright. After checking, I have a gas generator (2200 watts) and extension chords. If someone has halogen flood lamps, we can play for hours past dusk.
I won't be there until at least 6. I need a little decompression time between work and polo. Gotta switch bikes and do 100 push ups with my knuckles in broken glass to make me mean and tough.
Let's be sure to stop ourselves at 10pm, which is when the parks close. We wouldn't want to raise any feathers.
Man, I dunno about those lights. They allowed me to fool myself into playing just as hard as if it were daylight, but weren't actually bright enough to allow me to see the ball if it wasn't in front of me. I didn't like how crash-y those last couple of games were. But I did like hanging out with y'all and playing 'til 9.
What should we do? Bring more lamps to Mt Pleasant next week? Put 'em higher up if we can? Get a lighter colored ball?
Putting lights on both sides of the rink would help a bit.
After discussing it Wednesday and having amoment to think about it, playing at night on a bigger rink (Mt. Pleasant) is going to lead to higher speeds and (possibly) bigger crashes. Just a thought.
Why do you want to go there on a sunday? we have a good sunday spot already. I dont want to go there sunday. I want to goto Lindenwood. BUT i i like that BBQ idea. Anchovy
Oh yeah, there is a bike swap meet at Queeny park on Sunday, its FREE. 6:30 till? Should be rad. Anybody want to go at 6:30 or 7? I dont have a car but want to go real bad. Anchovy
It was so crash heavy on wed. because no one had any peripheral vision. Any peripheral vision that we had was severely limited by the darkness that surrounded the court. This did not allow us to see people in front of us or on our "blind" side when our heads were down. I noticed the same problem when we played under lights in Pensacola. It totally changes the game and you really have to be aware of everyone around you.
It is different then at Lindenwood with the street lights because 1. We are using spot lights vs. Street lights and 2. The street lights illuminate the space out side the courts which allow us more peripheral depth perception.
Solution: Get the st. louis parks department to put up some better lights at lindenwood / tiles. In lieu of that, there is no way we will get the lights high enough to solve these problems, unless we set a pullie system up on the broken street lights at lindenwood, with brighter lights.
Anchovy - I wanted to go to Mt Pleasant on Sunday so we would have a full day in the sunshine to work out on a bigger court. But I'll bring my veggies and beer to whatever court the text says to go to.
Is the swap meet at 6:30 am or pm? I don't have a car either.
is this the mount pleasant at michigan and dakota? what time are people planning on showing up there, the reason why i am asking is that i no longer get texts on my phone. i dont get off work until 2:30 so i could probably make it there by 4 at the latest. i can bring beer/food stuff if we BBQ.
Dear St. Louis Parks Department (specifically, the Park Rangers),
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for ruining a perfectly good Sunday afternoon barbeque in the park. After a dreary morning, ten of my friends and I decided make the most of our Sunday afternoon by gathering at the Lindenwood Park pavilion to enjoy some fun and barbeque.
As I am sure you know, planning, organizing, and executing a barbeque is no simple task. It requires a good deal of equipment including: coolers, utensils, a grill, entertainment, food, and a plethora of other things to ensure that the barbeque runs smoothly. I showed up early at Lindenwood Park with the necessary barbeque components, but carrying the gear from my truck 80 yards to the pavilion would have required more trips than I wish to count. So I drove my truck over to the pavilion to unload everything I had brought along. Let me make it clear that I drove on the path directly to the pavilion (I didn’t stop-off in the soccer field to do a few donuts or run over a couple kids). I exercised caution and respect for the park as I entered the park and carefully rolled to the pavilion.
After taking the time to unload the barbeque supplies from my truck, I decided to leave it parked next to the pavilion so I could easy reload it once our barbeque was complete (driving into the park, unloading, and driving out only to drive back into the park, reload, and drive out again clearly did not make much sense. Leaving it parked next to the pavilion was harmless and limited risk and park disruption).
This is where your trusty Park Ranger decided it was time to be jerk and disrupt a perfectly normal, quiet barbeque in Lindenwood Park.
The St. Louis Park Ranger that showed up to write me a ticket – Let me be clear, he showed up to write me a ticket. He did not show up to understand the situation – sat in his car, wrote a ticket, and then walked the 100 yards to the pavilion to slap the ticket on my windshield.
I have never seen an enforcer of the law refuse to even attempt to understand a situation. Oh no. The park ranger that showed up eager to slap parking tickets on my truck assumed that I was guilty from the moment he arrived at the park. I could have been parked for a minute. I could have been parked for an hour. It did not matter one bit to this Park Ranger. There was no listening to my side of the story. There was no attempt to understand my position.
Is this how St. Louis Park Rangers are trained to act? Get half of the story, ignore the other half, and start handing out fines?
I respect authority. When I am in the wrong, I am enough of an adult to admit it. My parents raised me that way. But the ticket I received on Sunday afternoon is the biggest joke I have ever seen. The fact that your Park Ranger refused to hear my side of the story, the fact that he instantly assumed that I deserved a ticket is not a display of mutual respect; It is a park ranger picking on what he sees as a bunch of punk kids hanging out at the Lindenwood Park pavilion. After Sunday afternoon’s actions, I am convinced that St. Louis’ Park Rangers are clearly a class act (Did you catch the sarcasm? I was laying it on pretty thick…But probably not as thick as the skull on the Ranger I met on Sunday.).
What I find funny in this entire, stupid situation is the fact that my friends and I use Lindenwood Park every Sunday and Wednesday. We use the park, we respect the park, and make serious efforts to maintain the park. The 10-15 of us that meet at the park twice a week are always picking up trash, using our own money to repair damaged/vandalized park property, and are working to create a positive, welcoming environment within the park. Apparently, no good deed in the St. Louis Parks goes unpunished. While we try to be frequent, courteous users of Lindenwood Park and continuously make efforts to leave the park in better condition than when we found it, it is nice to know that the St. Louis’ Park Rangers are looking for ways to hassle us and stick us with fines.
If this is the kind of treatment and lack of respect we can expect to receive from St. Louis Park Rangers in the future, I am sure that we can take our free time somewhere else. I am sure that a county park would be happy to have a group of 20 and 30somethings using, respecting, and taking care of their facilities.
Enclosed is the check required to take care of my ticket. Enjoy wasting the money on whatever it is that the City Parks Department blows its dough (God knows you are not spending the money on simple things like fixing the lights at Tilles’ Roller Hockey Rink!). After Sunday’s display, I would not be surprised if that ticket-happy Park Ranger got a raise while we get hassled out of your parks. An ass-backwards display like that would make perfect sense after witnessing this whole ordeal.
well said ben. you are a true diplomat, and a good speller.on an unrelated note. i think i finally exacted total revenge on the soccer players by forcing them to drink the remaining steel reserve.
I sent an email requesting the lights at Tilles be fixed. This is the response I got:
"There is no electrical service to the rink. Installation of electrical service is a capital improvement and monies would have to be allocated for the installation from your alderman's capital improvement budget."
Tilles park(and Lindenwood, too) are in the 23rd ward. The Alderman there is Joe Vaccaro.
If we really want to, we should get together with the soccer kids and form some sort of improvement committee. Petition the alderman to push the parks dep't. Maybe even raise some of the funds ourselves.
Also, I won't be at polo tonight either. I am sick. -Lucky
You try a full restart by plugging it into your computer? That worked for me when i had that problem. I imagine you have searched forums already. Your a smart guy. Anchovy
I just heard about Bike Polo tonight from a friend of the FBC and it sounds awesome! Assuming I can get out of a prior commitment on Sunday, I'd love to check it out.
I read that you have bikes there, but I could bring my own too. My brother has (what I think) is a fixed gear and might be ideal.
I also heard that there is a tournament next weekend. Does this mean no Bike Polo in Lindenwood Park next Sunday?
Lucky. Or somebody. I'm going out of town tomorrow afternoon, and I won't be able to make it to Polo. Can I drop my extra mallets off at someone's place tomorrow morning? I'd hate for there to not be enough mallets at Polo tomorrow because my mallets weren't there.
57 comments:
Sunset is scheduled for 7:07 on Wednesday night. That means it'll be too dark to play before eight (Last week, after gathering my gear, I left the park at 8:06). I suggest we hit Maplewood or a parking garage if anyone wants to play more than a couple of hours.
Bring a can of penetrating oil, two halogen flood lamps, an extension cord, and a power strip. John, bring your electricians tools.
I've got the allen keys to get into the lamp-posts at Lindenwood, but the bolts are stuck.
I have a generator.
I'm checking on lights.
Alright. After checking, I have a gas generator (2200 watts) and extension chords. If someone has halogen flood lamps, we can play for hours past dusk.
do you think the ones they sell at home depot would work? i got one of those we used for shooting skate vids at night.
Yes. Bring it.
Don't forget zipties, rope, tape, clamps, or however you plan on attaching them to the top of the fence.
Day-um. A generator. That's pretty big time. Lindenwood or Tilles?
Oh! Or Mt Pleasant? I mean, if we're bringing our own lights and all...
I await the text
FYI, the generator is kinda loud. Lawn mower-esque loud. I suggest we play at the court furthest from neighboring houses.
Also, if we play at Lindenwood, I suggest starting in the 5 o'clock hour in order to beat the soccer suckers.
I have lights, but will not be able to make it until around 7.
I've got ONE light. It is bright, like the sun bright. It doubles as a heater. I also have the king of all penetrating lubricants, PB PARTS BLASTER.
That's
what
she
said
i say Tilles then. Its more away from homes...and closer to where players live.
-Anchovy
Evan cant post replies here cuz hes at work, but he has 2 floodlights and a 100ft cord.
-Anchovy
Awesome! Tilles under the lights.
I won't be there until at least 6. I need a little decompression time between work and polo. Gotta switch bikes and do 100 push ups with my knuckles in broken glass to make me mean and tough.
Let's be sure to stop ourselves at 10pm, which is when the parks close. We wouldn't want to raise any feathers.
POLO TIL TEN!!
Awesome.
so is its Tiles? thats what im going tell everyone on the mass text.
-Anchovy
Man, I dunno about those lights. They allowed me to fool myself into playing just as hard as if it were daylight, but weren't actually bright enough to allow me to see the ball if it wasn't in front of me. I didn't like how crash-y those last couple of games were. But I did like hanging out with y'all and playing 'til 9.
What should we do? Bring more lamps to Mt Pleasant next week? Put 'em higher up if we can? Get a lighter colored ball?
Putting lights on both sides of the rink would help a bit.
After discussing it Wednesday and having amoment to think about it, playing at night on a bigger rink (Mt. Pleasant) is going to lead to higher speeds and (possibly) bigger crashes. Just a thought.
Man, why was it so intense and crash heavy Wed night? I think Lucky is onto something there. Oh well i had tons o fun.
Anchovy
Let's do Mt Pleasant this Sunday, in the daylight. Someone bring a grill, I'll bring some veggie stuff to put on it and a coupla beers.
We'll try to make it worth the trip all the way to the east side for y'all.
Why do you want to go there on a sunday? we have a good sunday spot already. I dont want to go there sunday. I want to goto Lindenwood. BUT i i like that BBQ idea.
Anchovy
Oh yeah, there is a bike swap meet at Queeny park on Sunday, its FREE. 6:30 till? Should be rad. Anybody want to go at 6:30 or 7? I dont have a car but want to go real bad.
Anchovy
stlbikeworks has their sidewalk sale tomorrow (Saturday). 10 a.m. til ??
It was so crash heavy on wed. because no one had any peripheral vision. Any peripheral vision that we had was severely limited by the darkness that surrounded the court. This did not allow us to see people in front of us or on our "blind" side when our heads were down. I noticed the same problem when we played under lights in Pensacola. It totally changes the game and you really have to be aware of everyone around you.
It is different then at Lindenwood with the street lights because 1. We are using spot lights vs. Street lights and 2. The street lights illuminate the space out side the courts which allow us more peripheral depth perception.
Solution: Get the st. louis parks department to put up some better lights at lindenwood / tiles. In lieu of that, there is no way we will get the lights high enough to solve these problems, unless we set a pullie system up on the broken street lights at lindenwood, with brighter lights.
Maplewood lights + portable lights.
CRANK & CLICK 2 scavenger hunt tomorrow.
http://www.willcycleforcharity.com/
Let's represent!!
Anchovy - I wanted to go to Mt Pleasant on Sunday so we would have a full day in the sunshine to work out on a bigger court. But I'll bring my veggies and beer to whatever court the text says to go to.
Is the swap meet at 6:30 am or pm? I don't have a car either.
6:30 am.
I want to go to the swap. I don't know if I want to be awake and at the swap at 6:30 or 7 though.
is this the mount pleasant at michigan and dakota? what time are people planning on showing up there, the reason why i am asking is that i no longer get texts on my phone. i dont get off work until 2:30 so i could probably make it there by 4 at the latest. i can bring beer/food stuff if we BBQ.
I went by Hanley Industrial today...
Pros:
1. Nice surface...smooth but plenty of grip.
2. Bigger than Lindenwood.
Cons:
1. No Lights.
2. Closes at sunset.
3. Rules say "no bikes" (but no one was around to kick me off if I had decided to do a little Polo practice).
As for tomorrow. I can bring the Weber grill if people wanna have a cookout.
Beer. BBQ. Polo.
Overnight rain says we play at Lindenwood today. Bring a coupla push-brooms and a grill. I'll bring some tofu pups and fixins.
Mt Pleasant is unbelievably slick when it's wet.
Sounds good.
I'm bringing:
~Grill
~Leaf Blower
~12-pack
~Grill fixings for myself.
If anyone wants burgers or brats or whatever, bring it with you.
so are well all showing up at the normal time then?
I assume so.
Be there or be lame.
well, this is just too exciting. beers brats bikes, and probably some blood too. i should be there around 3.
is going to kill the douchebags that thought of steeel reserve.
woo polo!
Dear St. Louis Parks Department (specifically, the Park Rangers),
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for ruining a perfectly good Sunday afternoon barbeque in the park. After a dreary morning, ten of my friends and I decided make the most of our Sunday afternoon by gathering at the Lindenwood Park pavilion to enjoy some fun and barbeque.
As I am sure you know, planning, organizing, and executing a barbeque is no simple task. It requires a good deal of equipment including: coolers, utensils, a grill, entertainment, food, and a plethora of other things to ensure that the barbeque runs smoothly. I showed up early at Lindenwood Park with the necessary barbeque components, but carrying the gear from my truck 80 yards to the pavilion would have required more trips than I wish to count. So I drove my truck over to the pavilion to unload everything I had brought along. Let me make it clear that I drove on the path directly to the pavilion (I didn’t stop-off in the soccer field to do a few donuts or run over a couple kids). I exercised caution and respect for the park as I entered the park and carefully rolled to the pavilion.
After taking the time to unload the barbeque supplies from my truck, I decided to leave it parked next to the pavilion so I could easy reload it once our barbeque was complete (driving into the park, unloading, and driving out only to drive back into the park, reload, and drive out again clearly did not make much sense. Leaving it parked next to the pavilion was harmless and limited risk and park disruption).
This is where your trusty Park Ranger decided it was time to be jerk and disrupt a perfectly normal, quiet barbeque in Lindenwood Park.
The St. Louis Park Ranger that showed up to write me a ticket – Let me be clear, he showed up to write me a ticket. He did not show up to understand the situation – sat in his car, wrote a ticket, and then walked the 100 yards to the pavilion to slap the ticket on my windshield.
I have never seen an enforcer of the law refuse to even attempt to understand a situation. Oh no. The park ranger that showed up eager to slap parking tickets on my truck assumed that I was guilty from the moment he arrived at the park. I could have been parked for a minute. I could have been parked for an hour. It did not matter one bit to this Park Ranger. There was no listening to my side of the story. There was no attempt to understand my position.
Is this how St. Louis Park Rangers are trained to act? Get half of the story, ignore the other half, and start handing out fines?
I respect authority. When I am in the wrong, I am enough of an adult to admit it. My parents raised me that way. But the ticket I received on Sunday afternoon is the biggest joke I have ever seen. The fact that your Park Ranger refused to hear my side of the story, the fact that he instantly assumed that I deserved a ticket is not a display of mutual respect; It is a park ranger picking on what he sees as a bunch of punk kids hanging out at the Lindenwood Park pavilion. After Sunday afternoon’s actions, I am convinced that St. Louis’ Park Rangers are clearly a class act (Did you catch the sarcasm? I was laying it on pretty thick…But probably not as thick as the skull on the Ranger I met on Sunday.).
What I find funny in this entire, stupid situation is the fact that my friends and I use Lindenwood Park every Sunday and Wednesday. We use the park, we respect the park, and make serious efforts to maintain the park. The 10-15 of us that meet at the park twice a week are always picking up trash, using our own money to repair damaged/vandalized park property, and are working to create a positive, welcoming environment within the park. Apparently, no good deed in the St. Louis Parks goes unpunished. While we try to be frequent, courteous users of Lindenwood Park and continuously make efforts to leave the park in better condition than when we found it, it is nice to know that the St. Louis’ Park Rangers are looking for ways to hassle us and stick us with fines.
If this is the kind of treatment and lack of respect we can expect to receive from St. Louis Park Rangers in the future, I am sure that we can take our free time somewhere else. I am sure that a county park would be happy to have a group of 20 and 30somethings using, respecting, and taking care of their facilities.
Enclosed is the check required to take care of my ticket. Enjoy wasting the money on whatever it is that the City Parks Department blows its dough (God knows you are not spending the money on simple things like fixing the lights at Tilles’ Roller Hockey Rink!). After Sunday’s display, I would not be surprised if that ticket-happy Park Ranger got a raise while we get hassled out of your parks. An ass-backwards display like that would make perfect sense after witnessing this whole ordeal.
Have a terrific day.
well said ben. you are a true diplomat, and a good speller.on an unrelated note. i think i finally exacted total revenge on the soccer players by forcing them to drink the remaining steel reserve.
Temps in the low 70's tonight with a 30% chance of rain.
If Polo is a GO tonight, the generator will be there. So bring your lights if you have them.
I will not be able to play... if someone wants to borrow my lights.. call me up and come by my house.. i will be home..
Evan said that he was out too.
I think I'm going to get Evan's lights from him on the way to Polo.
Someone get Nick's lights, and we'll be set.
Weather (rain) could be an issue.
I sent an email requesting the lights at Tilles be fixed. This is the response I got:
"There is no electrical service to the rink. Installation of electrical service is a capital improvement and monies would have to be allocated for the installation from your alderman's capital improvement budget."
Kathy Sullivan SullivanK@stlouiscity.com
Tilles park(and Lindenwood, too) are in the 23rd ward. The Alderman there is Joe Vaccaro.
If we really want to, we should get together with the soccer kids and form some sort of improvement committee. Petition the alderman to push the parks dep't. Maybe even raise some of the funds ourselves.
Also, I won't be at polo tonight either. I am sick. -Lucky
My phone is all messed up. I can't make/receive calls or texts. I am going to take it to the AT&T store tonight.
You try a full restart by plugging it into your computer? That worked for me when i had that problem. I imagine you have searched forums already. Your a smart guy.
Anchovy
I just heard about Bike Polo tonight from a friend of the FBC and it sounds awesome! Assuming I can get out of a prior commitment on Sunday, I'd love to check it out.
I read that you have bikes there, but I could bring my own too. My brother has (what I think) is a fixed gear and might be ideal.
I also heard that there is a tournament next weekend. Does this mean no Bike Polo in Lindenwood Park next Sunday?
There is no tournament between now and November 7th that any St Louis players I know of are planning to attend.
Come on by with your bike, your brother's bike, your neighbors kid's bmx bike, anything. 2pm Sunday at Lindenwood Park.
Bring a bike with brakes.
Lucky. Or somebody. I'm going out of town tomorrow afternoon, and I won't be able to make it to Polo. Can I drop my extra mallets off at someone's place tomorrow morning? I'd hate for there to not be enough mallets at Polo tomorrow because my mallets weren't there.
Let me know.
Of course. I'll be here (at home) all morning. Have fun on your trip.
it'll be weird without Ben. Still fun, but weird.
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