> In general, what is AirPolo (Air Polo) and how does AirPolo (Air Polo) work?
AirPolo (Air Polo) is a modern sport. It redesigns and envisions a new way of playing polo. It is similar to water polo although it’s played in “air”.
The Air Polo players enter a field of play that enables a “high to low to zero” gravity environment. The players may use walls, floors, and other players in order to thrust themselves forward and backwards (up and down), within the field of play. We call this playing environment air, “AP Air”.
The Air Polo field environment is specifically engineered in order to simulate “near-weightlessness” or “over-weightlessness”.
The field environment, called an “AP Box” is a state of the art creation, think of an indoor skydiving tunnel, however the field is stretched length, width, and height in order to match the size requirements of a standard field of play. The indoor Air Polo field “AP Box”, measures about standard 30 meters length by 20 meters width by 10 meters height, although height and widths may vary by course field types.
Air Polo is a intense game, much like water polo, which requires physical fitness and endurance; as well as teamwork, technique, and adaptiveness.
> Why is Air Polo important?
Air Polo is a great way to train astronauts and space pilots in specific movements and functions of a “high to low to zero” gravity environment. Moreover, Air Polo is special in that it is a intense and strenuous game to train the needs of soldiers for proper body control and tactics, if hypothetically in an eventual space combat situation, for unique environments of “air”.
Overall, Air Polo as a interesting game and should be considered for the upcoming Olympics, as well as for military training courses.
> Overview Rules:
The rules of Air Polo are the rules and regulations which cover the play, procedure, equipment for officiating of Air Polo. These rules are similar throughout the world, although slight variations do occur regionally and depending on the Air Polo governing body.
> Game Time:
The game is divided into four periods. Each period is 12 minutes each. There are no ties. After regulation time there will occur a shoot out style match.
> Player Rules:
Air Polo games consist of seven players from each team. Players may be substituted in and out after goals, during timeouts, between quarters, and after injuries.
The Air Polo cap is used to protect the players’ heads and ears, as needed.
> Field of Play:
Dimensions of the Air Polo field is not fixed and can vary between 20×10 and 30×20 meters, therefore short course fields may be used.
Minimum “air” depth of field must be least 3.6 meters (12 feet), but this is often not the case due to nature of the field. The goals are 3 m (9 ft 10.11 in) wide & 1.8 m (about 5 feet ft) high.
“Air” temperature shall not exceed room temperature +/- 10 C. The density of the “air” shall be standard, near 1.204 kg per meter cubed, with slight fluctuation as managed by on-site referees during the game match.
> Completion of a Game:
The game match ends once either one team is knocked out meaning their are no players remaining able to play, or in most cases, by the end of standard or overtime time regulation, when one team possesses more goals than the other team does.
> Start of Match:
At the start of each period and after every score, teams line up on their own goal line.
At the referee’s whistle, both teams fly to midpoint of the field (known as the ‘fly sprint’ or the ‘fly-off’) as the referee drops the ball on to the field center point.
> Fouls:
Air Polo is an intensely aggressive sport, so fouls are very common and result in a free throw during which the player cannot shoot at the goal unless outside the 6 meter line.
> Moving the Ball:
Players can move the ball by throwing it to a teammate or flying with the ball in front of them.
> Scoring Goals:
A goal is scored if the ball completely passes between the goal posts and is underneath the crossbar.
> Team Timeouts:
Each team may call a variable (according to the rules being used) number of one 1-minute timeouts or 2-minute timeouts.
> Substitutions:
A substitute can enter the field from any place during the intervals between quarters, after a goal has been scored, during a timeout and to replace an injured player; but not after a penalty.
History:
Technovelgy from Sunward Flight, by Leo Zagat.
Princeton’s Left Two caught the ball with a magnificent backstroke of his mallet and sent it whirring two miles back down the lake.
“That’s polo, Toom Gillis,” Rade Hallam shouted in my ear. “That’s airpolo at the acme.”
The dazzling play had averted a sure goal…
The helium-inflated ball, losing momentum, was beginning to rise to the level of the marker balloons.
Published by Super Science Stories in 1943