Editor’s note: This story is the seventh in a weekly series profiling “Hidden Stars” across campus. A “Hidden Star” is someone who doesn’t normally get recognized but who excels in club sports, intramurals or other recreational activities. The series will run on every Tuesday throughout the semester. If you’d like to nominate someone to be featured as a “Hidden Star,” e-mail that person’s name, phone number, e-mail address and a brief paragraph about why he or she should be recognized to [email protected].

As the intramural broomball season begins, many ISU students are getting fired up.

With three intramural championship titles and one Ames Parks and Recreation title under his belt, junior Paul Fox is especially ready to play.

Fox participated on his high school hockey team all four years, which helped him develop various skills on the ice.

“He’s been living on the ice since he was very very young,” teammate Tim Dunham said.

The game became a serious part of Fox’s life his junior year in high school, when he started playing broomball after school with his friends at the local ice arena. “Broomball was one of the criteria the college I chose had to have,” Fox said.

Fox created a broomball team his freshman year, and has led the Heavy Hitters to an overall undefeated record.

“He was the man that started it all,” Dunham said. “I had no idea what broomball was before I came to Iowa State.”

“Broomball is fun,” Fox said. “It’s really easy to get people to play, and it takes less ability than hockey because there is no skating involved.”

One of the team jokes is that Fox’s goal is to bring his fellow teammates from Iowa up to the broomball caliber of Minnesota natives like himself, Dunham said.

Because of his experience on the ice and his strong leadership skills, Dunham believes Fox is more or less the coach of the Heavy Hitters. “If it weren’t for the patience and perseverance of one Paul Fox, the Hitters would not be where they are today,” Dunham said.

The team, consisting of nine male team members, doesn’t practice regularly, Fox said. However, there is talk of Dunham freezing a rink in his back yard this winter.

In addition, Fox is even attempting to establish a broomball club at Iowa State. He has recently talked with the team and looked into the details of getting the club started.

“It’s been an honor to play with the rest of the Heavy Hitters,” Fox said. “It’ll be a sad day when we all graduate.”