New sleds on ice

ParaSport P.E.I. has new equipment available to borrow and learn about the sport

Jeel Patel’s recently got on the ice for the first time when he hopped in a sled for his gym class at Colonel Gray High School. Two days later he was showing off a new skill: stopping.

Anyone who has learned to skate knows it’s tricky, and Patel has the basics in two short lessons.

Patel got his chance on ice because ParaSport P.E.I. just got 10 new sleds and they are available to borrow.

Tracy Stevenson is glad the sleds are so popular. She’s the executive director for ParaSport P.E.I., which supports athletes with physical disabilities.

Five of the new sleds are sized for youth 100 pounds and under. ParaSport would love to see a youth sledge hockey league in the future. So on Dec.

9, the Sherwood Parkdale Skating Club is training CanSkate coaches to teach sledge-skating basics.

After his first try on ice, Patel said he’d join a team if he had the opportunity. He might be in luck. The P.E.I. IceBreakers takes players.

“We have an injured list, but pads, hockey pants and neck guard.

Full set costs around $825. we don’t have a disabled list,” said Eric Payne, one of the IceBreakers players.

He only has one leg, but being disabled isn’t a requirement to play sledge hockey. Able-bodied players, women and men are all welcome in the Maritime league.

Cheryl Tanton said it’s easy Jeel Patel is keen to get on the ice again. The soccer player picked up sledge hockey basics quickly during his recent Colonel Gray High School gym class at Simmons Sports Centre. to get the students interested in trying the sleds because it’s new to everyone – there are no experts.

“Well, Eric is the expert,” she said.

“It’s hockey,” said Payne. “For anybody who has the ability to play the stand-up game, you have the ability to take a different look at the same game.”

Tanton said other IceBreakers feel the same.

“Same team aspect, everyone helps out everyone else.”

Interest in sledge hockey is growing on P.E.I. after the World Sledge Hockey Challenge came to Charlottetown in 2008 for the first time. The number of students went from around 200 in 2008 to the thousands in 2009.

The World Sledge Hockey Challenge is coming back to the MacLauchlan Arena from Dec. 3-9 and the Colonel Gray students will be there to watch.