Auto Polo - Polo with Cars
Auto polo is a sport that was directly derived from polo, in which players are on automobiles instead of horses. The sport, which was invented in the United States, was popular within the country and in Europe for about a decade in the early 20th century, but soon lost its appeal thereafter. Auto polo is an extinct sport and is no longer played in any part of the world.
The sport, unlike polo, was designed to be played on outdoor fields and indoor arenas. The minimum area required was 300 x 120ft. The field had two goalposts, 15ft wide, on both ends of the field. The objective of the sport, as with other forms of polo, was to score as many goals as possible by striking the ball through the goalposts.
the dangerous sport of auto-polo being played early last centuryEach team consisted of two cars, and the cars used by both teams were of distinctly different colors. Two players rode on each car, where one player was responsible for piloting the vehicle and the other player was responsible for striking the ball. The mallets used were similar to that of croquet sticks, but had a much heavier 3-pound head. The ball used was a regulation size basketball.
The sport was popular for a short time, mostly because of the action and accidents, but the dangerous aspect of it is what led to its demise. It has somewhat been revived in the form of Tuk-Tuk Polo.
Similar Sports
- Tuk-Tuk Polo — a variation of polo, in which players are on vehicles called tuk-tuks (unusual sport)
- Segway Polo — similar to horse polo though players ride a segway.
- Polo (Horse Polo) — a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to hit a ball into a goal using a long-handled mallet.
- Bicycle Polo — similar to Polo, though played on bicycles instead of horses.
Related Pages
- About Extinct and Ancient Sports
- List of Extinct Sports
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports
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