Paralypmic athletes take hits with best of 'em |
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By Katelyn Gendron
Reminder Assistant Editor
WESTFIELD -- The hockey players who will take the ice at Amelia Park Arena this month can take a hit, cross check and cycle the puck with the best of them -- they just do it all on a sled.
Paralympic athletes from the United States and Canadian national teams will take the ice with over 200 adult and junior sled hockey players for the 11th Annual New England Invitational Sled Hockey Tournament April 17 through 19.
"[These] people continue on even though they've been dealt major blows [in life] and turned them into speed bumps," Susan Figy, member of the board of trustees at Amelia Park Arena, said.
"I became a trustee because I loved going to sled hockey -- it's so motivating and [an] entertaining and dynamic sport," she continued. "Whether you watch the kids or adults, they're true athletes."
The Springfield Sliders, comprised of patients from Shriners Hospital, will be the hometown favorite in the junior division. Teams from across North America will also compete in the adult and junior divisions alongside Paralympic athletes from the United States and Canadian national teams.
Figy noted that the San Antonio Rampage, a team of military veterans from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, will also compete this year.
"We are thrilled to be hosting this most inspiring event and bringing the great game of sled hockey to the folks of Western Massachusetts," Albert Ferst, chair of the board of Amelia Park Arena, said. "It's so wonderful to see these athletes of all ages shine."
Carole Appleton, co-coach of the Sliders, said she believes her team could contend for a top spot in the tournament this year.
"They're so determined," she said. "We have cases of [patients with] cerebral palsy [on the team] and they've gone from being pushed [on the sleds] to going on their own and that's such a huge feat for them [physically and emotionally]."
Caryn France, co-coach of the Sliders, also founder of the sled hockey program at Shriners Hospital, explained that tournament success is an added bonus to the athletes' improved physical activity and psychosocial skills.
Tournament play will take place April 17 and 18 from 7 to 11:30 a.m., with championship games on April 19 from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. All games are free and open to the public.
For more information about the 11th Annual New England Invitational Sled Hockey Tournament, visit www.ameliapark.org.
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