It’s Broomball Season

Now that the holidays are over and the lakes are all frozen, it’s time to turn our attention to Broomball.  If I understand this correctly, most of you probably have no idea what broomball is.  So read up on it here.

For the second year, Bird and I are playing in a Minneapolis league with our friends.  Yesterday was our first game of the season and I’m happy to report that we were victorious 6-1.  What a drastic improvement over last year when we hardly scored any goals and didn’t win a game.  Well, technically we won one, but it was due to forfeit because the other team didn’t show up. 

I’ve been playing broomball in different capacities since middle school and it’s a really fun winter activity.  It’s a nice way to get out of the house, spend some time with friends, and get good exercise in the middle of winter.  Believe me, after you spend an hour running/sliding/falling on the ice you’ll realize you have a lot of muscles that don’t get used very often.

Here’s a breakdown of the costs to play:

• Broom:  about $30 (a one time purchase, unless you get a wood one which can break.  I bought my aluminum one back in ’95 and expect it to last a lifetime.  And no, it’s not an actual broom, but that’s how it started.)
• Ball:  about $30  (but I just got a new one for Christmas because I lost mine last year)
• Shoes:  $60-$80 (special shoes to help you not slip.  These aren’t required but many people use them.  I don’t.)
• Pads:  $10-$30 (This depends on the player.  Some people wear no pads, while others wear knee-, shin-, elbow-pads and a helmet or a variation of those.  I personally wear hockey shin/knee pads that I got at a garage sale for $5)

In addition to the above equipment, there is a registration fee if you want to play in a league.  I’m not sure what the exact fee is because I’m not the team captain, but I think it’s close to $200.  The registration is a flat fee so how much you pay depends on how many people you have on your team.  The more people, the less the cost, but also the less playing time you get as there can only be 8 players on the ice at one time.  For our team this year, each person is paying $20.

Since we already have all the equipment, the cost of playing broomball for Bird and I this season is going to be $40.  A steal of a deal for the amount of fun we are going to have!