Ice Sports

 

Some of the disabilities that participate in this sport are:

 

• Amputees
• Dwarf
• Hearing Impairment
• Learning Disabilities
• Cerebral Palsy
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Spina bifida
• Full use of their upper limbs
• A disability affecting all four limbs
• Limited mobility in their lower limbs
• Visual Impairment

 

There are several sports, which take place on the ice. The disabilities that can take part in these activities vary between the sports.

 

Wheelchair Curling

The aim of the game is to slide a stone down a sheet of ice towards a target (the house) and to get as close to the centre of the target as possible. Each team will do its best to prevent the other from achieving this aim by placing a stone in the way or by knocking their opponent's stone out of the target area. At the start of a competition every team is comprised of four players, each player playing two stones alternately with his/her opponent. Where five players are registered these five players have equal standing and may be used at any time. All teams must be composed of mixed gender. Sweeping the ice in front of the stone is not a part of the wheelchair game.

 

Wheelchair Curling is open to make and female athletes who are only able to walk short distances or not at all.

 

Ice Skating

Ice skating can be done by people who are ambulant or who can make use and propel a sledge Hockey sledge.

 

Recently Heather Mills -single below knee amputee appeared on Dancing on Ice on ITV.

 

Sledge Hockey

The Paralympic equivalent of Ice Hockey, as its name suggests, is played using two blade sledges which allow the puck to pass underneath the sledge. They are propelled by sticks with a spike in the one end and a blade in the other end for shooting.

 

The sport is played by athletes with a physical disability in the lower half of their body. There is no classification system as such but the minimum disability ruling applies i.e. that the athlete has a permanent disability that prevents him from skating on his feet. There is no current competition for women.

 

Rules are similar to Ice Hockey with the aim of the game being to propel a puck into the opponent's goal. There are six players on ice at any given time (including the net minder). It is played over three, 15 minute stop-time periods.

 

 

For more information on ice sports select one of the links below:

 

Wheelchair Curling

 

 

Winter Sports

 

Sledge Hockey