Friday, June 18, 2010

waiting


waiting, originally uploaded by Vida Morkunas.

I saw two hockey games during the Olympics (men's hockey, women's hockey) but this game... this game... blew me away. Men's sledge hockey, US versus S Korea. What spirit! what force! and what humility. At the end of the game, there was a standing ovation, and not a dry eye in the house. The most spirited competition I had seen during any of the Games.

S Korea vs USA on Saturday March 13. The USA won against the Koreans, but oh did the Koreans ever put up a great defense. Over 85% of US shots were stopped.

Ice Sledge Hockey is the Paralympic version of Ice Hockey and, since its debut on the Paralympic Programme in the Lillehammer 1994 Paralympic Winter Games, it is quickly becoming one of the biggest attractions for spectators. It is fast-paced, highly physical and played by male athletes with a physical disability. Ice Sledge Hockey is practiced by athletes in about ten countries and is managed by the IPC through the International Paralympic Ice Hockey Committee.

It follows the rules of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) with a few modifications. Instead of skates, players use two-blade sledges that allow the puck to pass beneath. They also use hockey sticks modified with a spike-end for pushing and a blade-end for shooting.

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