All the sounds on the ice are familiar. Skate blades stopping and starting, pucks ringing around the boards, players cheering each other on, and lots of chirping. If your eyes were closed, you wouldn’t know it’s sledge hockey.
The Calgary Scorpions, one of four teams that are a part of the Calgary Sledge Hockey Association, know how to enjoy practice. Incessant laughter is only interrupted by the coach’s instructions, then it comes right back.
The team has formed a bond. A lot of these players have grown up together, helping each other deal with their disabilities on and off the ice.
“We’ve become such a big family,” said Alan Halbert, president of the CSHA. “It’s a unique family. Seeing how the sport impacts kids socially, physically and mentally, that’s worth more than anything.”
Halbert got involved in sledge hockey when his son Auren, a single-leg amputee, started playing at eight years old back in 2011.
“He was looking for a sport that he could perform at,” Halbert said. “I still have the photos from his first time on the ice. Biggest smile on his face I’ve ever seen.”
Now, at 21, Auren plays for Team Canada.
‘A sense of community’
From playing together and supporting one another for years, the senior team – the aforementioned Calgary Scorpions – prides itself on its unity.
“Everyone is each other’s biggest cheerleader,” Halbert said. “Everybody’s always pushing each other, bringing them up to be the best person they can be.”
And just like any other team sport, sledge hockey teaches valuable lessons.
“It’s helped me gain a sense of community,” said Shane Mott, a member of the Scorpions. “There are a lot of like-minded individuals. I feel like as a group, we’ve had similar experiences.”
Mott is 21 now but took up sledge hockey more than a decade ago.
“I’ve gained a lot more confidence in myself and my abilities, as well as a lot of leadership and teamwork skills,” he said.
Playing sledge hockey in Calgary helped Mott form lifelong bonds. He and one of his best buddies in the whole world, Kale Crisp, have been teammates since they were both kids.
“A lot of my friends, I still play with,” Mott said. “There are quite a few people I’m still in contact with that I grew up playing beside.”
A big tournament coming up
At the end of March, Calgary is hosting the Western Canadian Sledge Hockey Tournament.
The 23-team competition is the biggest of its kind in the region, featuring teams from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and B.C. who will all come to play at WinSport.
The CSHA will send three teams. The Calgary Venom will represent the organization in the junior division, while the Stingers and Scorpions will play in the intermediates.
Last year, the Scorpions won gold in the intermediate “B” division. They went undefeated, finishing the tournament off with a 4-0 shutout victory over the B.C. Sledge Hawks.
“It’s pretty stressful when you’re playing,” Mott said. “But that’s my favourite memory. You’re just elated when it ends.”
So while practice is upbeat and fun, there is still a goal in mind. The Scorpions want to repeat as champions.
The growth of the sport
Since the International Olympic Committee added sledge hockey to the Paralympics, the popularity of the the sport has skyrocketed, both in terms of visibility and enrollment.
With CSHA doing all they can to market themselves to the public, Calgary’s numbers also continue to climb.
“Everyone in Canada loves hockey,” Halbert said. “So we promote as much as we can, and people tend to gravitate towards us when they find out about sledge.
“We have kids from age five to adults up to 65. There’s always a spot for somebody to play.”
The growth of the sport just means the growth of the family that CSHA started.
For anyone out there thinking about taking up the sport, take Mott’s advice:
“Just come out and try it. We’re good at helping out new players and making them feel welcome. You won’t regret it.”
For more information about the CSHA, visit their website.
