Sled hockey allows for opportunities Physical challenges don’t stop youth competitors Published: 9/2/14 @ 12:05 By Ryan Buck sports@vindy BOARDMAN Wellsville High junior Michael Reiner possesses everything needed to be an elite athlete. His passion and knowledge got him the job as the student voice of the Tigers’ football and basketball teams for this year. The 17-year-old Reiner has competed in the Ohio wheelchair track championships in Columbus. His drive fulfilled, all he needed now were teammates and his desire to put his physicality to the test. He found just what he was looking for with the sled hockey program at The Ice Zone in Boardman. Reiner, weighing just one pound and 14 ounces, and his twin brother, Mitchell, were born 14 weeks premature. Twelve months into his young life he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a general term for neurological disorders that affect bodily movement and coordination. As Mitchell excelled in every athletic pursuit, Michael, who has grown up walking with assists from forearm crutches, was alerted to the founding of the sled hockey program by Adaptive Sports Program of Ohio founder and director Lisa Followay. Adaptive Sports, founded in Wooster with pursuits across northeast Ohio, first broke into the Youngstown market with sled hockey in January. The non-profit organization’s mission is to bring team sport opportunities to all disabled athletes, regardless of ability level or severity of their disability. The mission is reflected in the sled hockey program’s 13 athletes. “Probably the biggest part of the whole experience is being a teammate and competing in a team sport,” Reiner said. “Where track is all you and it’s so individual and hockey is a team sport. And that’s all because of ASPO.” With The Ice Zone as the setting, the program needed a coach. Enter hockey lifer Adam Chudnofsky, 26, a Michigan transplant who had recently finished at Youngstown State and was managing the facility and coaching other club teams. It was his first time with the adaptive sports pursuit. Just as he had done nearly every day of his life, he made sure his players each properly adjusted their helmets, pulled their jerseys over their shoulder pads and painstakingly laced their skates. Once they strapped into their lightweight aluminum sleds and grabbed each pair of sticks (six to eight one-centimeter metal teeth are attached to the bottom of the handles for propulsion and change of direction), however, he saw a new side to the game. “I learned probably as much from the kids as they learned from me,” Chudnofsky said as the zamboni cleaned the ice after a Sunday afternoon practice. “It’s one of those things. I’ll never forget it. I look forward to it every week. “I’ve always had a passion for hockey. I’ve played for over 20 years at almost every level. “It’s changed my perspective on everything I’ve ever known about hockey. I’m always adapting to this style. The kids don’t move the same and it’s a little bit more difficult. It allows me to adapt as a coach.” He entrusted close friend Chris Johnson, of Hubbard, to assist him. “It renews the passion for hockey to be involved with these kids,” Johnson said. “You learn something new about the game of hockey, but also about the kids.” As Adaptive Sports Ohio continues its mission in Youngstown — the new sled hockey campaign will run through April — Followay is determined to seek foundational support and community support to empower the sled hockey team. Hockey is only the first step as indoor wheelchair track, soccer and basketball are in the works. “We want to make a difference in people’s lives and that’s what we’re trying to do is to get more opportunities in Youngstown,” Followay said. “There’s just not much going on over there for people with disabilities. We want to put an end to that. There’s so much power in what we’re doing. It’s the looks on their faces, the opportunities to compete on teams and the friendships with other individuals with disabilities.” Reiner, meanwhile, has thrived. In April he joined a New Jersey-based team at the U.S. Disabled Hockey Festival in Boston, were he started at goalie. “I really enjoy getting ready for a game and getting psyched up, figuring out who we’re going to play and just trying my hardest,” Reiner said. “That’s what it’s about. I’m just like any other athlete. “In adaptive sports, you have to work just as hard, you have to practice just as much and being able to be from a small town, getting the opportunities to do these kinds of things with these kinds of people is just a great honor and I really appreciate it from them.”
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 10:55:13 +0000
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