Continuing on the trend of highlighting students who participate in different sports and activities outside of school, we decided to sit down with Christopher McCaleb, a junior here at Dee-Mack High School. Eight years ago, after getting bored of baseball and deciding that he wanted to try something different and new, Chris started playing sled hockey. He has been playing ever since and is on a very successful team, the Thunder.
Chris trains in Pekin and has practices every Sunday. On top of the practices, the team also does a lot of weight training in order to strengthen their team so that they can perform better. The team often travels for their games and tournaments. His team recently got first place in a tournament in Canada and also won a tournament just last weekend in Chicago. He shared that a big part of why he enjoys being on the team is because, not only does he get to travel, but he also gets to travel with his closest friends. Getting to play his favorite game with his best friends is such a fun opportunity, especially because he gets to build on important skills like teamwork and perseverance.
Beyond simply having fun with his friends, being a part of a sled hockey team also gives him an opportunity to play a really fun game. Sled hockey is very similar to typical hockey, but is also quite different logistically. The basis of the game, three periods and shooting a puck into goal, is the same. The biggest difference stems from the fact that instead of skating on the ice, the players are on sleds. Because of this difference, it is a lot easier to get injured during sled hockey. Having your legs out can make it easier to get a broken bone, being closer to the ground can make it easier to get a concussion, and if you get pushed into the side wall, you go into a wall instead of the glass. Because of this increased chance of injury, there are a couple more rules and penalties to keep the players safe.
Chris encourages anyone to give sled hockey a shot (haha shot, get it?!). He said that there are many different levels of sled hockey, so you can choose whether you’d like to just casually try out the sport, or get into a competitive experience. When asked about how he hopes to continue his experience with sled hockey after high school, he said that many colleges have sled hockey teams so, if he decides he wants to, he could continue to play in college. We are all so proud of Chris and his success with sled hockey and he also serves as a reminder that there is a world bigger than our small town; go out and try something new!
