Categories
Uncategorized

Moscow Broomball

Moscow broomball is a variation of Broomball, a team sport similar to ice-hockey, that is played on an ice surface without skates. The sport is played only in Moscow and only by non-Russians. The sport is played on tennis courts that have water frozen on top. The playing area is cleared of snow and is usually collected on the side to form a barrier. Makeshift goalposts are erected on both the ends. Unlike hockey, players do not wear any skates to play broomball. Players use sticks to move the ball, but the sticks used are much smaller, and are wielded using a single hand. The sticks are fastened to the player’s hand using a band. The ball used is a small plastic ball. A match is played between two teams with six players on each team, for three 20-minute periods. One player per team is designated as a goalkeeper, who does not use a stick, and is always supposed to be in a kneeling position. Players are not allowed to use their hands to move the ball, but are allowed to stop it with their hands. The team with most goals at the end of the match wins it. Broomball is regarded by spectators as a funny sport where players slip and fall very frequently. 온라인카지노

Broomball is played on a tarmac tennis court that has been flooded with water and allowed to freeze. Snow that falls on the court is pushed to the sides to create a bank that helps to contain the ball. Fenced tennis courts are preferred for the same reason, but not all courts in Moscow have this amenity. Goals of wood and wire-mesh are erected at each end of the court and a centre-spot for restarting after a goal is provided. The balls used in Moscow broomball are small soft plastic children’s balls, slightly larger than a tennis ball. Players wear protective gear to cushion falls onto the ice, mostly equipment intended for ice hockey. Padded shorts, elbow pads and leg guards are vital and no one is allowed on the ice without a helmet. Leg length hockey socks are worn over the knee and leg guards to provide increased friction compared to the smooth plastic of the pads – without these a player on his knees will slide a long way. The whole ensemble is then fastened into place with liberal quantities of packing tape. An ice-hockey helmet with a face cage is also worn.

Second in importance only to the knee pads are the broomball shoes. These are “sneaker” type shoes with thick soles of very soft rubber, to provide as much grip on smooth ice as possible. These are obtained from suppliers in Canada catering to the “mainstream” variety of broomball played there. Finally, each player carries a stick. These are made locally from the straw brushes used by Moscow street-sweepers in summer, giving the sport its name. The straw brush is tightly packed and shaped before being wrapped in many layers of silver duct tape, forming a rigid club somewhat resembling a hockey stick. Broomball sticks are much shorter, however, and are wielded one-handed. A wrist loop is attached to avoid losing the stick. Broomball sticks vary quite widely in length and shape according to the user’s preference. Some have large flat heads almost like miniature ice-hockey sticks, while others are curved into hook-like shapes designed control the ball much like in ice or grass hockey.

17 replies on “Moscow Broomball”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *