The joystick powered chairs used to play Volt Hockey have special adaptations for players, which could include extra padding or head rests. The joystick can also be placed on either side of the chair. (Clayton Yates, CMRU.ca)
Volt Hockey is an adaptation of the sport of hockey that allows individuals with disabilities to play. The sport is open to everyone to play, regardless of their ability.
Volt Hockey Coordinator Jacey Gamroth has been involved in adaptive sports for 10 years. She admires the inclusiveness of Volt Hockey as opposed to other sports that often exclude people with disabilities.
“The thing that really drew me to Volt Hockey was that it’s a really universal sport in that everybody can play,” Jacey Gamroth said. “It’s such a great community and I’m so honoured to be apart of this great community.”
The rules of the sport are very similar to hockey
The rules of Volt Hockey are:
- Two teams of three players play against each other.
- It is played with a ball instead of a puck.
- There are goalies but they can move in and out of the net.
- Everyone plays in low-to-the-ground power chairs.
- A goal is scored when one team shoots the ball into the opposing team’s net.
- The team with the most goals at the end wins.
Volt players use specially adapted powered chairs
The powered chairs that each participant uses in Volt Hockey is controlled by a joystick and has a blade on the front, which is like a hockey stick and is used to hit the ball. There may be some adaptations to the powered chairs depending on the individual that is operating the chair. The adaptations can include head rests, different kinds of padding, and the controller can be placed on either side of the chair. Ultimately, each participant is on a level playing field in the game, as the chairs all go the same speed.
Volt Hockey is new to Alberta
Volt Hockey originated in the Scandinavian countries and was only brought over to Alberta two-and-a-half years ago. The most recent World Cup for Volt Hockey was held in Sweden in September and featured two teams from Alberta. Volt Hockey operates out of the Vecova Recreation Centre in Calgary every Saturday.
My reflection on doing this story
Doing this story on Volt Hockey was valuable for me because it helped me become more aware of some of the other activities in Calgary that give opportunities to those that are often excluded from sport. I hope that this story also creates more awareness of the many activities in Calgary that there are for people to participate in, as well as the alternative options that exist for people that cannot participate in other sports. I though that it was also interesting to see the effect that Volt Hockey has, reflected in the expressions of each of the kids that play the game and to see how much fun they had playing this sport.
It was also great to see that the Volt Hockey program is ran by people that truly care about teaching people how to play the sport, as well as make it fun for the people that are playing. Volt Hockey Coordinator Jacey Gamroth was very easy to deal with and helped me set up this story. It was very evident from when I was filming this story that she is very passionate about this program and does a great job of teaching the kids that play the sport.
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