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OFFICIAL RULES OF SEGWAY POLO

v. 1.3.1

(Change Log)

International Segway Polo Association
(ISPA)

GENERAL RULES

I. The Field

II. Equipment

III. Teams

IV. Officials and Duties

V. Games

FIELD RULES

I. Starting of Games

II. Starting of Chukkers

III. Goals

IV. Ball Out of Bounds

V. Dismounted Player

VI. Right of Way

VII. Playing the Ball

VIII. Use of Mallet

IX. Unsportsmanlike Conduct

X. Penalties

XI. Protests

 

General Rules

I. The Field

A. A regulation playing field shall be 180 feet in length and 128 feet in width. (See field diagram)

B. The boundaries on the sides of the field shall be known as the Side Lines; the boundaries on the ends of the field shall be known as the End Lines; the part of the End Line between the goal posts shall be known as the Goal Line. All boundaries shall be clearly marked with goal posts and short cones; string is not an adequate marker as it can become entangled in the Segways and mallets.

C. The goal posts shall be placed 8 feet apart on each End Line, and shall be equidistant (60 feet) from the Side Lines. The posts must be five feet in height, erected in such a way as to be easily knocked over if collided with, and made of a material light enough as not to constitute a hazard to the players, yet strong enough so as not to be moved or bent by the wind.

D. The field shall be surrounded by a Safety Zone of at least 5 feet on all sides, which must be kept clear of all spectators, photographers, equipment, and other hazards. This is a very important rule; where space limitations exist, the playing field should be made smaller in order to provide an adequate Safety Zone. The outer boundary of the Safety Zone may be marked with cones, ropes, or a line of chalk or paint.

E. The Field shall be further marked as follows:

i. Side line cones shall be placed every 45 feet along the side lines to divide the field into quarters.

ii. Optionally, additional side line cones of another color may be placed equidistant between each of the required Side Line cones.

iii. End line cones shall be placed equidistant (30 feet) between the Side Lines and goal post.

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II. Equipment

A. Any stock personal transporter (PT) manufactured by Segway. Wheels must be stock from Segway Inc., used on the machine it was originally designed for, at the nominal factory recommended pressure, +/- 1 psi. Protective gear may be added but may not exceed the original width of a stock Segway. A player will be required to remove any equipment which may be hazardous to another player.

B. At no time shall a team have more than two (2) XT or X2 (all terrain model) type Segway PTs on the field during play.

C. A key which does not allow a speed in excess of 12.5 mph (20 Kmph) is required. Under no circumstance will a Segway PT modified to exceed 12.5 mph (20 Kmph) be used.

D. Mallet: Mallets shall not exceed an overall length of 42 inches (106.68 cm). The shaft may not exceed one 1 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter. The head may not exceed 3 inches (7.62 cm) in diameter, 9 inches (22.86 cm) in length, and 10 ounces (283.5 g) in weight.

E. Ball: The ball shall be 4 inches (10.16 cm) in diameter and made of a compressible or foam material ("Nerf") to prevent injury to the rider and/or damage to the Segway should it be run over.

F. Protective gear: Each player must wear a protective helmet, which must be secured to the head in such a way as to preclude its becoming dislodged in a fall. Protective facemasks and/or goggles are recommended, but not required.

G. Field Markers: 10 short cone markers and four 4 soccer-type corner flags will be used to mark the field and goals. An additional 10 short cones of a second color are optional.

H. Any other equipment, including personal protective or added to the Segway, must be of such design and material so as not to constitute a hazard to other players.

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III. Teams and Players

A. No player may play in any event for more than one team.

B. Number of players on team: No team may have more than ten members in total.

C. Number of Players on Field: No team may have more than five players on the Playing Field while the ball is in play. Tournaments may be held with fewer than five players per team allowed on the field, but in no case may the limit be less than two. Tournaments may also be held which limit the number of male or female players on the field.

D. Team colors: Each team must have matching shirts. The shirts must be identical in color and pattern. The shirts must be sufficiently different in color and pattern as to avoid confusion with their opponents’ shirts.

E. Conflicting Colors: If, in the opinion of the officials, two teams’ shirts are so alike as to cause confusion, the team lower in the draw shall be required to change their shirts in such a way as to avoid confusion. If there is no way to determine which team is lower in the draw, a coin flip shall decide which team shall modify their shirts.

F. Substitutions:

i. Between chukkers: Substitutions may be made between chukkers, but a team making such substitutions must remain within any limitations regarding number of players on the field.

ii. Disabled Segway: If a player's Segway is not operational another player may be substituted when the Referee stops play during the regular course of the game.

iii. Injured player:

a. If a player is unable to continue play due to injury or illness, a substitution may be made during a chukker. If possible, a team should still remain within any restrictions on the number of players on the field.

b. Any player who leaves the game due to injury or illness may not return to the game until the following chukker. (e.g. if a player leaves the game during the second chukker due to injury, he or she may not return to the game until the third chukker.) If a player leaves the game due to injury or illness during the final chukker, he or she may not return to the game.

c. If a player is injured by a foul, a Penalty 3 may be appropriate; see Penalty 3.

G. Captains:

i. Each team shall designate one player as its Captain, who shall have the sole right to discuss any matter with the Referee.

ii. If a team’s Captain is not on the field, an Acting Captain shall be designated from among the players on the field until the Captain returns to the field.

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IV. Officials and Duties

A. Referee:

i. In all tournament games, an official Referee shall be employed, whose decisions shall be final, subject to Rule XI (Protests).

ii. The Referee shall be the only official with the authority to stop play with his whistle:

a. The Referee may stop play in the event of any violation of the Field Rules and award a penalty, or declare offsetting penalties;

b. The Referee shall stop play if a Goal Judge or Side Judge indicates that a goal has been scored. Time is not stopped when the ball goes out of bounds.

c. The Referee shall stop play if a player is injured to the extent that he does not continue play.

d. The Referee may be on foot or mounted on a Segway.

e. Whenever possible, the Referee should not be a member of any team in the tournament; if no independent Referee is available, a player from a team already eliminated from contention should be employed whenever possible. (i.e. in all but the first game of an elimination event)

B. Goal Judges: There shall be a Goal Judge, equipped with a flag and several spare balls, at each end of the field, who may be called upon by the Referee to give testimony regarding events within that half of the field, including, but not limited to:

i. Whether the ball has passed between the goal posts, over the Goal Line, or over the End Line; and which team touched the ball last:

a. If the Goal Judge believes that the ball has passed between the goal posts but below the top of the goal posts and over the Goal Line, he shall raise his flag above his head;

b. If the Goal Judge believes that the ball has passed over the End Line, and was last touched by the attacking team, he shall point the flag to the side of the goal where he believes the ball crossed the End Line, and a ball shall be placed at a point on that side of the goal no less than 10 feet from the goal post but not more than half way between the goal post and the Side Line;

c. If the Goal Judge believes that the ball has passed over the End Line, and was last touched by the defending team, he shall wave the flag vigorously below his waist. This will be treated as a Safety (Penalty 2).

ii. Any events which may have occurred while the Referee’s attention was focused elsewhere, but of which the Goal Judge feels the Referee should be made aware.

C. Side Judges: If available, there shall be at least two, and preferably four, Side Judges, evenly divided between the two sides of the field. The Side Judges shall also be equipped with flags and several spare balls, and may be called upon by the Referee to give testimony as to events near their side of the field, including, but not limited to:

i. Whether the ball has crossed the Side Line: If the Side Judge believes that the ball has crossed the Side Line, he shall point his flag in the direction of the goal defended by the team which he believes last touched the ball, and place a ball on the Side Line at the point where he believes the ball crossed it.

ii. Any events which may have occurred while the Referee’s attention was focused elsewhere, but of which the Side Judge feels the Referee should be made aware.

D. Timekeeper: There shall be a Timekeeper, who shall keep track of the elapsed time during a period, and notify the Referee of the time remaining whenever called upon to do so.

E. Scorer: There shall be an official Scorer, who shall keep a record of goals scored, the time at which they were scored, the players who scored them, and any other statistics deemed appropriate by the Tournament Committee.

F. Announcer: In the event that a loudspeaker system is used, the Announcer shall not be considered an official, and shall not comment on any rulings by the Referee or other officials, other than to explain what those rulings are. If the Announcer questions or disputes any rulings by the Referee or other officials, the Announcer shall be replaced.

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V. Games

A. Number of Periods:

i. A game shall consist of an even number of chukkers, with a minimum of two and a maximum of six. A normal game will consist of four chukkers.

ii. The Tournament Committee shall set the number of chukkers for games in an event based on the number of teams entered and the time available to complete the required number of games.

iii. The semi-finals and/or finals may consist of more chukkers than games in previous rounds, with a maximum of two additional chukkers, not including any overtime Periods.

B. Duration of chukkers:

i. Regulation Periods shall be 8 minutes in duration.

ii. In the event of a tie score at the end of the last Regulation chukker, any Overtime Periods shall be 5 minutes in duration, and the full 5 minutes shall be played, regardless of the number of goals scored, until one team is leading at the end of a chukker.

iii. The clock shall be stopped whenever a goal is scored or the Referee blows the whistle and indicates the clock should stop, and started when the ball is hit or hit at.

iv. The timekeeper shall indicate when 30 seconds remain in any chukker, and sound a horn when time expires. The chukker is deemed to have ended when the horn is sounded, rather than when the Referee blows the whistle. Play continues until the ball is out of bounds or a goal has been scored – “Play until dead”.

C. Time Between chukkers:

i. There shall be a 5-minute break between the two middle chukkers of a game, which break will be known as Half-Time;

ii. There shall be a three-minute break between all other chukkers, including between the last regulation chukker and the first overtime chukker, and between overtime chukkers.

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Field Rules

I. Starting of Games

A. Teams shall be present at the time their games are scheduled to be played.

B. Choice of Ends: Prior to the start of a game, the Captains of the two teams shall meet with the Referee, who shall allow one Captain to choose one of two equally likely choices (e.g. odd or even number of fingers behind his back; heads or tails of a coin flip). If the Captain chooses correctly, he will have the option of choosing which goal to defend in the first chukker.

C. Change of Ends: In all other chukkers, each team will attack the goal which it defended during the previous chukker. This provision also applies to any overtime chukkers.

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II. Starting of Chukkers

A. The Bowl In: All players from each team shall line up on the same side of the Half Line as the goal their team is defending. All players are not required to be at the Half Line but a minimum of one player must be at the Half Line to receive the Bowl In. The Referee will roll or toss the ball in along the Half Line and say “Play”. At this time the players may cross the Half Line and attempt to gain possession of the ball.

B. False Start:

i. If one team violates the procedure set forth in part A, another Bowl In shall be held. At that point, if the same team violates the procedure a second time, the Referee shall award a Penalty 1 to the other team, the free shot to be taken from the center of the Half Line;

ii. If both teams violate the procedure set forth in part A, another Bowl In shall be held.

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III. Goals

A. How Scored

i. A goal shall be scored when, in the opinion of the Referee, the ball has passed over and clear of the Goal Line between but not higher than the top of the goal posts, or the imaginary lines created by extending their inner edges upward. The Referee may rely on the testimony of the Goal Judge or players to help him determine whether a goal was scored, but the Referee's decision shall be final.

ii. A goal awarded by Penalty 1 shall count as a goal scored.

B. How Credited

i. Credit for a goal scored shall be given to the last attacking player to touch the ball prior to its crossing the Goal Line. If no attacking player touched the ball prior to the goal being scored, credit for the goal shall be given to the attacking player nearest the goal when the goal was scored.

ii. Credit for a goal awarded by Penalty 1 shall be given to the player fouled.

C. How Play Resumed: After a goal is scored, a Bowl In shall be held at the center of the field under the same conditions as at the start of the game.

D. Determination of Winner: The team which has a higher total of goals scored at the end of the game shall be declared the winner of the game.

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IV. Ball Out of Bounds

A. If the ball goes over and clear of the Side Line:

i. The team which did not touch the ball last shall be awarded a free hit from the point where the ball crossed the Side Line, but may not hit or hit at the ball until the Referee says “Play” or blows a whistle.

ii. The members of the team which touched the ball last must position themselves at least 15 feet from the ball until the ball is hit into play.

B. If the ball goes over and clear of the End Line outside of the goal posts:

i. If the ball was last touched by the attacking team:

a. The defending team shall be awarded a free hit from a point on the End Line no less than 10 feet from the goal post but not more than half way between the goal post and the Side Line

b. The members of the attacking team must position themselves outside the 15 foot radius until the ball is hit into play.

i. If the ball was last touched by the defending team, a Penalty 2 (Safety) shall be awarded to the attacking team.

C. The Referee shall have the sole right to determine whether the ball has crossed the Side Line or End Line, and players should continue play unless they hear the Referee’s whistle. The Referee may rely on signals from the Side Judges or Goal Judges in determining whether a ball is out of bounds.

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V. Dismounted Player:

A. A player must have both feet off the ground when hitting at the ball or hooking an opponent.

B. In the event that a player comes off his Segway and no injury occurs, play will continue and the player is responsible for safely remounting his Segway or, if unable to remount the Segway, removing it from the field of play. A player may not attempt to make contact with the ball while trying to remount his Segway. Accidental contact is permitted.

i. If the player is unable to remount his Segway or the Segway is not operational then that player's team will play without a substitution until play is stopped by the Referee in the regular course of the game.

ii. At no time when removing a Segway from the field may a player intentionally interfere with play.

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VI. Right of Way

A. The Line of the Ball:

i. At all times when the ball is in play, the line of its course shall be called the Line of the Ball. Any change in the ball’s direction, however slight, shall create a new Line of the Ball.

ii. If the ball is put in play by being hit at and missed, the Line of the Ball shall be the direction in which the player was riding when he hit at the ball.

B. The Right of Way:

i. The Line of the Ball shall determine a Right of Way between any two or more players in the vicinity of the ball, which Right of Way shall give the player entitled to it the right to ride up to and past the ball.

ii. No other players may enter, block, or cross that Right of Way except at such a distance that there is no danger of collision with the player or players entitled to the Right of Way.

C. Determination of Right of Way:

i. If two players are both following or both meeting the ball:

a. If one player is clearly approaching the line at a lesser angle, then that player has the Right of Way over the player approaching at a greater angle. (Fig. 1)

b. If the two players are approaching at approximately equal angles from opposite sides of the line, then each must remain on his respective side in playing the ball. (Fig. 2)

ii. If one player is following and the other meeting the ball:

a. If one player has the Line of the Ball on his right, and the other player has the Line of the Ball on his left, the player with the Line of the Ball on his right has the Right of Way. (Fig. 3)

b. If both players have the Line of the Ball on their right, then each must keep the Line of the Ball on his right until clear of the other player. (Fig. 4)

c. If both players have the Line of the Ball on their left, then the player following the ball has the Right of Way, and may cross the Line of the Ball to play the ball on his right. (Fig. 5) Should the player following the ball elect to play it on his left, the player meeting the ball may also make a play on his left.

iii. Two players riding parallel to one another and in the same direction toward the ball shall have the Right of Way over a single player riding at an equal or greater angle to the Line of the Ball, regardless of which side of the Line of the Ball the single player is on. (Fig. 6)

iv. Two players riding parallel do not have the Right of Way over a single player riding at a lesser angle to the Line of the Ball. (Fig. 7) In this example, the Red #1 would create a dangerous situation if he forced the Green player into Red #2's Right of Way. Note that if Red #1 pulls out of the play, Green can turn parallel with the Line of the Ball and play the ball on his left without fouling Red #2.

v. Two players riding parallel must ride on opposite sides of the ball, each allowing the other to make a play.

vi. A player with the Right of Way and an opponent on his right must play the ball on his right side, in order to give the opponent an opportunity to make a play. (Fig. 8) In such a case, the opponent must make his play without entering the Right of Way in front of the player, but may cross behind the player, provided he is not violating the Right of Way of any following player.

vii. No dismounted player may block the ball with his Segway if in so doing he creates a danger of collision with a player riding from any direction.

viii. When the Line of the Ball changes for any reason, a player on the new Right of Way must give other players an opportunity to clear the new Right of Way, but players clearing the new Right of Way may not make a play on the ball.

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VII. Playing the Ball

A. A player may block the ball with any part of his body or equipment, but may not direct the ball with anything other than his mallet. The hand holding the mallet shall be considered part of the mallet for purposes of this rule.

B. No player may intentionally carry the ball against his body or in his equipment.

C. If a ball accidentally becomes lodged in a player’s equipment, the player must remove the ball as quickly as possible without significantly advancing the ball.

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VIII. Use of Mallet

A. A player must hold and use the mallet with his right hand at all times during a match.

B. A player may hit or block the ball with his mallet regardless of the height of the ball off the ground, but may not swing dangerously or recklessly if other players are nearby. If another player is inadvertently struck by a player’s mallet, a foul shall be called.

C. A “hook” consists of a player using their mallet to stop an opponent's mallet from striking the ball. A player may hook an opponent’s mallet if the following conditions are met:

i. The point of contact between the two mallets is below the level of opponent’s waist.

ii. The opponent is in the act of hitting at the ball.

iii. The hooking is not done dangerously or recklessly. If the opponent is struck by the player’s mallet, a foul shall be called.

iv. Once hooked the opponent's mallet must be released immediately. Hooking may not be used to impede the movement of another player.

D. A “strike” consists of a light hit to the lower third of an opponent's mallet. A player may strike an opponent's mallet at any time if the following conditions are met:

i. Both mallets are below waist-level.

ii. Striking an opponent's mallet may not seriously impede another player's forward motion.

E. A player may not intentionally trap an opponent's mallet with their mallet or their Segway. If a player finds their Segway on top of an opponent's mallet they must move to release the opponent's mallet as quickly as possible. Continuing to move the Segway in a direction that will further trap the opponent's mallet will result in a foul being called.

F. If a player intentionally strikes or attempts to strike an opponent with his mallet, a Penalty 4 shall be called.

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IX. Unsportsmanlike Conduct

A. No player may intentionally make contact with an opponent with any part of his body or equipment.

B. No player may make any action, either physical or verbal, intended to intimidate an opponent to refrain from making a play which that opponent could have made without violating these rules.

C. No player may verbally abuse any official, or use profane language toward any opponent or official.

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X. Penalties

A. Penalty 1

i. If a Penalty 1 foul is called, the team fouled shall be awarded a free hit from the point of the infraction, with no member of the fouling team within fifteen feet of the ball when it is hit or hit at.

a. If the attacking team is fouled and the foul occurs within one quarter of the field from the defending team's goal, the penalty shot will be taken from the center of the Quarter Line on the defending team's side (position "A" on field diagram). Only one defending player will be allowed between the player taking the foul shot and the goal. The player taking the foul shot must shoot from the point where the ball is placed.

b. The other defending players must stay at least fifteen feet from the ball and ten feet outside the goal posts and may not interfere with the player taking the foul shot.

c. If the foul shot is blocked by the designated member of the defending team the other players are free to move in and play resumes as normal.

ii. If the fouling team violates the procedure set forth in part A, and a player within fifteen feet of the ball interferes with the free shot, the team fouled shall be awarded another Penalty #1.

B. Penalty 2 (Safety)

i. If the ball crosses the End Line, having last touched a defending player or any of a defending player’s equipment:

a. The attacking team shall be awarded a free hit from the point on the defender's Quarter Field Line and one half the distance from the Side Line to the Goal (position "B" on field diagram);

b. All members of the defending team must position themselves at least fifteen feet from the ball until it is hit or hit at.

c. The ball may be hit or hit at when the Referee says, “Play” or blows a whistle.

d. In order to shoot on goal the player hitting the ball must tap the ball before shooting and the defenders may approach the player at that time.

C. Penalty 3

i. If a player is injured by a foul to the extent that the Referee either allows or requires his retirement from the game:

a. The Captain or Acting Captain of the team fouled shall have the option of designating a player from the fouling team to be removed from the game, and continuing the game with one fewer players on the field for each team; if the injured player is female, the player designated by the team fouled for removal from the game must also be female provided there is a requirement for equal numbers of male and female players between the teams.

b. In the alternative, the team fouled may substitute for the injured player. If the injured player is female, the team fouled must substitute another female player, if one is available; if none is available, a male player may then be substituted. The fouling team must continue to abide by any restrictions regarding male and female players.

D. Penalty 4

i. If a player commits repeated fouls, commits a dangerous and deliberate foul, plays in an overly aggressive manner, or engages in conduct which the Referee feels is not in the best interest of the game, the Referee may, at their discretion, call a Penalty 1 or remove that player from the game for any length of time he deems appropriate, including the remainder of the game, and may either permit or prohibit substitution for the offending player during the time he is absent from the game.

ii. If a player continues to engage in such conduct, the Referee shall require the player to be removed from the remainder of the game.

iii. If a player incurs more than two Penalty 3's in one tournament, that player shall not be eligible for play in the remainder of the tournament.

E. Penalty 5

i. If a team is not present at the time a game is scheduled to begin; if a team's Captain refuses to allow his team to continue play; if a team uses a player who was not named as a member of that team before the tournament; or if a member of a team continues to engage in conduct which the Referee feels is not in the best interest of the game after being ejected under Penalty 3, then that team shall forfeit the game, and its opponent shall be declared the winner.

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XI. Protests

A. Protests of Referees' decisions will be considered by the ISPA, if and only if such a protest is verbally reported to the Referee or the Tournament Committee no later than immediately after the game, and detailed in writing within 24 hours thereafter. Protests of actions by a Tournament Committee must be verbally reported to the Committee no later than the end of the final game of the tournament, and must be detailed in writing within 24 hours thereafter. All written protests must be submitted to the ISPA, either by mail, fax, or electronic mail. Faster methods of communication are preferred, since they will lead to quicker resolution of an issue.

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