Broomball is so popular at Michigan Tech that it now features its own newspaper, The Broomball Blitz! Here’s an article from the first edition explaining the phenomenon.
If you’ve never been to Tech in the winter before, you might not understand what that means to us here.
Around 2000 students participate every year, and for the two month season, you can’t walk across campus without hearing word of it. But there is more than just two months — as soon as registration opens in October you will walk through Wadsworth and see groups of students making brooms in various kitchenettes. That anticipation continues to grow until the bitter cold of January rolls in and we return from winter break to brave it out to watch our friends and halls get out on the ice, and more than likely fall in the first few minutes of play.
If you didn’t already know about it, let me explain Broomball for you from a spectators standpoint. We bundle up, wait in line for our free hot chocolate, and watch the ensuing show. The beauty of watching Broomball is that no matter the talent of the teams it’s still entertaining.
Good teams make play competitive and unpredictable, frequently resulting in nail-bitters and large comebacks. But even the less competitive teams are bound for entertainment: between the players slipping and falling everywhere and the randomness of the play, it’s bound for some good laughs.
So to all you new students, get yourselves ready. You all will soon learn what the hype is all about. Even if you don’t generally like sports, don’t be so quick to turn down this opportunity, you might regret missing out. If you play or just watch, come out and enjoy all the fun and excitement we all share every year!
Special events include a tournament and all-star game held every year at the time of Winter Carnival.
For more information, see History of Broomball at MTU