Rink

s sled hockey and other disabled skating events continue to grow in popularity, many rinks are faced with challenges in accommodating their disabled athletes. Fortunately, many rinks are beginning to implement features that will accommodate disabled users. If you are planning a new rink, or thinking about renovating a skating facility, accommodating disabled skaters should be a priority. J.J. O'Connor, the chair of USA Disabled Hockey since 2002, is familiar with the challenges that disabled skaters encounter in ice rinks. USA Disabled Hockey programs encompass divisions including special-needs, amputee, hearing- impaired and sled hockey. All of these groups may require special situations in facilities and it is up to the rink industry to make sure they are accommodated. Beyond general ADA building accessibility issues such as stairs, doors, and bathrooms that could be encountered in any type of building, disabled skaters — and particularly sled hockey players — face major challenges in ice rinks that have not been designed or retrofit for sled hockey. In many rinks, locker rooms are the first problem. In most rinks, a sled hockey player cannot access the ice from the locker room on their sled. Sometimes there are stairs between the lockers and the ice, or locker rooms are too far from the ice. This forces the players to dress in the locker room and then get into their sled either next to or on the ice. There are also problems with accessing showers and restroom facilities in locker rooms. On the ice, the problems increase even more. Player gates are generally too small, and thresholds too high, for players to get onto the ice while in their sleds. This forces players to have to get in their sleds on the ice surface. If a player does not have use of their legs, getting onto the ice safely can be difficult. O'Connor has seen players dropped, and parents fall on the ice, while trying to get the player to their sled. High thresholds also have a tendency to destroy blades as the sleds are going over them. High thresholds and lack of access to bench areas greatly affects game play as well. Without proper access to the bench areas, teams are forced to improvise and use the ice in front of the benches and penalty box for the bench areas, which obviously cuts into the playable surface of the ice and interrupting the flow of the game. As ice facility operators, we should all look for ways to accommodate disabled players. So, what features can we design into new construction, and how can we retrofit existing facilities for sled hockey? O'Connor tipped me off to the Leafs Ice Centre, in Dundee, Ill., as being one of the best sled-accessible facilities he has seen. General Manager Brian Niemiec made an effort to incorporate as many sled-friendly features as he could in his new three-and- a-half sheet facility. All bleachers and mezzanine areas are wheelchair-accessible by elevators or wheelchair lifts, and all rink entrances and player gates are wide enough to accommodate sleds. The main entrance of the facility is equipped with oversized automatic doors, public restrooms are spacious, lobby furniture and the patio with its commercial grill are designed for handicapped use, and the handicapped parking is right in front of the main entrance. The Leafs Ice Centre's North Rink also has an additional set of players' benches with wide doors, low thresholds, synthetic ice flooring, and clear dasher facings so players can remain involved while off the ice. To aid accessibility from the locker rooms to the ice, the staff will lay down additional synthetic flooring from the locker rooms to the ice whenever there is a sled hockey event. For the finale, the studio sheet was designed to accommodate supervised public wheelchair skating sessions. With some research, planning and innovation, Niemiec has completed rink issues ■ Retro-fitting for Disabled Skaters 40 R INK MAGAZ INE November/December 2007 JON PISTEY Clear plexiglass in the bench area allow players to watch the game. by JON PISTEY A Fit For All

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