时差N小时 纽约客争夺大象马球荣耀（在线收听）

New Yorkers bid for elephant polo glory

纽约客争夺大象马球荣耀

They are the world's unlikeliest contenders heading to Nepal for the world's unlikeliest sport. Meet the New York Blue, America's elephant polo team.

他们是世界上最不可能去尼泊尔参加这项不被看好的运动的人。让我们来见识一下纽约布鲁队，一支来自美国的大象马球队。

Elephants are hard to come by in New York. Large motor vehicles are not.

在纽约那种充斥大量机动车辆的地方，你很难找到大象的足迹。

So before flying this week to the World Elephant Polo tournament, the New York Blue's seven adventurers practiced swinging at small white balls from the roofs of two SUVs in an empty beachside car park.

所以在本周飞往目的地参加世界象球锦标赛之前，纽约布鲁队的7名勇士在一个空旷的海边停车场上挥舞着球棍，在吉普车顶上练习击球。

Conditions were designed to simulate the Nepalese jungle field hosting teams from Asia and Europe.

场地的环境为了模拟尼泊尔的丛林野地而精心设计。

Elephant polo, played in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand by a wealthy few to the rules of horse polo but on a smaller field, is uniquely challenging.

象球是一项特别具有挑战性的运动，它在尼泊尔，斯里兰卡和泰国的富人圈中十分盛行。象球采用马球的规则，只是场地比马球场小。

So is clinging to the roof of an SUV in a gale with practice mallets fashioned from paint roller handles and plumbing parts.

为了训练，他们必须站在吉普车顶端猛挥形状像油漆滚筒的握柄，还有球棍。

But this bunch of 30-something Manhattan media, finance and PR employees appears undaunted.

但这帮来自于曼哈顿媒体业，金融业，和公关部门的而立之年的职员看起来无所畏惧。

They fly first to Kathmandu, then head to southern Nepal's remote Chitwan National Park, where a grass airstrip doubles as a polo pitch and tigers roam the surrounding jungle. Once there, the New York Blue will finally mount real elephants.

他们的第一站是加德满都，然后前往尼泊尔南部偏远的奇旺国家公园，在那里球场就是两条草场飞机跑道，而且附近的丛林里会有老虎出没。一到了这里，纽约布鲁队就最终骑上真正的大象。

The tournament, started 27 years ago by two Britons, draws a colorful following of playboys, aristocrats and elephant connoisseurs. Teams come from as far away as Scotland, Hong Kong and Thailand.

这项赛事起源于27年前，由两位英国人首创，它吸引了形形色色的花花公子，贵族和大象专家。参赛队伍有远道而来的苏格兰，香港和泰国的代表队。