On February 12, 2023, Choate Ice Hockey held its first sled hockey fundraiser game in over three years against the Gaylord Adaptive Sports Program. The event was organized by Girls’ Varsity Ice Hockey captains Cadence Secreto ’23 and Sophia Rodham ’23.
Choate competed against Wolfpack, the Gaylord Sports Association’s sled hockey team. One of the 15 sports teams managed by the Gaylord Sports Association, the group is part of Wallingford’s Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, a rehabilitation-oriented, non-profit health system that also serves the local disability community.
For many players on the Choate team, this was their first time playing sled hockey, which is a variation of ice hockey where athletes sit on specially designed sleds and use two short sticks to hit the puck and propel themselves. “It was tough at first,” said Rodham, “I think [for] 90% of the people, it’s just tipping over and trying to figure out how to push themselves back up. After a while, we started wanting to figure it out.”
Reflecting on the experience, Ms. Laura DiCarlo, Head Coach of the Girls’ Varsity Ice Hockey team and Associate in the Teaching & Learning Center (TLC), shared, “It was a learning experience to see how difficult it is and to be in their natural environment on the ice but to feel like they’re learning a whole new game.”
