Sledge hockey can be for everyone
Inspired by their son Curtis, who lives with cerebral palsy, Gina and Stephen Deveaux helped to organize the first sledge hockey team in Glace Bay.
Under the umbrella of the Glace Bay Minor Hockey Association, the sledge hockey team practices weekly at the Miners Forum. This is the second year for the youth sledge hockey program which follows the success of an adult program which began in Sydney 11 years ago.
“Glace Bay minor hockey helped us buy the sledges and we were given some donations,” explained Stephen Deveaux. “COVID makes it hard. You couldn’t promote it and you couldn’t bring other teams into the forum to play against us.”
Tournaments have been halted by the pandemic, but they are hoping, with a new recruitment of players, to have competitions in the future.
“We have eight players that show up regularly. We are one of the first teams that started a program in the province. Since we started, they have one now in Halifax and one in
the (Annapolis) Valley.”
It is their intent to get an interprovincial league going, but first they need to recruit new players.
“People don’t know what sledge hockey is all about,” Gina Deveaux said. “They don’t know about the fun involved.”
Having a sledge hockey team in town provides opportunity for children from all walks of life, whether ablebodied or not. Sledge hockey is not just for disabled athletes but should be considered an alternative to stand-up hockey. Sledge hockey is for everyone interested in playing especially if you can’t skate.
Sledge hockey attracts players from stand-up hockey programs who decide they want to try out the sledge.
Curtis Deveaux said one of the highlights of sledge hockey is that it gives him, as a disabled athlete, a place to play competitive sports. He is an avid swimmer, golfer and skier, but they are all individual sports. Sledge hockey gives him a chance to play a team sport.
“It’s a sport where kids of all abilities and disabilities can play,” said Gina Deveaux. “We just need to get the word out.”
Stephen Deveaux added, “I would love to have an under13 hockey team that goes and plays against another under13 hockey team somewhere else.”
The youth team accepts those between the ages of four and 18. The adult team includes players of all ages, abilities and sizes.
“We have all kinds of players who are unbelievable hockey players,” Stephen Deveaux added. “It’s a game that everybody can play and everybody can compete.”
Stephen, Gina and Curtis all coach para ice hockey in Glace Bay.
Participants do not have to be from Glace Bay to play. They accept players from anywhere on the island and already have a player who drives up from Arichat in Richmond County.
“There is just so many kids that can benefit from sledge hockey,” Gina Deveaux said. “Whether it’s someone like Curtis, who couldn’t skate because of his disability, or that some kids just don’t like skating.”
Any child who wants to try sledge hockey can register for free. Registration for beginners in their first year is covered by the Glace Bay Minor Hockey Association.
“The biggest thing I learned about coaching a sledge hockey team is that players are players,” said Stephen Deveaux. “It doesn’t matter if you are male, female, able body or have a disability. Once they get in a sledge, they are all players.”
The reward for him is seeing the look of excitement on the kids’ faces when they have finally found something that they can do well and have fun. Being part of a team helps youth develop social skills as they have fun from the locker room to the rink.
“Try it once. I can almost guarantee that you will be hooked,” said Curtis Deveaux.
If you would like to take Curtis up on his words, you can get in touch with coach Stephen Deveaux by phone at 902-577-3493.