When a person first hears about the sport of “broomball,” they may imagine a Quidditch match to be won. But instead of flying around a field, brooming takes place on ice and is an enjoyable pastime for many Northeastern students.
Broomball comes from in Canada during the 1800s as an easy alternative to ice hockey because it does not require ice skates, only rubber-soled shoes. Like ice hockey, broom is a physical and contact sport, requiring a long stick, called a stick, and stuffing. Teams play 6 vs 6, with center, right, left, two defense positions and a goalkeeper. The aim of the game is to hit the ball into the opponent's net using the broom.
“Broomball is a sport that no one has really played before, so everyone is on a level playing field,” said Sara Wills, a fourth-year behavioral neuroscience major and quarterback for the Cherrybombs broomball team. “It's competitive and we have a lot of fun.”
This year saw the start of the intramural broomball tournament with 13 teams competing for the championship. Teams tend to get creative with names — Club Penguin, Olaf's Broom Brigade, and Swiffer Sweepers are just a few examples. In the end, the Cherrybombs and S Ferrante teams played each other for the title.
“They won't let us into Matthews [Arena] outside of broomball time, so we just show up to the games,” Wills said. “But I feel like since we've been playing this for a couple of semesters, we just keep getting better and better.”
From Oct. 31 to Nov. 13, Northeastern hosted a seasonal tournament in which players could register as teams and compete for bragging rights and a championship T-shirt. Donning yellow jerseys, the Cherrybombs were ready to challenge S Ferrante for the crown.
For the first two 12 minutes, the teams played strategically, matching each other in defense and attack, ending the frames tied 0-0. Around the 12 minute mark in the third period, the Cherrybombs managed to score against S Ferrante, only for S Ferrante to tie the score in the final minute. The teams went into overtime, taking turns shooting at opposing goaltenders. In the end, the Cherrybombs came out on top with a final score of 1-1 in the game and 3-1 on penalties.
“We couldn't solve it [S Ferrante] for two full periods,” said Nate Avish, a fourth-year physics PhD candidate and Cherrybombs center. “The stakes were raised above where we wanted, but we got the joy and the release.”
Although practice time is very competitive and limited, the atmosphere of broomball is filled with laughter as the teams cheer each other on.
“Everybody's slipping all the time, so it's like everybody's at a disadvantage,” said Shane Ferrante, a third-year computer science and mathematics major and S Ferrante Center major. “Then you can laugh at it and it gives it a kind of different edge.”
