1. You guessed it: disc brakes are like thick glasses on cute girls.

I had my first foray into the magical world of disc brakes this last polo-go-round and can safely say that I don’t think I’ll ever go back. Despite feeling like a brand new polokin two or three times (hello over the bars time! Wheee!), I also felt like I could actually – you know – stop.

2. I am alot more in tune with my bike than I thought.

So, besides the brand new brake, I had to get a brand new front fork. It has a bit more of a rake to it, and I didn’t think much of it until Horse brought it up at the end of the night.

The whole time I was playing, I felt like I wasn’t getting my front wheel in the right spot – I kept trying to re-align myself in goal, kept getting a little wobbily in the turns, etc.

People were scoring goals on me! That never happens – right guys? …right?…guys?

Anyway – I really got a sense why the old-head players warn against changing your bike every other game. You learn how to play on what you’ve got, and even a single change can have a big impact on your style.

3. Resist the urge to give up

This is more of a reminder than anything, but if you’re silly enough to not keep a guy back and there is a breakaway heading towards your goal, chase it down. Don’t just mope back up to your side expecting the other player is going to score. A few times in the last pickup game day the guy with the breakaway didn’t make the goal, and boy did we feel like a bunch of ninnies.

Point is – you should always try to keep that mentality of possibility: people miss shots, lose the ball, or stumble over their bars because of a new brake system.
And with that, I leave you for the weekend. Have a fun time, Polokins.

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