A small but determined group of cyclists from Mobile has earned their way onto one of the biggest stages in hardcourt bike polo. The Dauphins, the competitive team representing Mobile’s co-ed bike polo club known as MOLO, placed third at the Southeast Qualifier in Atlanta and secured a berth at the North American Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships in Minneapolis.
From Parking Lot Pickup Games to National Competition
MOLO was founded in June 2009 as a way for local cycling enthusiasts to exercise, compete, and build community. The club has grown to include about 15 regular members, though as many as 30 players have participated over the years. Twice a week on average, members load more than $5,000 worth of equipment into a van and trailer and haul it to a parking lot at the University of South Alabama, where they spend roughly half an hour setting up a makeshift court using large foam border pieces, a storage container, and a curb to create an enclosed playing area.
The setup is not regulation size, and the club does not have enough border pieces to fully enclose the court on their own. But none of that has stopped the Dauphins from competing at a high level.
A Strong Showing in Atlanta
Earlier in 2014, three MOLO members — Bernard Hickman, Jacques Chouinard, and Kevin Greene — entered the Southeast Qualifier, an open tournament that drew 34 teams from seven states including Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Despite facing seasoned competitors from across the region, the Dauphins came away with a third-place finish, good enough to punch their ticket to the continental championship.
The Rise of Hardcourt Bike Polo
While polo played from bicycles has existed for roughly a century, the hardcourt variant is a relatively recent development. The modern version of the sport traces its origins to Seattle in 1999, where bike messengers began organizing informal competitions on concrete surfaces. What started as a side attraction at existing cycling events called Alley Cats quickly spread to cities across North America.
By the mid-2000s, the sport had grown enough to warrant a large-scale championship tournament in Chicago, and in the years that followed, the North American Hardcourt Bike Polo Association was formed with 21 elected representatives from across the continent. The organization now oversees ten regions spanning Mexico, the United States, and Canada. MOLO joined the association in 2010.
Supporting the Dauphins
The team launched a fundraiser to help cover the costs of traveling to Minneapolis for the championship, including plane tickets, lodging, and equipment. MOLO remains an open club and welcomes anyone interested in trying the sport.