Broomball- Madison, Wisconsin

The month of February for many Northerners seems to bring a bit of a feeling of dread. The sun is still setting too soon, the temperatures still dropping far too low. The snow falls too fast making the roads terrible. There are days people are advised not to leave their homes at all if possible, because frostbite will happen to any exposed skin within ten minutes. So many things about winter in Wisconsin can make it less than delightful, especially entering the third month of it. Most Wisconsinites have their own ways of coping; building fires, wearing long johns day & night for months on end, laying up their wool sweaters, re-arranging furniture so heat vents are most optimized within their homes, drinking hot cocoa or even better hot toddies, and once in a great while venturing outside to get some much needed exercise. (alright, maybe those are just my tactics) Somehow most employees where we work became convinced of the idea of layering up, finding a broom, and meeting up on Fridays to play broomball. Nothing super competitive, and surely not by the books- considering most of us showed up with brooms taken from our homes and had never played before. Despite the soreness, bumps and bruises we all ended up with the following days after playing, it's been well worth our time. There's something about running around on an iced-over pond in 20 degree temperatures that doesn't compete with summertime bicycle riding or lounging in the park. It's far more epic.