Broomball at Michigan Tech

The largest sports program at Michigan Technological University is broomball. In 2008, over 1900 students participated on 200 teams. Broomball is run by an IRHC (Inter-Residence Hall Council), and is not an inter mural program. Any student or full time faculty member can play.
Gameplay
The objective of broomball is to guide the broomball using broomball sticks into the opposing team's goal box to score a point. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. Should there be a tie, two five-minute overtimes are given where the first team to score wins the game. Six players (including one goaltender) are allowed on the ice during play. Substitutions may be made on the fly or at stoppages. Players may receive penalties, sending them to the penalty box for a pre-determined length of time, as in hockey. Players often use the slick ice to their advantage, purposefully sliding across the rink to reach the ball.
Broomball at Michigan Tech varies from IFBA-sanctioned Broomball in that checking is legal. It is one of the few full-contact female sports. The use of frozen flooded surfaces, outdoor game-play, and home-made nature of padding and brooms means Michigan Tech broomball more resembles Moscow broomball than the federation version.
History
Broomball is a long time tradition at Michigan Tech. In the early 1990s, the sport came under control of IRHC, the Inter-Residence Hall Council. Originally the Vice Chair of IRHC held the position of Broomball Chair, but this changed in 2000 when an individual was elected via a selection committee. A team needed at minimum 5 players from their residency (the different resident halls on campus) to play in a league, with any individual player being on no more than two teams.
In 2001 Broomball had 126 teams split into 4 leagues: Wads (Wadsworth Hall), McNair, DHH (Douglas Houghton Hall), and Women's. Wads was split into two leagues (East and West) in 2003. The Off Campus League was added in 2004, but was almost removed the following year. It was believed that IRHC should not be in charge of students not in a residence hall, but this decision was revoked at the last minute.
Broomball started with one full size rink. In 2003 a second rink was added. The rinks were shrunk to their current size to allow two rinks to be placed where one once stood. This was originally to ease game rescheduling because of weather. Scoreboards were added to both rinks. In 2008 a third rink was added due to the popularity of the sport. The rinks gained names based on the school colors; black, gold, and silver. During the summer of 2009 US-41 was widened. This change made the previous rink location unusable. A new location, directly across from Wads was chosen for the 2010 season.
Safety became a growing concern over the years. Waivers were added after 1999 when two lawsuits threatened the school from players suffering from a broken ankle and a concussion. After the 2001 season, helmets became required for all players. In 2003 elbow pads were allowed.
Rules
The earliest rules to date are from the 1995-1996 season.
IRHC publishes a lengthy document each year containing all rules for broomball at Michigan Tech. Each year the document is reviewed with feedback from players. This document can be found at the IRHC Broomball homepage.
Rink
Unlike broomball played elsewhere, the game is played on rinks that are approximately long by wide, rather than a full hockey rink. During Make A Difference Day weekend (a weekend focused on community service), rinks are erected on campus along US-41.
Equipment
Broomball players are largely responsible for their own equipment. The only gear provided is the rubber balls for practice and play, and helmets (which are required) for use during designated practice and game sessions. Certain types of protective equipment may be worn, however, are not enforced.
Players may wear hockey equipment including elbow pads, knee/shin guards, and hockey pants, and while these are not provided, they are highly encouraged. The goaltender may also wear hockey-style shoulder pads, but in this case, the goalie may not enter the regular area of play, and is thus avoided in most cases.
Brooms
Players are required to fashion their own brooms out of ordinary straw brooms instead of using manufactured broomball brooms. Players often fashion brooms based on their positions; wider brooms are said to be better for defensive play, while club-like brooms are used by attacking offensive players. Broomball sticks must have all broom bristles fully covered with duct tape and must have the metal ring removed from the top of the broom for safety. Specific broomball stick stipulations were put into place to prevent players from creating sticks that would give them a distinct advantage over other players.
Leagues
The teams in the annual broomball tournament are divided into leagues normally based on players' residencies.
*DHH (Douglass Houghton Hall)
*McNair (F.W. McNair Hall)
*East Wads (Wadsworth Hall East)
*West Wads (Wadsworth Hall West)
*Off-Campus
*Women's (women may also play in other leagues)
Players are allowed to play in two leagues, however teams are limited to the number of non-residents they may have. Champions are named in each league and the top teams in each league enter into a playoff bracket to determine an overall winner.
Playoffs
Playoffs are a big part of the broomball season. For the past two years there have been 64 teams making it to playoffs, with league champions as winners of the 3rd round (except for off campus which is split into 3 groups because of it's size). The Michigan Tech Lode has started a playoff bracket contest in the 2010 season, much like the ones created for March Madness.
Class
Students may also take a during the first term of the Spring semester each year.
Staff
IRHC Broomball also provides employment opportunities for students during broomball season. These positions include:
*Broomball Committee Member
*Rink Staff Member
*Rink Staff Shift Leader
*New Referee
*Returning Referee

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