Assessing interest in ice sport
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/09/2010 (5676 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A sport growing in popularity which allows the disabled to play alongside their able-bodied counterparts is looking to expand to Brandon.
Sledge Hockey Manitoba wants to set up a chapter here as the sport’s popularity expands, thanks in part to exposure at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Paralympics.
"It’s growing and growing," said Bill Muloin of the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities.
SMD/Sledge Hockey Manitoba hosted a sledge hockey demonstration at the Canada Games Sportsplex rink on Saturday, inviting locals to try out the sport.
It was also a chance to measure the amount of interest here.
League play allows able-bodied players to play alongside disabled players who get a chance to enjoy hockey.
In sledge hockey, the goals and rules are essentially the same as regular hockey, but players seated in sleds balanced on a pair of blades propel themselves using small hockey sticks held in each hand.
The sticks are equipped with metal picks which allow them to grip the ice.
Able-bodied players who gave the sport a try yesterday marvelled at the speed, skill and conditioning of experienced players who took part.
Brad Schoonbaert, 46, grinned as he stood gingerly after playing several shifts.
"Oh, my legs are cramping, my feet are asleep," Schoonbaert said. "It’s as hard as it looks."
Schoonbaert, who plays regular recreation hockey, said he found it tough to steer and stop.
Turning by shifting your weight takes core strength and it’s a fine line between tipping and steering.
But hockey — whether it’s in a sledge or not — is hockey, the players said.
"The game’s the same, it’s just getting to and from the puck is so much different."
Josh Hoppe, 14, of Brandon plays bantam hockey but found it tough to keep up.
"I’m trying to race after these guys but I can’t get the hang of it," Hoppe said.
"All in all, it’s a good game and it’s just as fun as hockey."
Muloin said enthusiasm for sledge hockey has grown.
There were six players in Winnipeg in 2007 and now there are 60.
The Society for Manitobans with Disabilities has a branch in Brandon.
The possibility of expanding the sledge hockey league here is thanks to a grant from Hockey Canada which allowed the league to obtain more sleds.
Up to 12 are now available for those in the Brandon region.
The trick now is finding enough ice time somewhere in the region, Muloin said.
Anybody interested in playing sledge hockey in the Brandon area can call Lindsay Wood at the Brandon office of the SMD at 726-6157.