Para ice hockey delivers adrenaline rush for those with need for speed

Source : ABC NEWS

Full contact, fast paced, with blades instead of wheels … I’ve experienced a lot as a Paralympian, but para ice hockey is a sport like no other.

Played in a sled set on two narrow skates, propelled forward by double-ended sticks, the sport requires skill, tenacity and a whole lot of balance.

I’ve represented Australia in wheelchair sprinting at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics, and competed internationally in wheelchair rugby.

But as a first timer to para ice hockey, the feeling of gliding across the rink and being able to move my body in a whole new way was truly unique and thrilling.

I immediately felt the appeal of the sport.

Growing wave

Para Ice Hockey in the fastest growing sport in the Winter Paralympics but Australia has never qualified, leaving the door open for a whole cohort of dedicated new players.

Created for athletes with lower limb impairments, there is little difference to its able-bodied counterpart outside of equipment modifications.

Players use two double-ended sticks with a spike end to move across the rink and a blade end for hitting the puck.

WA’s team the Garden Island Pirates, was established in 2017, but interest in the game has rapidly increased in recent years.

“Originally we were a figure skating club but there wasn’t enough demand or desire,” founder of Para Ice Hockey in WA Dan Perrett said.

“There was a number of people in the Western Australian community with a disability who wanted to play ice hockey, so if you can’t beat them join them.”

In a bid to expand the team, the Garden Island Pirates regularly hold ‘come and try’ days to entice new members.

It’s what attracted the now club president Michael Francis to the sport.

More than two years later he’s recently returned from the World Championships in Thailand.

“I had no idea what it was going to be like on the ice,” he said.

“The feeling of freedom for myself being able to just glide on that ice and the speed you can go. 

Cost concerns

Despite the opportunities it provides for athletes living with a disability, the sport faces a barrage of challenges to grow nationally.

The costs and availability of both equipment and facilities are among the biggest barriers.

“Ice rinks are $700 an hour, the guys wear around $2,000 worth of protective gear, plus there’s the sleds and the sticks and they come from Canada, they’re about $1,500,” Mr Perrett said.

“It very much quickly adds up.”

WA only has two ice rinks, neither are purpose built or suitable for international competition.

“You need to have see-through boards and the ability for athletes to skate on and off [the ice] without a ramp,” he said.

Mr Perrett said in an ideal world the club would have sponsorship and funding to meet the increasing demand.

“It’s a daily challenge to see where we can get the opportunities and growth,” he said.

Big dreams

Even with these hurdles the future of the sport in Australia looks promising and although it is not as well-known on local soil as it is in Europe, para ice hockey is gaining traction.

First-time player Ben Chalker said the opportunity to try a sport like this is “huge”.

“There’s not much around and it’s hard to find things for [people with a] disability so being able to come out and do this is really good,” he said.

Player Max Devery said he’s now hooked on the sport, thanks to the “speed and adrenaline that you get when you’re on the ice”.

“I hopes the sport grows, that’s all I want, the sport to grow, get to an [Paralympic] level for Australia,” he said.

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