Woz Challenge Cup - Segway Polo

Segway Polo

Article by: © Michael J. Rosen 2012

"Similar to Real Polo, But Without the Manure."

- Segway polo enthusiast Alex Ko

Steve Wozniak's life has been quite the adventure. The Wizard of Woz co-invented the Apple Computer, lost and regained his short-term memory after a plane crash, and dated comedian Kathy Griffin. Now, the caramel-coating on this Apple icon's life is lending his name to the International Segway Human Transport Polo Tournament: The Woz Challenge Cup.

Segway polo, played on an electric-powered, two-wheeled vehicle programmed to balance itself, debuted during a Minnesota Vikings halftime in 2003. The following year, members of Bay Area Segway Enthusiasts began playing the game, and its popularity has soared ever since.

Teams of five play against one another at Segway's maximum speed, about 12.5 miles per hour. The rules feature "right of way" violations, as it is illegal to cut off another player from an angle in order to avoid Segway collisions. (Unlike "iWoz," most players don't own six more of the $5,000 vehicles.)

The annual Woz Challenge Cup features teams from the U.S., Germany, Spain, and New Zealand. In 2007, iWoz's team, the Silicon Valley Aftershocks, defeated the New Zealand Pole Blacks to capture the championship. As if being selected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame wasn't enough for him?

Ready to spend five grand so you can be embarrassed by a sixty-ish guy who's richer, better, and richer than you? Visit: www.segwayhtpolo.com

No Dribbling the Squid

More Woz Challenge Cup - Segway Polo