This small-town Sask. broomball team is hoping to bring home its 4th national championship
Team from Debden, Sask., population 327, has dominated on the national stage
A village in northern Saskatchewan with a population of 327 has been breeding national broomball champions.
Players on the Debden Roadrunners, a U20 women's broomball team from Debden, Sask., roughly 180 kilometres north of Saskatoon, are amped to start the campaign for a fourth consecutive national championship in Valdor, Que., at the end of March.
Dean Demers, one of three coaches, said the team's success comes not only from their hard work, dedication and love of the sport, but because broomball is a part of the culture in Debden.
"Everybody who lives here has grown up with broomball," Demers said.
He said the girls are talented athletes.
"They're a perfect team," Demers said. "We have 18 players, 3 coaches, 21 of us all together on the same strategy all the time."
Peyton Turner, who plays on the team, said broomball has been passed down from generation to generation in Debden.
"It's just in your blood here," said Turner.
The sport came to Debden in the early 1970s and took off like wildfire.
"Back then it was the adults," Demers said. "There used to be adult teams around Debden going to other Saskatchewan towns playing broomball, but eventually they got kids programs going here."
Close to 50 years later, the town has a national champion team. Demers said the first national win in 2022 was amazing, each addition win has been great, and a fourth would be the cherry on top.
"We were just the Saskatchewan team that had never won before," Demers said of the team's beginnings. "This year, you know, everybody's going to know who the Debden Roadrunners are."
'Strong roots' in Saskatchewan
Chad Schneider grew up in Odessa, Sask., another community where broomball is popular. He started playing when he was 15 years old and fell in love with it.
Now, Schneider is the president of the Saskatchewan Broomball Association and Broomball Canada.
"Broomball really has pretty strong roots here in Saskatchewan," he said.
He said the game was once referred to as "pond hockey" and has gone through changes over the years. It was once played on outdoor ponds, or dug outs, then eventually moved to outdoor rinks, then indoor rinks.
He said people once used "a corn broom dipped in wax, and a leather ball a little smaller than a soccer ball."
It has long been a big sport in towns across Saskatchewan. Schneider said it gives young people from small communities an opportunity to travel around the country and expand their horizons. It's also more affordable that ice hockey.
One of the challenges for broomball is competing with traditional hockey for ice time. He said it is harder in larger cities where hockey is so dominant, but in rural areas teams can more easily get ice time.
Turner said this year's tournament will be a bit more challenging, as key players have aged out.
"I think it happens to everybody; it's not just the Roadrunners," she said.
Turner is hopeful the team will bring home another championship this year, but the love of the sport is what drives her.
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With files from Nicole Lavergne-Smith