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Paralympian at helm of Bradford sledge hockey program

Team Canada gold medalist Brad Bowden hopes more people of all ages and abilities will join the sledge hockey program at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Leisure Centre

It’s not every local sports program that is lucky enough to have a gold medalist as a coach.

Bradford West Gwillimbury’s sledge hockey program, a partnership between the town's leisure services and the non-profit All Sports All People organization, has been lucky enough to snag Brad Bowden, Paralympian and Team Canada member as its coach.

Sledge hockey is pretty much identical to regular ice hockey – but players sit on specially-adapted metal sleds mounted on skate blades, and propel themselves with picks, instead of standing and skating around the rink.

It’s a fast-paced contact sport that makes hockey accessible to anyone, disabled or able-bodied. In fact, it’s impossible to tell which players are disabled, during a game, which is one reason why Bowden was attracted to the sport.

Growing up in a small town near Fergus, north of Guelph, Bowden was the only kid at his school in a wheelchair.

It was in 1997 he was introduced to sledge hockey.

“I grew up in the boonies. The only way I found out about things like this was by my grandmother hunting them down,” said Bowden.

At first, he wasn’t interested in playing “accessible” sports.

“Nothing about disabled sports was interesting to me,” he said. “I just wanted to play with my buddies.”

Wheelchair basketball was actually the gateway sport that introduced Bowden to other disabled athletes.

“I learned, hey – everybody’s just like me,” Bowden said. “It changed my mindset. I learned to judge everybody by what they say and do, not by their disability.”

By the time he was 16, Bowden was playing sledge hockey with Team Canada, headed towards the Paralympics.

In 2004, he was a player on the gold medal-winning wheelchair basketball team in Athens. In 2006, he was a member of Team Canada’s sledge hockey team that won gold in Torino – where Bowden scored the winning goal.

The sledge hockey squad placed fourth in Vancouver in 2010, when Bowden won MVP. It got bronze in Sochi in 2014, and, last year, silver in South Korea.

For the past five years, Bowden has also been working with All Sports All People to bring accessible sports to local communities. It may be “overkill” to have Paralympic gold medallists running the programs, Bowden acknowledged, but he believes in the value of the approach and the activities.

“I believe in what we’re doing - seeing the impact on people’s lives, sharing those experiences with the families,” Bowden said.

“Obviously, these programs are great for kids that have physical and cognitive disabilities,” he added – but also for the able-bodied. Sledge hockey and wheelchair basketball are just as fast-paced and demanding as any other sport and can be played by anybody.

“I just get a kick out of seeing families get on the ice together, sharing with their kids something that they couldn’t before,” Bowden said. “There is something about being on a sheet of ice that’s therapeutic.”

Every Tuesday, from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., Bowden gets together with players aged 15 and older at the BWG Leisure Centre’s Green Rink to play sledge hockey. 

For beginners, the biggest challenge is to “get the hang of turning and stopping. It takes a lot of time to get it right,” Bowden said. “For someone at my level, it’s going from top speed, to stop, to back to top speed… It’s a workout!”

Right now, player numbers are down, but the Town of BWG “has been generous with ice time, even with the small numbers,” Bowden said.

He said he would like to see at least seven or eight players come out for each session - both those with physical or cognitive disabilities, and their friends and family members - so that they can “do some drills, play some games,” and build the sport in BWG.

Sledges are provided. Players just have to bring their own CSA-approved hockey helmets and gloves, and sign up at bwgleisurecentre.ca (Bar Code 8911), or call 905-775-7529. The six-week program started on Jan. 15, but weekly drop-in rates are available.

“It’s about getting kids out and involved, and introducing them to new sports that they can get passionate about,” said Bowden.

As passionate as he is himself. “You’ve got to get people on the ice to realize it’s fun,” he said.


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Miriam King

About the Author: Miriam King

Miriam King is a journalist and photographer with Bradford Today, covering news and events in Bradford West Gwillimbury and Innisfil.
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