One of the great things about polocrosse is that anyone can participate in tournaments against other teams, both at home and away. Each year Minnesota Polocrosse will host a tournament and several clinics at our home field in Afton, MN, as well as participate in a number of tournaments across the country. Tournaments are optional but most members end up participating in at least one tournament each year because they are so much fun and the play-action is fantastic to watch.
Polocrosse tournaments are generally held on weekends and last two days (Saturday and Sunday). Each team will play several other teams, and the winning team will be determined at the end of the last day either by best overall tournament record or by a finals match. There is an awards ceremony at the end of the tournament to celebrate team success, outstanding individual players performances, and best horse.
Players and teams are organized of like skills and caliber so that teams in each grade of play are evenly matched. There are 4-5 grades at any given tournament, ranging from “E grade” (lowest) to “A grade” (highest).
As members of the American Polocrosse Association, players can participate in any APA tournament anywhere and the tournament rules allow individuals to join teams that may be short a player. So even if the team is not traveling, you can participate in a tournament of your choice.