Much anticipated start of broomball commences after three day delay
One of the most popular pastimes for Tech students during the winter is Broomball, but due to weather conditions this year the beloved sport was delayed.
The weather this year has been especially inconsistent and although most activities haven’t been affected by it, the ice for the broomball rinks suffered. The first three days of the broomball season were delayed, starting Jan. 17, because of wet conditions that made the rinks unplayable. Due to this, the season has been extended an additional 3 days to allow the delayed games to be played.
When discussing the situation with Broomball Chair, Wyatt Helzer, he says that “We were on schedule to get the rinks to a playable state by Tuesday, but due to the weather going above freezing from Sunday through Tuesday, we weren’t able to finish the icing process.” Despite these complications, Broomball continued as planned on Jan. 20.
Dr. Wallace Southerland III honorarily dropped the first ball of the season on Gold Rink. The teams on the ice were Bastille and The Spartans. Just before the drop, a member of the Broomball Committee offered some opening words and introduced the players on the ice. Following this, the floor was turned over to Dr. Southerland. He gave a brief history of the game, citing that it has been played since the 1950s at Michigan Tech and has evolved to be an exciting Husky tradition. He ended his speech discussing how the game is a glimpse into campus culture, declaring, “This is Tech!”
Games were also held on the Black and Silver rinks. On Silver Rink were The Math Attics and The Flabber Dabbers. On Black were The Rats and The Zoomies IV. The Cocoa Shack was open and offered hot chocolate and buffs free of charge.
Despite being postponed due to warm weather and rink conditions, there was a large turnout to the event. The Michigan Tech Huskies Pep Band made an appearance, playing classics like “Engineers” and “No Beer,” in addition to the fight song and The Star Spangled Banner.
Following the drop, Dr. Southerland hung around the rinks to watch games and talk with students. When asked for comment about broomball and the upcoming season, he said, “I think the broomball games are a really good representation of our resilience and Husky Spirit, and nobody does it like we do.”
Those playing the game have to wait until the end of the season for the missed games to be played. However, the season delay hasn’t been detrimental to the game – Broomball players don’t seem to have too much of an issue with the delay in the season. Second-year Nikki Donely, who plays on three teams and is also a referee, explains that “It just made me more excited to play because the wait was just that little bit longer.” A little bit of disappointment to start the season has allowed more anticipation and lets people enjoy Broomball for a bit longer later on.
For more information about games and the upcoming season, visit broomball.mtu.edu.
