CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (CLARKSVILLENOW) One of the top sporting events of the season took place Wednesday night with the Mayor’s team from Montgomery County defeating the General’s team from Fort Campbell 2-1 in the 2nd Annual Mayor VS General Broomball Game at the Downtown Commons Ice Rink.
Close to 200 spectators turned out to watch the Fort Campbell team, led by Major General Andrew Poppas, Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and the Montgomery County team led by Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett. Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts officially dropped the first ball of the game and later presented the trophy to the county team.
The evening featured a lot of slipping, sliding and falling down on the ice as well as lots of playful banter back-and-forth between teams. It was the second year of the Broomball Game with Fort Campbell taking the win last year.
Mayor Durrett enjoyed the win but also praised his competition. “It was truly awesome. The victory was sweet but the camaraderie is better. Those are just awesome people we played against tonight. You know it’s all in fun but some competitive juices came out in everybody. I love all the men and women who serve our country,” Durrett said.
“The competitive spirit always shows through and everybody played to win on both sides,” General Poppas said. “The friends we have in this community, both personally and as an organization, the 101st and Fort Campbell is absolutely fortunate to be here. You can just see the depth of friendships that have been built over the years.”
In case you didn’t know, Broomball is a variation of ice hockey played on ice without skates along with brooms and a soccer ball instead of hockey sticks and a puck. There is a USA Broomball team and the sport is reported to have originated in Canada, which is a claim contested by Sweden.
