FERGUS – Fergus is playing host to the Ontario Provincial Senior Broomball Championship from March 15 to 17, so prepare for 47 teams of broomballers and their fans to descend on the town.
The Spades broomball team, based in Palmerston, is hosting the tournament and organizer Brittany Dettman said it’s the first time the provincials have been held in this area in years.
“Broomball is a close-knit family,” she said in an interview.
“After we play, we socialize – we all get along quite well. We’re one big broomball family.”
Broomball, for those who don’t know, is much like hockey only the players wear special shoes instead of skates and use sticks with a fan shape at the bottom – imagine a broom with no bristles.
Dettman, who grew up in Palmerston, said her parents played broomball and she and her sisters became interested.
“We started at peewee and never stopped,” she said, adding her sisters are still on her team, which moved to the “elite” division two years ago.
The tournament takes place at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex but because so many teams have registered, a third ice rink in Elmira was added.
Games in Fergus will be played from 7am to 10pm on Friday and Saturday and from 7am to 2pm in Elmira with the finals in Fergus on Sunday.
Winners of the provincials will go on to the nationals in Belville the last week in March.
The tournament is open to the public. Admission costs $10 for a day pass and $20 for the weekend.
Food and drink will be sold at the event. The games consist of two 15-minute periods.
“We hope people will come out and watch,” Dettman said.
“A lot of people don’t know anything about broomball and here you’ll see some great games.”
For more information about the tournament or about joining a league, email Dettman at Brittany_lenselink@hotmail.com.
