Competitive 'bike-polo' is attracting players from outside the province for the first time. The Winnipeg Urban Polo Association is holding its seventh annual event, but it's the first time players from Thunder Bay and Saskatoon have joined in the tournament.
Bike polo is played much like it sounds, but instead of getting on a horse, players get on bikes. Instead of mallets with wood, players use ones that are homemade.
"Most people use golf clubs or old cross country ski polls,” said Matt Magura of the Winnipeg Urban Polo Association.
Bike polo is played on teams of three. The first team to make five goals wins.
The rules prevent players from putting their feet down on the ground. Many serious players adjust their bikes to make it easier to speed up quickly over short distances.
It's a game that's attracting people from the cycling community. "I'm obsessed with the game and we just started playing this year, and I'm a long-time cycle enthusiast,” said Tori Morris, from Saskatoon.
“I was a bike messenger and mechanic. I've always been into bikes, and to combining that into a competitive sport. It's made for me."
Organziers say bike polo has become more of spectator sport, getting about 50 people to watch on average at each game. Worldwide, they say there are about 25,000 people playing bike-polo.
