Coaches offer sledge hockey clinic to U of A

The University of Alberta is a worldwide leader in promoting adaptive sports and physical activity.

That expertise was brought to the University of Alberta last week when local sledge hockey coaches Kyle Thompson and Ross Norton spent the afternoon in Clare Drake arena with students who wanted to learn the sport. The session has been offered once before in the past and will likely be offered in future semesters as well.

The two-hour session ran players through drills and were even taught how to hit. The session ended with a skirmish at the end, where players applied their new skills. The idea of offering adapted sport sessions through Campus and Community Recreation is to give students from all faculties the opportunity to participate. Otherwise, only students from PERLS would be able to try the sports through their classes, Norton said.

Norton is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist for Team Canada in wheelchair basketball and now coaches the Women’s U25 National Wheelchair Basketball Team. Norton also participates and coaches other adapted sports and said that it’s beneficial to try different sports as they work with different muscle groups.

“I love that there were four people (on Friday) who came out and tried the sport who have never tried hockey,” Norton said.

Player development in sledge happens in more areas than performance. Individuals who stick with the sport improve their communication and physical literacy. Sledge hockey helps people become well-rounded adults, Norton said.

Understanding the adapted sport gives the individual a greater appreciation for the sport as a whole. Disabled persons also receive the benefit of learning about their disabilities or injuries with others of similar backgrounds, Norton said.

Kyle Thompson, who graduated from the University of Alberta in 2010 and currently coaches Edmonton’s women’s sledge hockey team, assisted with Friday’s session. Thompson is an avid member of the athletic community, playing as many adapted sports for as much time possible.

“Two hours of free ice time?” Thompson said. “Sure, count me in.”

Thompson has played sledge hockey on Team Alberta, and is currently playing for Edmonton’s senior league. Edmonton is one of the best cities for sledge — numerous leagues allow players of varying experience levels to find a team that really fits their needs, which in turn strengthens the national teams. The National Women’s even has three players from Edmonton on its roster. For those who have never tried it before, Thompson’s advice is simply to not be scared and try it out.

“It’s a lot more fun than you’d think,” he said.

What’s fun about sledge hockey is the lower intimidation factor than the high-pressure stand-up game. Even the risk of falling is lower in sledge, as players can only fall a few inches. Sledge also has numerous skill sets that are applied on ice, allowing for diversity in players. Most of all, both able-bodied and disabled people can play with the same level of ability, Ross Norton said.

“It’s always great to have people that can compete in the same sport, able-bodied and with disabled” Norton said.