Disabled veterans learn sled hockey, curling skills

People handed out pads and helmets before directing the veterans to the ice rink, where they sat down and strapped into sleds.

With two short hockey sticks in each hand, players pushed themselves across the ice, some hitting pucks, sometimes passing them beneath their sleds, others discovering creative ways to right themselves after tipping over.

The National Sports Center for the Disabled and AT&T hosted a free Veteran's Day Ability Clinic at Centennial's Family Sports Center on Friday, teaching about 25 veterans how to play sled hockey and to curl as Veteran's Day, the Winter Olympics (Feb. 9-25) and the Paralympics (March 8-18) draw near.

People wearing jackets, sweaters and a U.S. Air Force Academy hoodie slid alongside members of the Warrior Avs Sled Hockey Team, the Avalanche's veteran-only sled hockey team.

Four members of the Avalanche's adult sled hockey team will be playing for Team USA at the Paralympics.

"It's very important," said Glen Carter, a Warrior Avs player who is sitting out this season due to a back injury. "I tell people I play hockey and the first thing I get is a funny look from them."

Carter is an amputee. He was born with valley fever, which moved to his knee when he was in his mid-40s.

After 13 surgeries, he said, "enough is enough."

"I don't look at it as a disability," Carter said. "No, it's a different ability. I look at mine as a gift."

His amputation led him to sled hockey, which requires all players on a team to have a lower leg injury, with a few exceptions. Carter had never played hockey before. But less than a year after his amputation, he was playing for the Warrior Avs. A back injury prevented Carter from enlisting but his family is steeped in the military, with relatives fighting in wars from World War I to Desert Storm.

He said joining the team was life-changing and provided a source of camaraderie, describing his teammates as family and "people who get it." Another team member noted how beneficial it is to have something to get people out of the house.

After the sled hockey scrimmage wrapped up, the crew left the rink for instructions on how to curl.

Heading back on the ice, some people used the hack, which is similar to a runner's starting blocks, to push themselves forward on the ice and release the stone. Others stood or sat in wheelchairs and used a stick, rather than a broom, to push the stone forward.

Both sled hockey and curling have been growing in popularity among all segments of the disabled community, including veterans, NSCD CEO Kim Easton said. But it's not just those sports.

"As a veteran, we're used to always being physically fit and active," said Jonathan Lujan, a Marine and 2014 Paralympic alpine skier. "Once we lose that, it kind of takes that part of us away."

But that physically fit nature of veterans attracts them to sports. And the mental toughness of the military prepares them to compete, especially on an elite level.

Word of mouth and events like Friday's help raise awareness of Paralympic sports, Lujan said.

"Look at all the participants we have out here," Lujan said. "I don't think we expected this many."

The event was also a celebration of a $20,000 donation from AT&T that will help NSCD nearly double the number of veterans the organization can accept for its 2018 Paralympic Experience in January that runs through five sports at the YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch.

Danika Worthington: dworthington@ denverpost.com, 303-954-1337 or @dani_worth