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| Lizzy on the right |
Meet Lizzy, the *only active female bike polo player in Scotland
(*update: following this post, we were told that Glasgow now has two female players: Lizzy and leftie Heather - hi to both :-) )
Name: Lizzy Sime
Occupation: English teacher/Ski instructor
City: Glasgow
Club: GHBP
Number of members: currently about 10
Where and when do you play?
We play at The Barn in the Gorbals on Sundays and at Mansfield Park in Partick on Wednesday nights
When did you start playing bike polo?
I started playing two and a half years ago but with 5 month gaps as I spent winters in the Austrian Alps. Alps in winter not great for polo…
What's the best thing about bike polo?
hmmm.. It is stupidly addictive! So much fun! But as well as that, for me, it's the people who make polo. I love my polo pals here in Glasgow and the further afield I travel to play the more amazing people I meet.
What's your best polo adventure?
The Girls' Throwin Tourney in Birmingham! I have enjoyed all the tournaments that I have played in but this one was different as it was the first all-female tournament that I have been to. One of the things I love about polo is that girls and guys play together as equals but it was amazing to see so many girls playing, and playing so well! For me, a big part of the huge success of this tournament was that the teams were thrownin every round. This meant that we all mixed and got to know each other resulting in a fantastic atmosphere, which was especially important for people like me who only knew a couple of people there.
How do you think we can encourage more girls to try out bike polo?
I don't know really. Team sport for those who maybe traditionally don't like 'team sports'! Age, gender etc doesn't matter in polo...the social side - beer is equally important as the polo... Hot girls/guys in face-cages…
What’s your advice to new players?
Stick at it and do a bit of Solo Polo practice. It seems really hard at first. I genuinely just rode in wobbly circles and didn't touch the ball for weeks! But you improve really quickly.
Would you walk 500 hundred miles and would you walk 500 more for bike polo?
Not sure I'd walk 500 miles.... but I'd definitely cycle it and more for polo...I have actually driven it. [Lizzy drove from Glasgow to Birmingham for the tournament]
Last thoughts?
i am super excited about Hell's Belles! [Hell's Belles is the biggest female european bike polo event. This year it will be in Geneva, 15-16 November 2014]
