Madison Ice Arena has become an unofficial hub for sled hockey in the Midwest

Too often, Andrea Chaffee, the business and marketing director for Madison Ice Inc., hears about people with disabilities being told they can’t participate. In contrast, Madison Ice Arena offers programs that allow everyone to participate, regardless of mobility.

Madison Ice Arena first offered an adaptive learn-to-skate class in 2008. Since then, the arena has gone through changes to allow for more adaptive opportunities, including a $1.2 million renovation in 2016 to make the arena ADA-compliant, which included redoing youth locker rooms, the lobby, public bathrooms and the parking lot to add more accessible spaces.

Madison Ice Arena hosts three accessible hockey teams: two sled teams for people with physical disabilities — Wisconsin Skeeters for youth and Wisconsin Sting for adults — and one special hockey team, the Timberwolves, for youth or adults with cognitive disabilities.

“It gives [people with disabilities] an opportunity to be part of a team, which can help them build self-esteem, confidence and creates friendships,” Chaffee says. “It’s about inclusion, not being excluded because of your cognitive or physical disability. We don’t want to leave any kid or adult behind.”

Photo by Romulo Ueda

Because of the renovations to Madison Ice Arena, it is now an official training site for the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team and an unofficial hub for sled hockey in the Midwest. The national team held training and tryouts for the 2022 Paralympic Games at the arena in October. The arena also hosts an annual hockey festival in October with teams from across the Midwest — Chaffee says its the only festival like it in the state.

Luke Russell, who plays on the Sting, says the program has had a huge positive impact on him. He has played sports, specifically wheelchair basketball, since he was 6 or 7 years old. Despite spending a lot of time at ice rinks with four of his five siblings playing hockey, he didn’t hear about sled hockey until middle school.

Photo by Romulo Ueda

“It’s a good way to make friends with other people that have disabilities and shared experiences, and it’s obviously a good way to stay in shape,” Russell says.

Russell says that while the Skeeters, the youth team, has plenty of players, the Sting has recently struggled to field a full team eligible to play at tournaments. He says cost can be a huge factor in signing up for a sled hockey team — sled costs alone can range from $750 to $4,000 or more — but that Madison Ice Arena has sleds and equipment for people to use for free.

Photo by Romulo Ueda

“[The sled hockey program] is especially important for some people with disabilities that sometimes can feel alienated or alone, that feel like not many people can connect with them,” Russell says. “Nobody here is alone in their struggles.”

Read about more adaptive sports in the Madison area here.