Blue Bandage Polocrosse – A place to start!
28th February, 2019
Hi All
Great to see the Blue Bandage banner alongside local carnival invites. Thank you to all the clubs who have done their bit. The feedback has been positive; however, there are still some questions and what ifs.
There is a grey area in who can register and how it is kept fair to our full paying membership.
– If a BB competes in the white bandage competition it will null and void the insurance of the BB player? No they can not play in the lowest division, as may have previously been discussed.
– Can a white bandage participate in a BB game to fill a spot? Yes as long as they play by the BB rules and umpired by an accredited coach.
– Will we be able to update and improve the running of BB? Yes, it is very much in trial stages. The most important thing we can do now – keep selling Blue Bandage, put it in your local newspaper, on Facebook where ever you think there is a market in your town and the surrounding towns. Let the Pony Clubs Campdrafters, anyone you can think of with a horse know. Polocrosse will sell itself; clubs need to get them the gate.
Last week at Ballarat there were 8 BB players. Pam Beer was the on-ground BB rep. Pam showed how to bandage (new bandages so had to unroll and roll), tails, racquets were given out and a brief rundown of the rules.
Ballarat had two allocated times for the BB. They ran the Subbies or Mini Juniors for a chukka than the BB. We were then allocated a field for the second game.
The BB players were all girls from 8 to 40; they wanted to play chukkas and had a great time. They indicated that they learnt more doing chukkas, so that’s what we did.
Toward the end of the game, BB players asked if they could have a ‘tap’ at the opposition racquet. Everyone was in agreeance, so for the last few minutes, a tap on the opposition racquet was allowed.
On completion of the chukkas, I gave them some drills and skills to practice at home. Pam presented them with a BB medallion (clubs discretion). Pam would have then collected all the gear, and the BB players headed home or stayed to watch and have a drink.
From that weekend one player is now a white bandage player and the rest indicated that they would defiantly come for a BB day again.
The feeling I got from the day was that they were a part of the carnival — a way into this new sport that they came to have a go.
Ballarat did a great job. Big thank you to Joe McInally who put BB on the live stream, and of course, Pam who structured the day, it was great.
If anyone has any questions, please do not hesitate to call Ange or me. If anyone from Vic has some BB photos could you please send them through to Ange and we will put them on the BB website.
