Canada Cup MVP Blair Zimmerman heads east this weekend for the 5th Annual East Coast Floorball Tournament in Raleigh North Carolina. Teams from Chicago, Philly, New York, Boston, Toronto and Montreal join two local teams from the hosts, the Triangle Floorball Club.
Blair will be representing BC at the tournament and playing as a guest for Montreal United in the Blue Group. As a Vancouver Waverider at the Canada Cup in April, Blair will be familiar with Boston and Toronto, who are also in the Blue Group.
Half way through the tournament there will be another meeting between Team USA and Team Canada, with the Canadian side hoping to make it a hat-trick of wins following their two victories in Toronto earlier in the year. The Canadian side will be announced at the Tournament and we hope Blair is once again included.
As North America eyes turn toward the Triangle Club it is fitting we have a three part message:
Floorball or InneBandy or Unihockey is a fast paced Hockey game that you play in a gym or on any other flat smooth surface. Floorball is a game that combines the best elements of Power, Energy, and Touch in a Team Sport environment.
Floorball is the fastest growing Team Sport in the World and is being considered as an official sport of the Olympic Games. Elite level play is extremely competitive and fun to watch, Recreational Floorball is sweeping the nation and is played by nearly 3 million people worldwide.
Floorball is flexible! A game can played with goalies or no goalies, 5 vs 5, 4 vs 4, or 3 vs 3, depending on the size of the surface.
All you need is a flat, smooth surface;
Gym
Triple Gym-40m x 20m or 131ft x 65ft = 5 vs 5
Double Gym-basket ball court length 94ft x 50ft = 4 vs 4
Single of Half = 3 vs 3
Indoor Rink without the ice
Tennis Court
Smooth Driveway
Warehouse
Parking Lot
Basement
Floorball is different than ballhockey or floorhockey. The differences start out with the Stick and the Ball.
The Stick A Floorball stick is engineered for magical stickhandling manoeuvres, a quick release, high velocity shooting, as well as safety and indoor play. Sticks are safe because they are so light, the have a blade that flexes or gives with any impact, and they do not damage gym floors as heavier hockey sticks do.
At first glance, a 100cm stick appears top be on the short side for an adult hockey player. As Floorball is played on a gym floor on your feet and not on skates on the ice, the ergonomics and height of a Floorball stick make perfect sense. A million players can’t be wrong…in the past 30 years, Floorball growth has been on a massive upswing. Many new stick manufacturers enter the marketplace and new designs are driven by technology, engineering and experience with the game. Over the years, a constant in the evolution of a Floorball stick is the recommended height because the current recommended length of a stick is the proven, perfect balance between safety and performance.
The height of the stick should reach up to your belly button area and this allows for maximum control when handling the ball.
A good starter Floorball Stick, in North America, can be purchased for around $25. Pro Sticks are priced between $50 and $150.
The good news with Floorball is that you need no other equipment, than a stick, to play.
The Ball
A Floorball is made to be both light and safe, yet can generate speeds of up to 200kmh while maintaining a true trajectory and pure precision ball flight. If they are made any heavier, safety becomes up an issue, injuries would occur and protective equipment would be required. As it stands now, like the Floorball Stick…a Floorball is the perfect balance between safety and performance.
At first try, they may feel light and hard to handle, but as the player gets accustomed to the "feel" or stickhandling action of a properly fit stick and ball together, the possibilities of control are endless, even leading a player to be skilled in the highly entertaining art of Zorro or Airhooking.
