The Sport of the Future Today!
What Is Broomball?
The sport of broomball originated in Canada in the early
1900's. Since then, that crude form of the sport has grown
into a popular sport on all levels. Men's women's and
coed teams participate both competitively and recreationally.
Many of us have been exposed to broomball in an entertainment
sense where, local media celebrities combat against one
another on an ice rink where they play with house brooms
and a recreation ball. However, when people witness the
silly antics of their nightly news person slipping to
the seat of his pants, few of them realize that what they
are seeing is the crude form of an actual sport which
is sweeping the country.
Broomball is played on an ice hockey rink with rules and
strategies similar to those of hockey. Players wear padded
sponge-rubber shoes, to enhance traction on the slippery
surface, and strike a ball the size of a small soccer
ball with specially designed brooms made of corn-straw
dipped in rubber or solid molded rubber, trying to score
into a net which is guarded by a goal-tender.
In Your Area
Ice arena managers across the country have discovered
the benefits of adding a broomball program to fill vacant
ice time. Arenas in shopping malls and close to college
campuses have been especially successful in setting up
recreational programs in consistently empty time slots,
and find them expanding into popular attractions. This
strategey is not exclusive to northern climates. In fact,
some of the best young broomball programs exist in areas
of California, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, and even
Florida.
For Fun
Recreational broomball teams are easily formed since a
skill such as skating is not required to participate,
and initial equipment costs are relatively low compared
to those of other sports. Also, due to decreased mobility
on the ice surface, men and women are able to play on
a more equal basis with the ice being a great equalizer,
thus making the sport more enjoyable for all.
For Sport
For those who become more serious about broomball, there
is now a circuit of highly competitive tournaments across
North America. While many of these tournaments offer cash
prizes for the winning teams to help decrease traveling
expenses, they also provide intermediate, coed, and recreational
divisions.
The Future of Broomball
The future for the sport of broomball is looking very
bright with extensive play throughout North America, and
great interest forming in Scandinavia, Australia, Japan,
Hong Kong, Germany, Italy, and even the Soviet Union.
So whether you are planning a broomball game with house
brooms on a frozen lake, or planning a strategy for your
team for the world championships, enjoy yourself, because
having fun is the name of the game in any sport.
|