Don't think I put this up yet:
The Naitons-Tobin Hockey League has recently begun its wheelchair roller hockey program. We invite other leagues and programs throughout the country to join us in this excellent version of our sport.
Unlike other adaptive sports, we have found wheelchair roller hockey to be exactly the same game as able-bodied, that is you do not need to change or add a number of rules to make the game playable in a wheelchair. It's the same game!
We envision three divisions of the game: Division 1, is for power wheelchairs only. Presently, we are aware of programs in Toronto, Minneapolis, and elsewhere that play this level.
Division 2 would include both power and manual wheelchair players. The Michigan Wheelchair League, based in Detroit, but including players from all over the lower penninsula as well as Ontario, plays a Division 2 level game.
Division 3 would include any type of chair, and able-bodied players (in chairs) would be eligible to play. We have started out our program at the Division 3 level, but within the next 60 days, will expand into the other two divisions as well.
Rink operators who have a smaller rink (60x40 up to 50x120, or so)...wheelchair hockey is another great program that you might want to consider, gaining a bunch of new participants!
League Directors: this relatively new form of the game is going to be included all the way up to the USA Hockey Inline Cup tournament this year...we heartily encourage your League to offer a wheelchair club game each week. We get our 8-12 players together, choose up sides for the game each Wednesday evening, and away we go, goalkeepers, scoreboard, referee, and all.,,a bunch of fun!
You may wish to refer to Barbara Bruce at USA Hockey Inline, 1800-888-4656, or perhaps also to wwww.wchl-michigan.com for information on how this is being done at other programs across the country...please feel free to email me directly with any strat-up or operational questions you might have.
The Flying Purple Roller Mooses wheelchair roller hockey club, from El Paso, Texas, hopes to see you out in the blue floor sometime soon this year!
<font color=purple>DannyG</font color=purple>
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