It’s a cold day in February as a pair of athletes prepare for a photo shoot inside the Center Ice Sports Complex in Jackson. The two are part of a trio of area residents hoping the event serves as a preview of things to come. The three men are hoping the photo shoot is a first step towards bringing a sled hockey team for disabled athletes to the area this fall.
Brian Brately of Green, Jacob Baker of Hartville and Patrick Brennan of Ashland have played sled hockey for years on other teams outside the area. They are well aware of the impact being involved in it can have on participants.
“It means a lot to have an outlet like this,” Baker said. “I started playing the sport when I was in the sixth grade and it helped me a lot with my confidence. I love sports and there were not a lot of opportunities for me to compete. This really helped me fill that urge. It’s also led to me meeting a lot of lifelong friends. When I got married, half of my wedding party was made up of people I had met through sled hockey.”
It’s a feeling that the three men are hoping to bring to others in the community by giving them a chance to compete in sled hockey.
“It helps you with your feelings of independence,” Brennan said. “When you are on the ice, you are no longer defined by what you can’t do. It becomes about what you can do. I feel it’s just as competitive and fun as any other sport you can play. I know for me it’s given me a real opportunity to express myself, and the community is very close knit.”
The opportunity to compete is just part of why the three friends enjoy sled hockey and what led them to creating this team.
“It gives you a really strong support system.” Brately said. “It gives you an opportunity to make new friends. You can’t overlook the social aspect of a sport like this. It’s something that can be a struggle for people with a disability that are unable to participate in other sports.”
Enter the Canton Tuskies. It is the organization formed by the three friends. They are hoping to bring sled hockey to the Center Ice Sports Complex beginning this fall.
“It’s been an interesting process as far as starting a team from scratch,” Brately said. “There are a lot of factors that you have to take under consideration. You have to pay for ice time, equipment, travel and tournament entry fees. The financial aspect of starting the team was the thing that was hardest to get a grasp on at first.”
Center Ice has been particularly helpful in working with the group to start the team….
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