FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Bike polo clubs are popping up all over South Florida.
Fort Lauderdale Bike Polo plays at Holiday Park, located at 1125 G. Harold Martin Drive, at 8 p.m. every Thursday. Bill Gorton is one of those who is hooked.
"Controlled chaos would be a good thing to describe it. You're in control but yet at any second, you could be on the ground," said Gorton.
Gorton began playing seven months ago with about 20 others.
"It's really a simple sport," said organizer K Sakai. "It's a 3 on 3 game. You have to hit at the end of the mallet and you just try to score between the two cones. That's pretty much the essence of the game,"
This form of bike polo began in Seattle, Wash., about 2000. Bike messengers there were looking for something to do in their down time.
The movement quickly spread, and Fort Lauderdale Bike Polo recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.
"Everybody I've met has always been very nice, very helpful, take the shirt off your back type of people," said Gorton.
"Everybody's friendly. If you don't like it, worst case scenario, you'll meet a bunch of nice people and have a good time," said Rosa Valderrama.
"Definitely it's one of those things that you have to come out and play and most people fall in love with it immediately," said Sakai.
Games have a 10 minute time limit unless one team wins by scoring five goals.
"It's a lot more fun to play a game for exercise than to go to the gym," said Valderrama.
"I've injured my shoulder, my hip. I can't injure my head -- there's always rocks up there anyway. You have to be a little bit crazy to play this sport," Gorton said with a laugh.
Click here for Fort Lauderdale Bike Polo's Facebook page.
There is also a Miami Bike Polo club which plays at Jose Marti Park. Click here for details.