Students playing broomball have been caught playing under the influence of alcohol this year.

Two students in one week were reported as being under the influence while playing broomball, said Linda Marticke, program coordinator of recreation services. Students supervise and officiate broomball games. Those supervisors identified the students who were under the influence and did not let them participate in the game, she said.

“There is no professional staff on duty,” Marticke said.

The broomball games are played later at night, and this entices a minority of the players to go to the bars before the game, she said.

“Most people who want to compete in sports don’t drink before the game,” Marticke said.

“It takes effort [to play a game]. It’s hard to imagine drinking before basketball or soccer games.”

Mark Melville, senior in electrical engineering, said he has played broomball for five years.

Melville said he occasionally drinks before broomball games to get loosened up before the game and to make the games more fun.

“It makes [the game] more rowdy and exciting,” he said.

Melville said not everyone on the team drinks before games, and his games ranged from 10 p.m. to 2:45 a.m.

“You don’t want to fall asleep before the game,” he said. “It’s still fun without drinking.”

Mike Jones, junior in mechanical engineering, said this was his first year playing broomball. Jones said he choose not to drink before games.

“It would have inhibited my ability to play,” he said. “I wouldn’t have been able to score as many goals as I did and my team wouldn’t have made it that far.”

Melville said he has also participated in other intramurals including football, curling and ultimate Frisbee, but did not drink before those games.

Garry Greenlee, associate director of recreation services, said the issue of students playing intramural sports under the influence is not an ongoing problem. Greenlee said out of the 100 or more intramural games played each week, there have only been a few concerns about the students’ safety.