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Sledgehockey: World championship et al.
Sledgehockey. "What's that" you will probably be asking. Since pictures say a lot more then words just have a look at the following image.
It's ice hockey, only in this case some of the people lost control over their legs, feet, or some even lost (part of) their legs. In this picture you can see that quite good. Basically you can say that it's ice hockey for people with a disability. Differences, we use a small sled with one or two blades on the bottom, and a small bucket to sit in. We also use two shorter sticks with small metal picks at the end, that can be used to propel yourself or to control the puck.
As you can also see in the picture it's not necessarily a gentle sport. We tend to be just as rough as normal ice hockey players, only difference is that you will see less body parts flying around since most of them don't have that many to start with. 
This week the world championship in sledgehockey is being played in Ostrava in the Czech Republic. For those interested, you can check out a live stream of the games here. I am expecting to see team Canada take the gold, but actually hoping that the guys from Norway have a good game in the final and might take the first place. It would mix up the game a little if they did.
Two months ago I was playing in the B world championship myself alongside my teammates from the Dutch team. I remember the thrill of standing there and representing your country. It's one of the best things to do, and to me it's one of the greatest sports! I can only encourage you to have a look at a game if you have the chance, and be sure to watch the final game, it should be a lot of fun to watch team Canada playing someone else.
And if you did, please share your thoughts on it. Tell me what you liked or didn't like about the sport. I'm looking forward to the feedback and to hear what you all out there think about "my sport".
Update - 15 May 2009: Who would have thought! Final game will be between team Norway and team USA. This should be interesting!
It's ice hockey, only in this case some of the people lost control over their legs, feet, or some even lost (part of) their legs. In this picture you can see that quite good. Basically you can say that it's ice hockey for people with a disability. Differences, we use a small sled with one or two blades on the bottom, and a small bucket to sit in. We also use two shorter sticks with small metal picks at the end, that can be used to propel yourself or to control the puck.
As you can also see in the picture it's not necessarily a gentle sport. We tend to be just as rough as normal ice hockey players, only difference is that you will see less body parts flying around since most of them don't have that many to start with. This week the world championship in sledgehockey is being played in Ostrava in the Czech Republic. For those interested, you can check out a live stream of the games here. I am expecting to see team Canada take the gold, but actually hoping that the guys from Norway have a good game in the final and might take the first place. It would mix up the game a little if they did.
Two months ago I was playing in the B world championship myself alongside my teammates from the Dutch team. I remember the thrill of standing there and representing your country. It's one of the best things to do, and to me it's one of the greatest sports! I can only encourage you to have a look at a game if you have the chance, and be sure to watch the final game, it should be a lot of fun to watch team Canada playing someone else.
And if you did, please share your thoughts on it. Tell me what you liked or didn't like about the sport. I'm looking forward to the feedback and to hear what you all out there think about "my sport".
Update - 15 May 2009: Who would have thought! Final game will be between team Norway and team USA. This should be interesting!
 05-'09
|
EMC World 2009: Day 0 over, Day 1 starting now |
 05-'09
|
EMC World 2009: Packing my bags |
Comments
A very good article! Good luck with your Dutch team and keep improving! :-)
By
Wapster,
Friday 15 May 2009 02:07
Can you steer the sled with your body or do you have to use the stick for that aswell?
By
Renegade,
Friday 15 May 2009 09:05
@Wapster, It's a combination of both. You can use your "butt" and thighs to guide the sled in to a corner. You can also slam the picks in the ice and use it as a lever to make tight corners, or you can combine the techniques. Usually it depends on the disability someone has.