Broomball

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Right? What about when life gives you -20 degree F. , snow, wind and cars that growl every morning. That takes a real optimist. On the plains of North Dakota there are plenty of optimists during the winter. Most of them are kids who ride snowboards. They´d take 8 months of winter every year. Still there are a few others who find ways to get through the Arctic challenge. We have to--here´s one way we do it. It´s called broomball. Not the professional organized variety. This is the frozen slough--creek--river variety. All it takes is 12-20 or more hardy souls, each armed with a castoff broom and an old, preferably soft volleyball or nerf soccer ball or some close cousin to those. Chairs, hay bales or four frozen bodies will work to construct goals. Broomball is like hockey. Brawl your way up and down the rink with swatting the ball through the goalposts as your quest. Dump a few friends "gently" on the ice as you do so. Make sure you laugh a lot and realize you will fall more than a lot. No skates allowed here, only boots or tennis shoes--worn out Saucony are the best. Push, shove, grunt, laugh and take a big shot. Protect your goalie if you have one. Pull your goalie nearly every time you make a rush down the ice. Gamble, gamble, gamble--it´s the broomball way. The positive results of this organized chaos are obvious: weight loss (you will sweat and burn fat), passage of time (2 hours of winter will be gone like a Chinook wind) and relief of stress (what could feel better than giving out a good check to your friend, neighbor or spouse----and it all costs nothing. We realize you may be in Arizona or Singapore when you read this with no chance or desire to try broomball. However, you have your weather woes there, too. Our point is that exercise can be done and made fun in all corners of the globe. Be inventive and get out there to do something. Laughter and sweat go together at any temperature.

About the Author:

Steve Graner is a Christian educator and familyman employed by the Minot, ND Public School District. A licensed laypastor, he is passionate about Christian writing and Christian drama. Along with family and friends, Steve has performed numerous self-written dramas and musicals for area church audiences.