ARE YOU READY FOR SOME BROOMBALL?!

What IS broomball, really? The first time I'd ever heard of it was at UCI. A popular post-Kaba meeting afterevent, I managed to "play" a friendly game with Long Beach PAC one winter quarter evening, if you count running around the ice aimlessly "playing." For the most part, I just hung out on the sidelines and cheered the chaos on. I couldn't tell who was on whose team because there were so many bodies on the ice!

Last night, however, I was no mere spectator. None of us were, except Joe who played referee in his Footlocker uniform, complete with black cap, whistle and horn! I didn't think I would get much playing time, to be honest. The small amount of athleticism that ever existed in me, via volleyball and cheerleading, feel like ages ago, and the thought of running around on the ice (ice skating and snowboarding are NOT my best skills), had me just a bit concerned. I knew it would be fun though, even if I didn't get to play. But I SO did! All in, that game was! With an hour on the ice, 30-min halves, we all discovered, upon the whistle's first sound that broomball is HARD! Running around on thin ice, trying to get a ball into a goal? No wonder hockey scores are so low!

The trash-talkin' began even before we stepped into the rink in our team colors, Team White vs. Team Blue game of the century!...ok, of the week. The game got SO ugly SO quickly. It's hilarious just how fast competitive natures surface when bragging rights and pride are on the line! But everyone had fun, no matter how often we slipped, fell on every part of our bodies in every which way and struggled to keep the ball in our respective team's possesion by fighting, with sticks in hand, like the goal held the secret of immortality!

On this day after, I know everyone's sore, bruised and banged up, a side effect of that brutal force of nature called "getting older," but no one can deny how fun it was!

Team Blue prevailed in the end 2-1, with defense leading the way and a touch of skill and footwork aiding the offense. Re-match? Maybe in a few years...when the mid-30's kick in. It'll be interesting to see who'll still have broomball skills then.

That game was for you, Riann! Hope you had an excellent birthday!