Westman Volt gears up for third season

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This article was published 26/11/2024 (526 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Westman Volt hockey continues to grow as the inclusive sport program enters its third year.

Born out of the COVID pandemic and providing an opportunity not previously available, co-founders Chad and Michelle Wallin have grown the program since inception from a desire for inclusive sports in Brandon and Westman.

The club continues to grow, which also comes with challenges.

“As you grow you need more volunteers, but more than anything you need the equipment. We have more people wanting to play but in order to do that we need to make sure nobody is left on the sidelines. We don’t want to grow too big too fast, but we also don’t want to exclude anybody,” said Chad Wallin following last week’s practice that included members of the Brandon Wheat Kings.

“It’s great in some ways and unfortunate in another, because we don’t want to see kids sitting on the sidelines. Unfortunately that’s where we’re at until we get more equipment.”

The club currently has 12 chairs with two more on the way from Sweden and a full roster of players with mobility or intellectual disabilities.

The sport landed in Brandon by happenstance and grew from a desire to play hockey and participate in team sports.

Wallin’s son Zander, who has cerebral palsy, was gifted bob skates from Wheat Kings equipment manager Scott Hlady, which led to a viral video, wide reach, and a phone call from an existing club in Alberta, wondering if the Wallins had heard about the sport.

“Of course we hadn’t, but we did some research and found it was slowly moving to Canada. It’s huge in Scandinavian countries. So we decided to try and raise some money to get the program here to Brandon and buy some equipment and from there it’s stemmed into what you see today.”

What it’s grown into is a club that currently has a devoted group that practises every week, and teams that participated in nationals the last two years, winning the North American Cup in just the first year.

“We’re all hockey fans so we just incorporated some of the ideas and principles from that and created what we thought we knew into the game,” said Wallin.

“Without playing a game previous to that we managed to win the gold medal in the second division, so some of these athletes went from never having played on a team in their lives to a North American champion. So it was pretty cool to see that and very rewarding for everyone involved.”

Especially impressive considering the nearest competition is 1,000 kilometres to the west in Calgary and 1,700 kilometres to the east in Toronto.

The lack of neighbouring programs means the team practises and plays against each other, and the odd chance to impress against the Wheat Kings, but poses a challenge being the only comparable organization on the prairies.

That hasn’t slowed them down in anyway, as the shared pursuit of competition keeps members motivated, and the camaraderie is what keeps them coming back.

“The best part is to be included in an organized sports team,” says member Bryce Eakins Collister.

Eakins Collister also has cerebral palsy and says the skill development side is part of what keeps him striving to improve, and like any athlete, practice makes perfect.

“Working on my stick handling skills, working on not hitting other teammates with the cart, becoming a more efficient team member and learning better passing skills. But most of all hanging with my buds on the team .”

With any team sports, coaching is critical, and the volunteer base that keeps the club moving in the right direction is paramount to their success.

“I’ve been involved with individuals with disabilities for 20 years now, and when Volt was starting Chad just brought me on board and it’s something that I love doing. I love making a difference in their lives,” says volunteer coach Cathy Critchlow.

“The team part of it is fabulous. A lot of these kids could never be part of a team before until Volt came to Brandon, and to see these individuals not just play but form the friendships they have is fabulous.”

Support from community initiatives helps significantly and allows for the opportunity to grow, as does corporate donations. The carts cost approximately $10,000 to manufacture and ship from Sweden, which is also where the club hopes to travel one day for worlds.

So for now the team keeps training, fundraising, and honing their skills, but the real result is already more than evident.

“Just the look on the kid’s faces, but equal to that was the look on the parent’s faces to know that their child had found something they belonged in,” Wallin added.

“That was probably the biggest part. From there, obviously the relationships formed among the athletes and the parent group, it’s really turned into one big family now.”

» mpackwood@brandonsun.com