Sledge hockey is the ultimate prove people wrong sport.
Cochranites Shane Mott and Eric Carvelli are testaments to that.
Catching up with the two junior Calgary Venom players after their 7-3 loss to the Regina Avengers on March 26 during the 12th Annual Western Canada Sledge Hockey Tournament/Matt Cook Memorial Cup at WinSport, it was obvious the boys were having the time of their lives.
“This is my third year playing in the tournament,” 13-year-old Mott said.
“It’s been great, we came close in the game today, and I feel we’ll bounce back. We are just going to go out and play as hard as we can and hopefully win gold.”
Mott suffers from cerebral palsy, but the disability hasn’t stopped him from setting out to achieve whatever he sets his mind to.
“I have watched hockey for ages, and one guy kept coming up and bugging me about playing but I never tried it,” he said. “One time I went to a sledge hockey game and decided to try it out.
“Now, I’ve been with this group of players for three years and have loved the game. This team has a lot of chemistry.”
Does he feel he’s proving people wrong every time he hits the ice?
“A little bit yeah,” he admitted.
“It’s awesome though, because everyone out there is on an equal playing field, which is great. I love it.”
Like Mott, 14-year-old Carvelli also has cerebral palsy, but unlike his teammate he came to sledge hockey in a roundabout way via soccer and hockey.
Due to his disability, Carvelli found it hard learning to skate, so sledge hockey proved an opportunity too good to pass up.
“I’ve been playing hockey for two and a half years, all with this team,” Carvelli said.
“I used to play soccer, and played basketball until I was 15. I’ve always wanted to play, but never thought about it until my mom called me one day, saying she had talked to a sledge hockey coach and wondered if I’d like to try it.
“We talked about it, and I ended up going. It’s just continued from there.”
Despite his love of hockey, Carvelli only plans on continuing in a recreational sense due to his passions in other fields.
“I want to be a cultural anthropologist,” the Grade 9 student said.
“Hopefully I can get my grades up and get into university.
“Originally, I thought about being an archeologist, but walking and being outside for long periods of time really tire me out. Being an anthropologist is much more mellow. I find history and studying cultures fascinating.”
How does he feel about the even playing field that sledge hockey provides?
“It feels great,” he said.
“Everyone here is affected in some way, whether it be a disability, amputation, or family struggles. Sledge hockey for all of us, has become a place where we can go and forget about everything else in our lives and fit in.
“We have a great bunch of kids here, and a lot of them are way more affected than I am.”
