Broomball, Broomball

It is played in a hockey rink, either indoors or outdoors, depending on climate and location. Broomball is very popular in the Canadian province of Manitoba, where Saint-Claude is the Broomball Capital of the World. Broomball is also gaining popularity in such places as Australia and Japan.

Traditionally it was a hi household broom, with the bristles frozen, dipped in rubber, or wrapped in tape (usually duct tape) to harden them — some social broomball competitions, such as Michigan Tech's leagues, still use these sort of brooms. Today's competition brooms are manufactured with a specialized rubber triangular head attached to a wooden or aluminum shaft.

The general consensus is that modern broomball originated in Canada. Some think it came about by trying to play ice hockey without ice skates. However, recent research indicates that a sport similar to broomball, known as knattleikr , was played in Iceland in the 10th century. The sport was almost considered warfare, with the occasional death not uncommon, and games could involve whole villages and lasted up to 14 days. Writer Hord Grimkellson reported that, in a game between Strand and Botn, that "before dusk, six of the Strand players lay dead, though none on the Botn side." http://www.broomball.com.au/ancienthistory.shtml The first recorded broomball games in North America were in Toronto in 1909 and Ontario in 1911, although there is some evidence to suggest broomball was being played as early as the 1890s.

The Canadian Broomball Federation is a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, the first such national broomball body to achieve this, and it is expected other federations will soon follow. Universities, such as Michigan Tech, are embracing broomball. At Michigan Tech, the sport has become a popular tradition: in 2008, 2000 students participated on a total of 200 teams at Michigan Technological University, with the overall winner being The Pirate Sheep. Broomball has also become very popular at Penn State University, with the vast majority of clubs and organizations on campus holding at least one broomball social per semester.

At a social level, broomball is enjoyable for all players regardless of sporting skill.

Source: Wikipedia > Broomball