Sled hockey provides opportunities for players with physical disabilities
As Little Caesar's orange Zamboni emerges from the rink, 12 players expertly glide across the newly slick ice. Just like any other ice hockey game, you hit the board and carve each turn. The difference, however, is that this is sled hockey.
Joe Fitzgibbon is a mainstay in the sled hockey community and has been playing the sport for nearly 20 years.
“The world of hockey is that if you get bitten by a bug, it sticks,” Fitzgibbon said.
Sled hockey is a form of ice hockey adapted to the needs of people with physical disabilities. This sport is played with the player sitting in a bucket seat on top of an adjustable double blade. The player then uses his two sticks, equipped with a pick on one side, to propel himself forward and a blade on the other side to manipulate the puck.
Madison has always been a hockey town, but it's also home to the state's first sled hockey team. The youth team, the Skeeters, and the adult team, the Sting, both started in his early 2000s at the Madison Ice Arena on the city's west side. side. The arena will host youth and adult sled hockey as well as special youth and adult hockey and a program called Adaptive Learning to Skate.
A founding member of the original Skeeters team, Fitzgibbon also helped start the Sting and currently plays for that team. Like many Wisconsin natives, he grew up in a hockey-obsessed family. However, when he was younger, the lack of adaptable options and accessibility prevented him from participating until he moved to the Skeeters. As one of Madison's first sled hockey players, Fitzgibbon has seen how much the sport has grown.
“It's an interesting time in sled hockey. It's exploded from when we started.” Fitzgibbon said.
In the Skeeters' early days, they didn't have anyone to practice or compete with. So they contacted an older youth team that played stand-up hockey and asked them to scrimmage. They will then provide equipment for their teams and teams of non-disabled players to play and practice. While stand-up teams typically treated this as a team-bonding activity, the Skeeters needed ice time and took every opportunity to compete.
Currently, the Skeeters and Sting host joint practices every Sunday afternoon and travel around the region to play teams in Milwaukee, La Crosse, Green Bay and outside of Wisconsin.
Aditi Kharabe, a new addition to the team, moved to Madison a year ago to work at Epic.Karabe was not born with the disorder, but she was diagnosed with bronchiolitis. Obstruction, a disease that limits lung capacity to 30% At the end of high school. Although she didn't grow up playing hockey, she says it's now the highlight of her week.
“There aren't many people that I can relate to or understand what's going on, but there's an amazing amount of understanding here,” Karabe said. “We're all just here to play sled hockey, and everyone's equal on the ice.”
Karabe doesn't really like exercise because of the strain it takes on his illness, but he says sled hockey is fun and gives him an opportunity to connect with his community and further explore his identity.
Currently, the Sting does not have enough fixed players to fill a full team. But the Skeeters, a much more developed youth team, have it going. During the regular season, the Skeeters compete in games throughout the Midwest, and once a year, they compete in the national championship.
For the 2024 season, they will travel to West Chester, Pennsylvania in April to compete against teams from across the United States at the Toyota USA Hockey Sled National Championship.
When Fitzgibbon was in high school playing for the Skeeters team, the national championship consisted of one weekend and all types of adaptive hockey (special hockey, blind hockey, single and double amputees, etc.) were grouped together. , which took place in rapid cycles. game. Now the championship has expanded into two weekends, one weekend is dedicated only to sled hockey, in which teams of different categories – youth and adults – play.
Amy Cassiday, mother of Skeeters team member Andrew Cassiday, started letting her son play sled hockey when he was 5 years old more than a decade ago. Now a high school student, Andrew and his mother are an integral part of his Madison sled hockey community. It's a community built on shared experiences, and according to Amy Cassiday, “You need people who understand that.”
“Being a parent of a child with a disability can feel really isolating,” she said. “So adaptive sports really connect with you. It connects young people to see and experience the world the same way we do. And it's the same for parents…you guys. becomes a really close resource for each other.”
Although the sport continues to grow each year, the cost of purchasing equipment, transportation to out-of-town championships, the difficulty of finding suitable rinks for sledding, and the relatively low level of awareness of sledding can be a challenge. , there are many barriers to entry. This sport is not offered in high school.
Some teams located in the same city as National Hockey League teams receive funding through affiliations with professional teams. Unfortunately, Madison is not one of those teams.
Therefore, to play, all Sting and Skeeters athletes must purchase bucket seats for approximately $800 and then incur additional costs such as sticks, protective equipment, helmets, and transportation costs that are part of the sport. need to do it.
Despite the obstacles, Madison's two sled hockey teams continue to grow. On April 27, Madison Ice Arena will host local elementary, middle, and high schools to educate teachers and schools about available options, provide resources for students, and potentially recruit new members to their teams. We will hold a targeted open house.
For more information or to donate, please visit: Southern Wisconsin Sled Hockey (skeeterssledhockey.com)
