The new year is almost upon us, which means that people all over the world will be making resolutions and setting goals for 2017. If you are a wheelchair user who is looking to get involved in something new this coming year, here are four winter wheelchair sports that you should definitely look into.
1) Wheelchair Hockey
Wheelchair hockey is an adaptive sport that has leagues available all across the country. You don’t need a certain type of wheelchair, and many leagues provide the necessary equipment for you to play.
If you prefer to be on the ice, you can also try sled hockey, a sport where players use specialized bucket seats fitted with two skate blades and two hockey sticks for movement, passing and shooting.
2) Wheelchair Curling
You may have seen this rather peculiar sport on the Winter Olympics. It’s not widely popular in the United States, but leagues have been popping up all over the place. It is a sport that focuses more on finesse, strategy and teamwork rather than raw strength.
If you are entirely unfamiliar with wheelchair curling, the game is similar to shuffleboard. Players on opposing teams take turn gliding a “curling stone” down the ice towards a target. Once all stones are used up, points are assigned. Whichever team has a stone closest to the target receives a point for every stone that is closer than the opposing teams’ nearest stone. It’s great game that you can learn more about here.
3) Wheelchair Rugby
Also known as murderball, this rough and tough sport is not for the faint of heart. It requires you to invest in a new type of wheelchair, but it’s a great team-based sport that will definitely make you more tough than you ever thought you could be.
It’s a new sport, it has only been around since 1996, but leagues have attracted a lot of participants everywhere.
4) Wheelchair Basketball
One of the oldest wheelchair sports, it was debuted in 1944 and likely played long before then, wheelchair basketball is a great all-around sport for people of all abilities. There are multiple classes within the sport that separate people with different levels of motor loss/amputations, making the sport accessible to a huge range of children and adults.
Ready to try a new sport? Pack up your gear in your wheelchair van and find yourself a league in your area!
What is your favorite sport? Do you children currently play any? Let us know by commenting below!