Callie Morris, a University of Lethbridge student chases after the puck as Jason Allonby and Natasha Ruele get into play.
As some of us prepare for the colder weather in the coming months we begin to get excited for lacing up the skates and playing hockey outside. Some people in the community use another option when the cold weather hits.
The Lethbridge Sledge Hockey Club is ready to get back on the ice for another season. Members find therapy by playing the sport they love with a mix of disabilities stemming from accidents or health conditions.
“After my car accident and getting my disability I didn’t want to do anything. I was afraid to do anything. But I don’t need to use my legs at all so it’s freeing,” said club president Jason Allonby.
He is fine after being struck by a car while on a utility vehicle back in 2009. This lead to a nerve being cut in his left leg leaving him paralyzed from the knee down on that side.
Allonby wasn’t able to finish grade 12 and was a tough challenge for him to get where he is today, but found that being on the ice gives him a positive outlook.
“It’s only been the last couple years that I’ve actually set goals and right now sledge hockey is everything. It’s what I focus 24 hours of my time on,” said Allonby who doesn’t let his accident hold him down.
The same applies for Jeff Gauthier who suffered a stroke years ago and found being active is a release for him.
“What I found with sledge hockey was a place where I can do what’s there and get better and I’m finding I get better as I go,” said Gauthier who says his stroke was tough to adjust to as he lived an active lifestyle before.
After being limited to his wheelchair Gauthier did not make it out of the house often due to the amount of time it took to get places.
“We’re very isolated and that’s the biggest thing for me and I get out there. It’s so good for your mental health to have other people who are doing the same thing and have the same likes. There’s so much to it that’s therapeutic not just physical,” said Gauthier who looks forward to being on the ice every other week.
Natasha Reule has lived her whole life with spina bifida making it difficult to walk, but hard work and determination led her to sledge hockey.
“I have a younger brother and I was never able to walk and then my brother learned how to walk, so all of a sudden I was about two or three-years-old and my parents heard noises from upstairs and here I am learning to walk by myself,” said Reule who continues to break stereotypes and excel on the ice.
There is a big outreach to gain more members in Lethbridge to keep the league running.
“There’s interest but a lot of people think it’s a stigma saying well it’s for disabled people,” said Allonby who hopes to sign more members up able bodied or not.
“You guys got to come, it’s fun and it will release all that frustration out of you,” added Reule who enjoys competing with new people who come out.
The club meets every other Tuesday at Nicholas Sheran Rink, they supply the sleds and sticks for members. They also offer drop-ins for people who want to try it without paying the whole registration fee.
