Rolling Instead of Walking

"Wanna roll?"
"Yeah."
"Then let's grab the skates."

This is the catch phrase for my pals when we met each other at the newest mall in town (okay, it's already been opened fo some months now) as an aproximately 50-square-metre skating ring opens up for business. Should you answer "No" to the first query, you get shunned way out of the clique.

What else could I do but to agree?

Luckily, my pals were decent enough not to laugh on my face when I told them it was a first for me. So, we paid for the ticket, changed our footwear, and started.

Turns out, I'm having three blisters the size of my thumb after one hour in the ring and about ten falls. Still, I think I get why the guys visited here every time they strolled over (other than to just pass the time, of course).

It takes practice, but after you got the hang of it, it feels awesome - the wind on your face even though the surrounding air wasn't moving, the way you zipped along mostly on one foot, looking as if you'll fall at the slightest provocation, but keeping your stance in perfect balance, the looks of awe on the faces of newbies as you rushed past them, you body inches from theirs... I can already imagine the scene, adrenaline pumping through my veins even when I'm not moving.

Even if my foot was aching murderously after the event (I came off last during an illegal race with my buddies) , I'd still jump on the chance to do it again after I'm healed. Though what may happen during, and after, the time remains unknown......

Got the balls to floor it?

So, if you're from Asia, partucularly Malaysia, let me introduce you to a sport - floorball. If you're an European, I don't see any reasons why you don't know this game - unless you've been too busy to care about anything in the world, that is.

Now, back to floorball. It's sort of like floor hockey, only the sticks are lighter (no more serious injuries) and the puck is replaced by a hollow plastic ball (safe projectile to hit in games). YOU play it in teams of threes or fives, give or take the keeper. The team who scores the most in the three 20-minutes session wins (duh!)

Well, I got to know this game two years ago, when the local club actually come to my high school in my first year there to ormote the sport. However, my interests are sparked only about three months ago in a fit of deja vu when the same local club put up an article on the newspaper. I went to check it out with 'couple of my friends, and voila! I got hitched on and am playing regularly now.

What the game requires is a stick per player (about 80 USD each), a ball (<5>, as it's equipments are made for floorball enthusiasts, by floorball enthusiasts. You can check out the Canadien official website for more details, such as your local retailer or even special events.

All in all, this is a sport like many others - sportsmanship, teamwork and personal skills being of the same importance and all that - but it is actually fun. As it isn't very popular yet, you had a great chance in making it a hit. Should you suceeded, you could take it on to a higher level and become a bigger star. Think of this - the first members of the teams of the English Floorball League! How awesome is that?