Olympic Broomball 2005

Enter The Snow Globe!

Vital Info:

What on earth is broomball?

• Tennis shoes, boots, flip-flops, etc... replace ice skates.
• Brooms (yes, you can use the kind you sweep the floor with) replace hockey sticks (but make sure it has a sturdy WOODEN handle.  The metal and plastic ones will break in about 2.5 milliseconds).
  
• A volleyball replaces the hockey puck.
• Fun replaces skill.

Equipment

Necessary Equipment

• Helmet.  A hockey helmet would be the best but pretty much anything will do (including a bike helmet).  I'll try to round up some extras but we do feel strongly that you wear one.
  

Optional but suggested equipment

• A broom. We will try to provide some brooms. Broomball brooms have very sturdy shafts and the broom part is made of rubber, however they cost alot of money and not much of anyone sells them around here.  We'll provide some, but you are also encouraged to bring a sturdy broom from home. Don't bring a plastic or metal one since they break quickly. The old fashioned ones with a dense set of bristles wrapped in duct-tape can go a long way.
• Warm cloths: It may be cold out so dress appropriately.
  
• Gloves. Any winter gloves or hockey gloves should be fine.
• Shin, knee and elbow pads are all good to have to cushion your falls (which are often since ice is often a bit slick).
• Hockey pants are also helpful for protecting your keister.
• A hearty Canadian or Minnesotan accent (just saying "aye" and "you betcha" on a regular basis are a good start).

Forbidden equipment

• Ice skates of any kind. (During the game anyway, there are nice rinks for skating afterwards though).
  
• Any shoes with spikes or anything that might dig into the ice.
• Broomball shoes. This sounds silly but they are a huge advantage that not everyone will have so wear tennis shoes or boots like the rest of us.

Some Important Rules

• There is absolutely no checking.
• The stick cannot be raised above your waist.
• You can use your hands to control the ball but you cannot hold onto or throw the ball to a teammate or into the goal.
• You can use your feet to dribble and control the ball, as in soccer, but you cannot shoot or pass to a teammate with your feet.
• Substitutions can occur at any time (including during the play) as long as the exiting player leaves the ice before the entering player.
• The most important rule is to not worry too much about the details of the rules (except the safety ones like checking and high sticking which are very important).  Just relax and have fun.
  

Olympic Scoring

• We will be playing without referees.
• We will be playing with 6 players and a goalie.
• We will be merging two Olympic teams for each game so that all 4 teams can play at the same time.  In the event that there are enough people for 2 games we will run two at a time since there are more than 2 rinks.
  
• The scoring will work as follows:
  • 1 point for each player that takes a shot. A shot attempt, is defined as a ball struck in the vague direction of the goal from within the offensive zone (i.e. inside the blue line). In other words if you touch the ball in the offensive end you are almost guaranteed to get a point. :)
  • 3 points for each goal scored.
  • The participation score is for your team only. The goal score is for the two Olympic teams that are playing together.
• Your team's total score for the day is the sum of all of the above for each game.
• Olympic points will be assigned at random at the whim of the commisioner.  (Don't forget the coffee and donuts.  Krispy Kremes and Boston Cremes are the comish's favorite).
  

Links

• Strategy tips from BU.

Directions and Safety

We will be converging at the lab and then driving together to the Pond. The directions are quite simple. Take Mass Ave to Arlington and take a Left on Jason St.  Park on the side streets across from the park entrance Brantwood and Hillsdale roads.

Map of Jason St At Brantwood Rd
Arlington, MA 02476