Speed Trials

I’ve been making Top Tube Protectors for a couple of months now, experimenting with different fabrics and fasteners, and thinking about ways to modify the basic protector to incorporate things like a polo mallet, or making them reversible.

But I had an idea to make three really girly top tube protectors for the NSPIs, to give to an all girl team. I originally wanted the Tattoo Print fabric from repro depot, but alas, when I went to order it, it was sold out. I opted for a terrific checker print instead, and I think the black and white contrast super well with the bright oilcloth.

They fasten with a reversible zipper, so you can alter between strawberries and checkerboard…

These were actually extremely enjoyable to make, and I think the girls who received them liked them a lot.

I embroidered “NSPI” on them (North Side Polo Invitational). It makes them super exclusive!!

I’m working next on making felt ones, with big oversized buttons… Stay tuned!!

This weekend the Mallets of Mayhem hosted the second annual North Side Polo Invite in Ottawa. The Mallets all got great kudos from out of towners for the event, and it was a really fun time. Though, unfortunately, I was plagued by displeasures of the stomach (sure as shit my stomach would act up on this weekend of all weekends, just like getting your period on your wedding day…). Saturday was by far the worst day, but by Sunday night i was feeling a lot better.

New to this year was the addition of boards to the polo court. I think the players liked them, and it kept the games moving, eliminating a lot of the bunching up in the corners that happened last year. The location of the Saturday and Sunday night parties changed, too. They were held at Club SAW, and it was such a good time! The club was the perfect size, we had the whole place to ourselves, and we went through FOUR kegs in three nights. Madness. There were also some new rules to the tournament, my favourite of which is the Don’t Be A Dick rule. The DBAD, I am happy to report, was broken by so few people, it isn’t even worth naming them. What I liked best about this tournament over last year’s was the super chill vibe. Everyone was just pleased to be there, and it made for a really nice atmosphere.

Things that stayed the same from last year was the EXCELLENT polo (man, I love watching that game as much as they love playing it!), sunny weather (for the most part, especially considering the summer we’ve been having!), the great people from NYC, Milwaukee, Chicago, DC, Toronto, Van City, and Madison. And, oh yeah, something else that remained the same from last year were the winners… Paul, Zach, and Doug took the first place spot again this year. The Jet Lag All Stars came in second. Ottawa teams placed third and fourth.

First place prize ; Second place prize

So, another NSPI come and gone. I worked my ass off this weekend, trying to make sure that everything ran smoothly, trying to anticipate any fuck-ups that might threaten to be the ONLY thing that people remembered. But everyone had their shit together, and it was all covered. No stressing was necessary, in the end. I definitely had to check myself from time to time, not get so carried away with the worrying, and I kind of forced myself to actually initiate a few conversations with people. It was super awkward when I was thanked at the end of the tourney (and I really appreciated being thanked – I’m so effin’ sensitive to that) because nobody really knew who “Marlene” was. It made me realize that I hide in the background way too much. Sigh. But I got to know a lot of the US teams a whole lot better this year, and it’s really nice.

Oh, and this tournament totally holds a soft spot for me, too. Angelo and I hooked up at Capital Punishment (the proceeder of the NSPIs) in 2006. That means we celebrated our 2 year anniversary this weekend. Angelo didn’t play polo this weekend, he and I ran the registration table together, and he was the commentator for most of the games. It was great being able to actually hang out with him for long periods of time during the tourney. Last year I got little more than a sweaty kiss between games, and only if there was time for that after getting a beer, changing a tyre, or chatting up some cute polo chick. And in 2006, well, everyone knows he and I didn’t really like each other in the beginning. But somehow here we are, and I will say that these have been the best two years of my life, no question.