About Us

Ohio Sled Hockey is a 501 (c) (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 (c) (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.