European Polo Championships, Barcelona, 2nd-6th June 2011

Found a few campsites near to Barcelona, Camping Masnou seems best, 15km up the coast and €7 a night.

European Polo Championships, Barcelona, 2nd-6th June 2011 Interested list:

1. danwentskiing
   
2. hyper (#excited squeel)
   
3. LucasR
   
4. Void (jeerleader)
   
5. 4ndy - somebody give me a job though?!
   
6. EMM (spectator/player/tapas eater-either way im there)
   7.
   

This is shaping up to be awesome. So hope I can make it!

From what I've been reading, the dates are still not confirmed yet, and their first choice of venue has fallen through, so this could be a late call.

It'll be fine just need to confirm dates really

I think it will be fine at the end, have some faith in Ale and company.
Tipical hispanish situation, the organization will be a pain, but once there everything will be amazing

Just found out will probably be there the week after! Sort of hope the date gets changed so we can come jeerlead too...

BTW
"EHBPC 2011 Barcelona - 23 to 27 June
Pre-Event ECMC Barcelona - 24 to 26 June
ECMC Madrid - 1 to 3 July"

Just found my pocket Barcelona map from last time I was there, has map of whole city & map of central area in better detail. It's one of those £4 pop open things that are enough to get you around without a guide book. It has a bunch of Post-Its in it with all the veg food places I could find off google with numbered dots for their location.
Can lend to anyone who is going, the veg food recommendations double as advice of where to avoid if you prefer eating the other stuff.

Quite tempted...but has been a few years since i journeyed with a push bike..

^ get the train, fuck tramp-planes

exactly what i used to do, i travel light on a powered 2 wheeler but....well you know

Travelling was one of the main reasons I stopped being veggie. Spanish food FTW. Their cheese is good, but their pork is better... mmmmm.

Good old Protein.. =)

Irish breakfast rolls, dear god they are LORD

swiss cheese and salami rolls, made road side with a pen knife, om nom nom

It's looking more and more like the dates are going to be 24th-26th June, with a probable wildcard tourney on the 23rd open to all. They've announced that there's 10 spaces for UK teams, so I expect there'll be a qualifier tournament to decide which teams get to go, although if that's the case it'll be a mad rush and the chance of a late-call meaning expensive travel.

European Polo Championships, Barcelona, June 2011 Interested list:

1. danwentskiing
   
2. hyper (#excited squeel)
   
3. LucasR
   
4. 4ndy - somebody give me a job though?!
   
5. EMM (spectator/player/tapas eater-either way im there)
   6.
   7.
   

Can't make it, Void?

Like you said, a late call = travel arrangement headaches

Been 50/50 on this at best, polo is for polo people, I'll go to back to BCN but after summer/OYB breeding season/when it's less of a mindfuck to organise

Yeah. To be honest, I'm 50/50 too - so much depends on what Barcelona says in the next few days. If Hyper and 4ndy are up for it, that's a lot more tempting, and if a sleeper train works out then even better...

I'm just being pragmatic I guess, the chances of me doing everything I fancy each summer are slim, at least since I got poor, so anything like this that throws demented random curveballs at me just for the fuck of it gets shelved.

Shame as I was so excited about running away and refusing to come back when I got there.

It's going to be a qualifying tournament. Probably one for London, one for the rest of the UK. Debate is raging now: http://www.lfgss.com/thread55368-8.html

Based on our last few tournament appearances, we're going to struggle to get into the top 4-6 non-london quotient...

Okay, other people really need to wade in. They're suggesting we hold a qualifier tournament!

Dates have been confirmed (kind of) as 24/25/26 June. There may be a wild-card on the 23rd, but we don't know yet. Because of the lateness of the decisions and the certainty we'll have to qualify to get in (still being discussed) which may mean a late-ish call on booking travel etc, it's looking less and less likeley that I'm going to be able to make this one.

I'll try to make a call as soon as the relevant info is in, but basically, **if you're lower down the seedings and thought you didn't have a chance getting in to our Black Stabbath lineup to qualify, it's worth adding your name to the list of 'interested' people. **

Jono from London has booked his flights today, which are around £130-150, but it won't be until the end of March at the soonest that we'll know if we qualify, I reckon, and prices will be more than that by then. Train is still an option but that may take too long for me bearing in mind holiday time etc.

Bit of a bummer, but I'm actually relishing the opportunity to focus on playing national tournaments and hopefully push ourselves up the rankings a bit in time for the next Euros. There's rumours the National Champs will be in June, a week or so before he Euros!

I've taken Lucas off the list below, because he already booked to go for the original dates!

European Polo Championships, Barcelona, June 2011 Interested list:

1. hyper (#excited squeel)
   
2. 4ndy - somebody give me a job though?!
   
3. EMM (spectator/player/tapas eater-either way im there)
   6.
   7.
   

Thread for qualifier tournament: http://www.lfgss.com/thread61388.html

I can't make either date, so if anyone wants to form a team, sort it out!

Having only tourney and in London is a bit unfair imho...
16th is day before my birthday though and am in London for Marathon night ride anyway so will heckle away if it's that day.

Yeah, Barcelona didn't work things out too efficiently, so it got left to the last minute. London has the majority of players, a decent two-court setup, and nobody else offered!

It's all to late in my opinion - by the time people know if they've qualified, flights will be really expensive and holidays will have been nabbed by colleagues. I can't afford another expensive polo trip, so for those reasons, I'm out...