This ain’t your little sister’s snow day.
The game is sled hockey and it’s played by athletes with disabilities all over the world.
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On Long Island, the unique sport gets a little more original. (Why are we not surprised?) While other sled hockey teams consist only of players who are physically challenged, the Long Island Rough Riders team includes mentally challenged athletes as well.
RoughRiders President Bryan Blomquist started coaching sled hockey 15 years ago, when his son Brett, who has Down’s syndrome, wanted to play hockey. Since then, practice has become a family affair. Parents and athletes raise money to fund players’ trips and equipment. None of the coaches are paid, although they spend hours on the team each week, and many have been doing so for over a decade.
The team has 29 members of all different ages and ability levels. Players find ways to work together and support each other despite their differences, and compete all over the East Coast and Canada.
This weekend, they are playing in Ottawa at the Sledge Hockey of Eastern Ontario Invitational, which they won in 2007.
