Winter Sports – Doing It The Team Way

Skiing and skating are the most common winter sports participated in all over the world! In fact, some of these competitive winter activities have gained so much popularity over the years that they have even evolved into various team events, like Ice Hockey, Sledge Hockey, Ringette, Curling, Broomball and Bandy. Lets take a look at them one-by-one.

Ice Hockey

Ice Hockey is one of the most popular team winter sports in Canada and the United States, included in the Winter Olympics. In fact, it is the official national winter sport of Canada! This simple variant of the regular hockey is played on an ice-rink with 6 players on each side, each on ice-skates. The objective is to shoot the hard vulcanized rubber ball, called puck, into the opponents goal-net, with the long hockey sticks curved at the end. One of the more dangerous winter sports, it requires complete protective equipment, including helmet, pads and mouth and neck guards.

Curling

Another Winter Olympic sporting event, Curling is similar to Bowling and Bocce. It is one of the safer winter sports, and the players are not prone to much injury. This game is believed to have been invented in the late medieval Scotland. It consists of two teams, of 4-5 players each, that take turns at sliding heavy, polished, granite stones (called Curling Stones) down the ice towards the House, or the target area. It also referred to as Chess on Ice by some.

Broomball

Another of the popular winter sports played on ice, this game originated in Canada. Very similar to Ice-hockey, Broomball is also played in an indoor or outdoor hockey-rink, with 6 players in each of the 2 teams, including a goaltender. The difference between the two games is that Broomball uses brooms (with wooden/aluminum shafts, having a triangular rubber-molded head) and a small ball. And the players wear rubber-soled shoes instead of skates.

Sledge Hockey

Sledge Hockey is perhaps the only one of the winter sports to be included in the Winter Paralympics. Invented in the early 1960s at a rehabilitation center in Stockholm, Sweden, this is a specially designed adaptation of the popular Ice Hockey, for people with physical disabilities. The game uses special Ice Hockey sledges and is currently one of the most popular Paralympics sports!

Ringette

Another of those winter sports that have been adapted from Ice Hockey, this game is also played on an ice surface, wearing ice-skates. Players try to shoot small rubber rings, with straight sticks, into the opponents nets. The lack of stick handling makes the game much faster than Ice Hockey.

Bandy

Surprisingly, Bandy is not one of those winter sports that have been inspired from Ice Hockey! Instead, it is actually the ancestor of Ice Hockey! Played on ice, with a round ball and sticks, very similar to hockey sticks, the game consists of two teams of 11 players each. Being essentially an outdoor sport, this game was earlier known as field hockey.

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