People who regularly read the news on the Salvation Church web site already know what floorball is.  For those who are hearing about it for the first time, let me explain: floorball is a fairly recent non-contact sport, very similar to field hockey, but not nearly as dangerous because the ball and the sticks are much smaller and lighter.  We play floorball in gymnasiums with teams of 5 plus a goalie.  Floorball was invented in Scandanavia, where it is still most widely played.

People who play floorball say that it is a truly addictive sport - try it once and you won't be able to stop.  That's the way it is with our Upward sports ministry - they tried it and now they're hooked.  They are so hooked that they have been playing for almost two years and have been getting more and more new players involved.  "Passion, commitment, team spirit - all that makes floorball a game like no other", is how the Upward team puts it.

Therefore, to enhance the popularity of this exciting sport, we decided, as the name of the article suggests, to hold an event near the center of the city, on the square next to the Gogol Theater.  The event was made possible thanks to the support of the SMS Club and the Sporting Events Committee of the city council (with whom we hope to continue to work in the future).

The main catalyst for this event was the presence of a guest from Scandanavia, a professional player in the Swedish floorball league, Tammuz Khidhir.

At 5:00 pm local time the music started on the square next to the theater, announcing the start of the event.  Tammuz opened with a small master-level class, demonstrating some tricks with the ball and stick, supplemented by Alexander Verhovsky's apt and humorous commentary.  The event continued with competitions and prizes for those who wanted to test their floorball skills and an invitation to a game in the sports hall.  People stayed even after it started to rain and came away with a very positive impression.

This was a siginificant event for the Upward sports ministry.  It was an opportunity to acquaint young people with the sport and with Upward in general.

We hope that thanks to this event and the interest shown by Poltavans, they will come to play and subsequently open their hearts to the Gospel, because that is the true goal of the sports ministry.

Vladimir Golovash