You are reading a single comment by @mrkawasaki and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@mrkawasaki
As such an immature sport it is an inevitable element of progress that players and teams should look to exploit codes and rules if the winning become more important to them than the taking part. The days of being covered by the 'dick move' ethic are gone come Sunday afternoon finals.
Whilst it may be easy to ask the players to self-manage a polo code and even easier to recriminate after the game – it’s as futile as it is naive. It is not the players responsibility any more - the emphasis has switched from players as self-appointed guardians to those of rulesets and referees to interpret, legislate and to enforce on-court behaviours, to try and manage a just result of every contest.
The spotlight shows rules catching up fast, with poachers-turning-gamekeepers managing the process and keeping apace with contemporary players progress/skills/commitment. Polo is fortunate to be in an age where forums and video can help keep rulesets up-to-the-minute and, if not be ahead, at least keep up with players and teams looking for the advantage that bends the rule.
What I see watching top flight matches from the Worlds last year to today (Rouen) is a new level of player commitment built on a higher level of physical capability, allied to a considered interpretation of the ruleset – that’s progress.
What I see potentially being lost in this is a ‘duty of care’ (to fellow competitor and to the game) that was tacitly enshrined in the dick move code. Just because a move is ‘legal’, wins the game or won’t be called doesn’t mean it is without danger.
The game is being broken down evermore with the referee continually being drawn into the contest and making it less watchable and less sporting/fun to play in. The outcome of more and more important matches falling to the referee cannot be the right way to go.
What should never decide an otherwise equal contest is a team that is wilfully trying to bend or break a rule and/or prepared to risk fellow players health in the process losing to a team that respects the rules, referees and the spirit of the game. When there is an ill-informed, weak or quiet referee this sometimes becomes an invitation to exploit advantage. If the opponents are of the same mindset or are drawn into the gutter to scrap it out – then the game is the real loser. What is also at stake is the tenuous notion of the ‘polo community’ – the more matches and personal duels that fall under the poorly-refereed/bad tempered/injury-inducing/unjust tag the more the cracks will begin to show.
More than great players and teams, this game needs the up-to-date ruleset and great referees to execute. Referees need to be intelligent, experienced, authoritative, consistent and talented – better performers in their role than the best players are in theirs. Referees will necessarily soon be ‘qualified’ and that will give them a more proactive status that will counter players and teams intent on seeking advantage in the dark arts that can ultimately damage bike polo.
Referees are the future stars of this great game right now.
Additionally, a few ideas to help promote the status of refereeing in the UK: