About Us

Ohio Sled Hockey is a 501 © (3) not for profit orga­ni­za­tion. One hun­dred per­cent of the dol­lars raised for our annual oper­at­ing bud­get goes directly to the pro­gram and its par­tic­i­pants. Monies raised are used for equip­ment, schol­ar­ships for par­tic­i­pat­ing ath­letes, travel, and ice time.

Our pro­gram is the only com­pet­i­tive junior team sport pro­vid­ing league and tour­na­ment play for kids with phys­i­cal dis­abil­i­ties in Columbus, Ohio and quite pos­si­bly the state. Kids with phys­i­cal dis­abil­i­ties are minori­ties within the already minor­ity pop­u­la­tion of kids with dis­abil­i­ties. Children with spina bifida, paral­y­sis, cere­bral palsy, and mus­cu­lar dys­tro­phy are typ­i­cal of those served by this sport. Kids with phys­i­cal dis­abil­i­ties are the most under­served pop­u­la­tion in sport pro­gram­ming today.

We pro­foundly thank our spon­sors for their grasp of this over­looked need in our com­mu­nity and their unwaiver­ing sup­port since our incep­tion in 2001.

MORE ABOUT US INFO

The Ohio Sled Hockey Initiative,
launched in 2001 with an NHLPA Goals and Dreams grant, was the vision of The Adaptive Adventure Sports Coalition (TAASC) board mem­bers Steve Ricker, Jim Munson and grant writer, Sharon Robb. The ini­tial grant was for the sole pur­pose of equip­ment pur­chases: includ­ing sleds of all sizes, hockey hel­mets, and sets of pro­tec­tive gear. With the appro­pri­ate equip­ment in hand, TAASC set about train­ing vol­un­teers to work with par­tic­i­pants of all ages and dis­abil­i­ties, incor­po­rat­ing an adap­tive skat­ing pro­gram into the mix. Unique col­lab­o­ra­tions grew between Chiller Ice Rinks, TAASC, and even­tu­ally, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Kevin Dineen.

In 2004, TAASC and Ohio Sled Hockey agreed that due to the com­pet­i­tive nature of the pro­gram, it no longer fit the TAASC mis­sion. The pro­gram incor­po­rated that year, and became its own 501 © (3) non-profit. Today, Ohio Sled Hockey is a 100% vol­un­teer orga­ni­za­tion ded­i­cated to the growth of sled hockey in Ohio and through­out the U.S., with junior pro­grams in both Columbus and Cleveland.

MISSION STATEMENT

• To estab­lish and expand the sport of sled hockey for junior ath­letes with phys­i­cal dis­abil­i­ties through­out Ohio.
• To change exist­ing per­cep­tions of the ath­lete with dis­abil­i­ties in the Ohio com­mu­nity and beyond.
• To pro­duce an envi­ron­ment where oppor­tu­ni­ties and qual­i­ties cre­ated and learned within the sport, includ­ing the devel­op­ment of self-esteem, team work, prac­tice and on ice suc­cesses, can be trans­ferred to suc­cesses within the daily life of the ath­lete with a disability.