ANTIGONISH, N.S. - It was a first-time event organizers are hoping not only gets repeated on campus, but across the province.
St. F.X. human kinetics students put on the X-Sledge Hockey Tournament, March 14, at the Keating Centre’s main rink.
The event provided an opportunity for local players involved – or just getting involved - in sledge-hockey, now being referred to as para hockey, a chance to play in fun, competitive games.
The para hockey players were joined by local advanced novice hockey players, with all using sleds. The ice was broken into two sections and the university students served as referees, coaches and in whatever capacity was needed, to make sure everyone in attendance had a chance to fully participate and, most importantly, have fun.
“We’re trying to bridge the gap between the university and community here today,” Brent Ashfield, one of the student organizers, said, adding the focus is on “inclusivity.”
“It’s inclusive because it has been designed based on the least restrictive environments for each player,” he said.
Ashfield noted the two-hour event was broken into the first hour being the competitive games and the second for the “recreation side.”
“For players who are just learning to play the sport as well as others, with more severe disabilities, because this is their least restrictive environment,” he said, of the second hour.
He noted the event is part of a lab he and his fellow students on working on.
“Working on it, analyzing it in our post-impact, reflecting on it and, hopefully, replicating it next year,” he said.
“The goal is to have this happening across Nova Scotia so, ideally, others would take a model similar to this and then apply it to their location.”
Fellow organizer Abby McInnis said the day was going “really well.”
“First time we’ve put it on so we were a little worried, but it looks like everyone is having a ton of fun, so we’re happy,” she said. “As long as everyone had the chance to play and have fun, that’s what we want.”
McInnis talked about building the event for future years by inviting more para hockey players to the tournament.
“Other para hockey programs and, maybe, they can do this in their hometowns too,” she said.
McInnis paid tribute to her fellow human kinetic students who, with great energy and spirit, busily moved around the ice and off of it, providing whatever assistance was needed.
“Having the class was extremely helpful because it took a small army to put this day on,” she said.
St. F.X. athletic mascots Captain X and Super Xavia added to the fun environment of the event and Daniel Bond was named most valuable player for the novice sledge hockey game.
The tournament was supported by; Motor Activities with St. F.X., St. F.X. X-Women’s hockey program, the recreation departments with the Town of Antigonish and the Municipality of the County of Antigonish, Antigonish Minor Hockey Association and Tim Hortons.
