On the 8th June 2013 the ultimate team sport is coming to Basingstoke ice arena, giving everyone the chance to experience one of the fastest, most exciting team sports in the world. Between 5:30pm and 9:30pm anyone can come along to watch the exciting sport of Sledge Hockey for free as the Battle Back Bison, Cardiff Devils and Coventry Honey Badgers play in the first round of the Planet Ice British Sledge Hockey league.
Sledge Hockey is a variant of ice hockey and can be played on and off ice, using sledges to allow participants to move about the rink at high speeds hitting a puck travelling at speeds of up to 100kph. Players sit in adapted sledges, propelling themselves with sticks adapted to allow propulsion in a manner similar to skiing. As players are strapped to a sledge everybody has the same restrictions, regardless of whether or not the player has a disability.
There is no classification points system dictating who can be involved in play within Sledge Hockey (simply an eligibility classification for Paralympic events) unlike other team sports such as wheelchair basketball, rugby and sitting volleyball.
Equipment is exactly the same as for ice or inline hockey with the exception of the sledge and an additional stick. Sledge Hockey is a full contact sport and the rules are the same as those for ice hockey with a small number of additional rules to allow for the difference in equipment.
Players will be hoping to bring themselves to the attention of GB Head Coach, Andy Linton, so that they can earn a place on the GB team hoping to secure a qualification place for the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games.
