By John Evanko

Armed with merely a broomstick, tons of athletes flood onto the ice to compete in the annual broomstick hockey event.
Broomstick hockey, also known as broomball and most likely originated in Canada, is now spreading throughout the United States.
For University of Louisville alumni Zach Hensley, the unorthodox sport is the perfect way to get students to connect with one another.
Hensley, who graduated from U of L in 2007, coordinates the event through Highview Baptist Church and “Five16,” a Recognized Student Organization on campus.
“We want to connect students with each other, and we want to connect students with spiritual truth,” Hensley said of Five16.
Broomstick hockey, among many other events like rock climbing, dodgeball, and ski trips, helps Hensley and others in Five16 to accomplish those goals.
The event was first held by the college ministry at Highview Baptist Church, but has picked up many participants from Five16 over the past five years, and now has anywhere from 70 to 90 participants every year. It is held at Iceland Sports Complex, most recently on Jan. 16. The competitors wear tennis shoes and attempt to bat a soccer ball past a goalie and into a hockey net, using only a broomstick, cane, golf club, or anything else that is available.
It may sound completely off-the-wall, but that is why so many people love to compete.
“I’ve never played anything like it before,” Greg Brockmann, a third-year chemical engineering major, said. “It’s such a unique sport.”
With over 70 people running around with broomsticks, the event can be much more competitive than it sounds. In fact, the most recent game ended in a shootout after a 3-3 tie at the end of regulation.
With all the commotion on top of a slippery surface, one would think that injuries are common. However, the participants have suffered only minor injuries in the several years of the event’s existence.
Hensley believes the event has a bright future, and that its uniqueness, along with the fact that its participants are college students, will keep everyone intrigued.
“It’s something that nobody grows up doing,” Hensley said. “There are thousands of new freshman every year, and we always have a new crowd coming in and saying ‘Hey, I’ve never heard of this’ and getting excited about the event.”
As for accomplishing their goal, broomstick hockey continues to be a great avenue for Hensley and the rest of Five16 to “let the light shine.”
“Through unique events like broomstick hockey, students are able to establish personal relationships with each other,” Hensley said. “And through those relationships, people’s lives are greatly affected, and they come to know spiritual truth.”