During the Criterium bicycle race that swarmed downtown Tampa last spring, a feisty crew of sinewy cyclists whizzed by in a blur.

They weren’t part of the race. They were riding on a patch of cordoned-off concrete near Tampa and Zack streets, making whacking sounds far away from the 10-speeders and spectators down the block — and quite a different lot than the motionless, crouched-down riders in Spandex.

For one, they were wielding mallets.

They were playing polo — on bikes.

Young, wearing cutoff shorts and faded Ts, they looked more skate rat than Ralph Lauren model. They resembled kids playing street hockey, whipping around in crazy eight-like swirls, but on wheels — and somehow not crashing into one another.

Turns out the crew was a team from Tampa Bike Polo, aka Bicycle Polo at USF, a group which formed just last year. With one faculty member and the rest students, the members include club leader/coordinator Kyle Casteline, a physics major; Kienan Almeida, fine art; Joseph Fawls, Canadian studies and culture; Emily Gerrity, fine art; Wil Fady, women’s studies; Tomohiko Music, urban planning, and Irineo Cabreros, laboratory manager at USF’s School of Art and History. The team coordinates via a group page on Facebook — a standard practice for recreation-gathering these days.

Cabreros, 55 and the elder of the team, got to know Casteline and company as a student advisor and joined in the past six months. He explained some of the distinctions between lawn-horse and bike polo. Unlike traditional polo, players compete three on three (instead of four) and follow many of the same rules with regard to contact. They get fouls for three consecutive touches, but no one gets too aggressive — though there are accidents, of course.

The mallets for bike polo, he explained, differ from the wooden sticks used in regular polo in one distinct way: The head is attached with high-density polyethylene. When asked if polyethylene were similar to PVC, Cabreros expounded on the differences like a chemistry major, even spelling out “polyvinyl chloride,” which happens to be less resilient.

Another interesting tidbit: Bike polo, aka cycle polo, has been around more than a century. Retired cyclist Richard J. Mecredy invented the competitive sport — a visceral ballet with a charming combination of street smarts and refined strategy — in County Wicklow, Ireland, in 1891. The hardcourt game has surged among college students and athletes since around 2007, and teams are forming around the world. Among the pics on the club’s Facebook is an antique photo of a flouncy female rider circa the turn of the century.

The USF team has gotten fairly active and official-like in a short amount of time, practicing in parking garages at USF. They even hosted the Florida bike polo championship last November. Riders from throughout the state joined the USF team in riding with the Cranksgiving charity bike ride, and all participants partied heartily at The Bricks afterward.

On the club’s Facebook page: “We have spare helmets, bikes, mallets and water for everyone. All you need to bring is yourself!”

Tampa Bike Polo/Bicycle Polo at USF meets Friday and Tuesday nights at the pavilion on the corner of Bull Run and Alumni, on the southwest corner of USF’s Tampa campus. Visit their group Facebook page to find out their news and updates. Facebook.com/groups/116959404982777

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