Feature Article January 29, 2003
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Broomball in Mountain Groveby Jeff Green At first it seems like broomball players have been captured on some kind of slow motion camera. They seem to be running very hard but not moving very quickly. Thats because Broomball is played on a hockey rink, but the players wear boots rather than skates, and try as they might, it is very hard to get a solid push forward from boots on ice.
It is soon apparent, however, how much physical exertion is involved in the game. Anyone who walks on icy terrain, and that includes all of us, also knows how easy it is to slip and fall on ice.
Broomball is more of a players' game than a spectator sport, however, and the eight teams that entered the first-ever Broomball tournament at the Mountain Grove skating rink came to play hard and support a worthy cause. The tournament was set up as a fundraising event for the defibrillator fund of the Olden District (District 2) Fire crew. The entry fee for each team was $100, and in the end the event raised in excess of $900.
Firefighter Randy Hole described the event as a great success, and a lot of fun for everyone. We need to get the defibrillator and the training to serve the aging population, and the tournament helped us get that going.
The round robin tournament began early in the morning. The eight teams were; Michael Thompson Jr., Michel Thompson Sr., Coleby Barker, Tim Drew, Cory Thompson, Leanne Barker, the Land OLakes School Staff, and District 2 Firefighters. While some of the teams were dedicated to the cause and to having a good time, Randy Hole said the three Thompson family teams are pretty serious broomball players ,and they play very well.
In the final best two out of three championship series, the Michael Thompson Jr. team beat the Coleby Barker team two games to none, both by a score of 2-1. By the time the final game was completed, it was close to 7 oclock on a cold winters evening. Still, over 100 people were on hand, including most of the players in the tournament, to see the finale and watch the presentation of winner's medallions to the Michael Thompson Jr. team.
The event was put on by the Firefighters and the firefighters' auxiliary, and organizers would like to think Anne Peace-Fast, principal of Land OLakes PS for putting the resources of the schools office at the disposal of the tournament.
The Olden District Fire Crew had been planning to make their next fundraising event a crazy one-pitch baseball tournament in the spring, but the success of the broomball tournament has led them to consider putting on a second one on March 8 & 9. A two-day tournament will permit a large number of teams to enter. A final decision on whether to hold the second tournament will be made on February 3.
