In the early 1900s a new sport formed in Canada. Thought to be the result of individuals wanting to play hockey without skates, broomball was created.
Since then broomball has continually grown in popularity and local interest around Carlyle has been on the rise, which has led to the Impact Oilfield Management Team to sponsor a broomball clinic on Jan. 31.
The clinic will be open to all youth between the ages of 10 and 19. The younger group between 10-years-old and 15-years-old will be held between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., while the older group aged 16 to 19 will be hosted between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. at the Carlyle Sports Arena.
"If we get more than 30 we'll limit the ice time to try and accommodate everyone we don't want to turn anybody away," Dale Whitfield, Estevan Raiderettes coach, explained.
Required equipment for the day includes a helmet with a mask, while soccer shin guards and volleyball knee pads are suggested. There will be a limited number of shoes and brooms available, but Whitfield hopes to get everyone who wants to try their hand at broomball a chance.
Whitfield has been coaching broomball for a number of years, recently taking on the female midget team in Estevan.
This is essentially how the connection to Carlyle formed. Sonia Wilson and her daughter Katie attended a hockey game in Estevan where Whitfield's team played during one of the breaks between periods. Katie became interested and asked if she would be able to try the game.
Katie now attends practices twice a week in Estevan to play on the midget team and takes part in tournaments across Saskatchewan. However, the tournaments tend to be further north, near Saskatoon, and often when organizing games against other teams they will meet halfway between and split the cost of the rink. Therefore, developing interest in Carlyle and the surrounding area would benefit the Saskatchewan Broomball Association by bringing another southern team to the area.
Katie now tells her friends that she plays broomball, but many in the area are unsure what the game actually entails. This clinic is therefore a good way to introduce youth to a winter sport they may not have tried before.
For more information specific to the clinic coming to Carlyle contact Sonia Wilson at (306)577-1217.
