Williston students are sliding back into the beloved WBBL.

The Williston Broomball League held its first night (of two) of competitive broom ball play Saturday Jan. 16 at Lossone Rink.

The inaugural season began during the 2020-2021 school year. Due to Covid, sport competitions that year were for the most part canceled, and the WildestCats wanted to come up with an event that brought out the competitive spirit of Williston students in a time when it was hard to find it.

Broomball is played similarly to hockey: there are two nets and teams of six on the ice, including the goalie. Players use plastic “brooms” to try and put a ball into the opposing net. The games are between five and eight minutes. In the past, participants have also received t-shirts at the end of the tournament.

WildestCats leader, Izzy Ireland, shares one of her favorite moments over her three years of broom ball participation.

“I have participated in broomball since sophomore year and my favorite memory was watching the championship game [in 2021] my friends played in,” she said. “It was so much fun because Covid had taken the normal fun out of the year, so having competition and being able to have a ton of people in one space was such a highlight of a darker winter.”

Sophomore and three-sport varsity athlete Violet Carroll treats broomball like any other Wednesday and Saturday game.

“I would say that I take broomball seriously because when it comes to any kind of sports game, I am a very competitive person, and I don’t like to lose,” Violet said.

Senior Katherine Kang, another leader of the WildestCats, understands why this past weekend’s participation rate was low, and wishes more people came.

“The turnout was a bit disappointing, especially since I thought people really liked broomball and were excited for it,” she said. “I think the low participation compared to our sophomore year is due to the fact that unlike the past years, there are other things people are able to do on the weekends, like going into other dorms. While I’m glad Covid restrictions are lifted, it was nice to have more of the school participating in events.”

WildestCats leader and four-year senior Luke Ballard encourages students to try out broomball, and cited the fun those in attendance had.

“The turnout was pretty low compared to past years which is unfortunate,” he said, “however, the people that did show up were amazing and they definitely brought the energy!”

Even if if you do not have a helmet, that is not an excuse to come. The school has helmets and so do many in our community. Don’t be afraid to ask to borrow one so you can participate.

The WildestCats encouraged more people to sign up for the league for the 1/28 weekend series.