‘Inclusion on Ice’ Invites Everyone To Hit the Rink at Wheeling Park
Derek Redd Trending
The barriers that discourage those with physical and mental disabilities from lacing up their skates will be broken down at the third annual Inclusion on Ice.
Wheelchairs, walkers and sleds will glide across the Wheeling Park Ice Rink on Sunday, Feb. 11 during the free public skating event hosted by the Augusta Levy Learning Center, Easterseals Rehabilitation Center and the Wheeling Nailers.
After having free reign of the ice from noon to 2 p.m., attendees will watch Wheeling Nailers and Wheeling Lightningbirds players battle it out against the Pittsburgh-based Mighty Penguins Sled Hockey. Sled hockey is an adaptive sport in which players sit on a single-bladed sled and use short sticks to propel across the ice and shoot the puck.
"I think watching the game serves as a great opportunity for people to see these athletes doing what they love," said Easter Seals Marketing Director Betsy Bethel McFarland. "It's also great for parents of children with disabilities to see what options their child has for participating in a sport they might not have realized they could do through sled hockey."
Apart from getting to see the players in action on the ice, participants can get to know Nailers and Lightningbirds players off the ice during the new Q&A session taking place after the game.
Attendees will have the opportunity to bond with players on the ice as well. Bethel McFarland described many athletes lending a hand and teaching participants during the open skate. Volunteers from other local groups will also provide assistance, including Boy Scouts members and youth hockey players.
"Seeing relationships be built between players and skaters is a really neat thing," described Bethel McFarland. "The new experience enriches the lives of everyone involved, whether they have a disability or not."
Another new element added to enrich the attendees' experience will be the community resource fair taking place at the same time as the free skate. Community agencies and businesses that serve local children and families, such as the Youth Services System Youth Mentoring Program, will have tables set up providing information, giveaways and activities upstairs at the White Palace.
"The Q&A and community fair sections were added to focus on community outreach," noted Bethel McFarland. "The whole focus of the event is to provide resources for people."
Additional activities inside the White Palace will include a sensory room, photo booth and face painting.
The resource Bethel McFarland believes is the most vital for the event to provide is the opportunity for those with mental and physical disabilities to skate in a welcoming and inclusive environment. She noted that not just people with physical disabilities but children on the autism spectrum and adults with developmental disabilities can take advantage of the event.
"During a typical open skate, wheelchairs and walkers are allowed on the ice, but people aren't going to be as cognisant those might be out there," explained Bethel McFarland. "Some caretakers might be wary of taking someone with disabilities out on the ice during a public skate because it can be difficult to navigate."
The event will be many participants' first time on the ice, added Bethel-McFarland, who hopes that getting to skate in a comfortable, controlled environment will encourage those with disabilities to take advantage of public skating in the future.
One of Bethel McFarland's favorite memories from last year's event was a 6-year-old skater with developmental disabilities being pushed along the ice in a wheelchair with the "biggest smile on her face."
"Ice skating is a neat thing to do," added Bethel McFarland. "All kids should get to glide along the ice and feel that cool wind in their faces."
Augusta Levy Executive Director Angie Wood is thrilled to see more and more children take advantage of the free open skate as attendance at the event increases each year.
"The ALLC is honored and excited to work alongside the Wheeling Nailers and Easterseals Rehabilitation Center to offer a free event to bring the community together and celebrate
inclusion," said Wood. "This is our 3rd anniversary of working together organizing Inclusion in Ice, and each year, we see more families participating, which is wonderful."
Bethel McFarland commended the community who have helped the event thrive over the past three years. She also thanked sponsors who made this year's rendition possible, including the J.B. Chambers Memorial Foundation, Oglebay Foundation, RED Partnership, City of Wheeling, WesBanco, Kalkreuth, Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration, Glessner, Wharton & Andrews Insurance and Blackburn's.