7 months ago
US Shows Progress in Bandy World Championship
The United States participated in the Bandy World Championship in Finland.
The men's team finished fourth, and the women's team finished third.
Bandy is a sport that combines ice hockey and soccer, played on a large ice field.
The U.S. teams are proud of their progress and resilience, even though they didn't win.
Sweden won both the men's and women's events.
Building bandy rinks is expensive, and there's only one full-size rink in the U.S. The coaches believe starting small and using multi-purpose rinks can help grow the sport.
They are optimistic about the future of bandy in the U.S.
The U.S. men's and women's bandy teams finished 4th and 3rd respectively in the World Championship.
Sweden won both the men's and women's events, beating Norway and Finland 9-1 in the finals.
Bandy is a hybrid of ice hockey and soccer, played on a large ice field with 11 players per side.
The U.S. has only one full-size bandy rink, the John Rose Oval in Minnesota, which is used for multiple sports.
Coaches believe starting with smaller venues and multi-purpose rinks can help grow the sport in the U.S.
- Who
- United States bandy teams (men's and women's)
- What
- Finished 4th and 3rd respectively in the Bandy World Championship
- Where
- Pori, Finland
- When
- January 2024
- Why
- To compete and showcase progress in the sport of bandy
Key facts
- Sport
- Bandy
- US Men's Finish
- 4th
- US Women's Finish
- 3rd
- Sweden's Performance
- Won both men's and women's events
- Bandy Rink Cost
- Around $5 million
- US Bandy Rink
- John Rose Oval, Roseville, Minnesota
- Sweden's Training Advantage
- Indoor rinks, training starts in August
- US Bandy Program Duration
- 45 years
Quotes
Chris Middlebrook
Coach of the U.S. women's bandy team
“Building a bandy rink can cost around five million dollars and usually requires government or community support. Running it is also expensive.”
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“All teams play there, across three men’s divisions plus a women’s league with three teams - so effectively four leagues -all based at one rink and run by one group of people, all volunteers.”
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Chris Halden
Coach of the U.S. men's bandy team
“Smaller venues, lower barriers. It might sound strange to purists but we cannot wait forever. Sweden has indoor rinks and starts training in August. That is a massive advantage and one reason they are getting even better.”
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