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Suzanne Wamp first came to sled hockey practice in 2017 to watch her husband, Stephen Wamp, play. The adaptive team allows Stephen Wamp, who has spina bifida, to play the sport. She didn’t expect to be asked to come out on the ice. After just one practice, she fell in love.

“I couldn’t stop smiling and talking about it for hours after,” Suzanne Wamp said. “It got us hooked.”

Suzanne and Stephen Wamp have been playing for the team ever since. The Central New York Flyers sled hockey team is an adaptive recreational hockey team, mostly for players with disabilities as an accessible alternative to ice hockey. The team is a part of CNY Adaptive Sports, a local nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities participate in athletic activities.

In sled hockey, players sit in specially designed sleds with two hockey skate blades on the bottom, and they propel themselves with two sticks instead of one. Other than these differences, sled hockey games follow the same fundamental rules and scoring guidelines as ice hockey, and the game feels very similar to ice hockey, said Erik Ryan, vice president of CNY Adaptive Sports and a defensive player for CNY Flyers.

“How we get around is certainly different, but it’s played the same way,” Ryan said.

The CNY Flyers don’t play in an organized league. Instead, they practice for an hour each Sunday and participate in various weekend tournaments throughout their October to March season. Rochester and Syracuse-based players team up for these tournaments to play against squads from places like Albany, Massachusetts and Vermont.

The ice is an equal playing field, since the hockey sleds remove differences between players’ physical abilities, Suzanne Wamp said. The co-ed team includes a mix of children, teens and adults, with some players as young as six years old.

“We may all get into the sled differently, but once we are strapped in, we are all equal,” Suzanne Wamp said.

Joe Zhao | Design Editor

Central New York Flyers athletes taking the field early to warm up before a game. Players from Rochester and Syracuse teamed up for tournament games to play against squads from places like Albany, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Practice is often a family affair. Multiple father-son duos play on the team, with some fathers who don’t have disabilities playing alongside their children who do. Garth Werner, a visiting instructor at SUNY ESF and assistant coach for the CNY Flyers, began coaching after his son, who has a physical disability, joined almost seven years ago. He’s played stand-up hockey his whole life. Coaching the team has taught him about the adaptive sport and allowed him to watch his son grow and progress.

“Having a physical disability doesn’t mean you can’t do stuff,” Werner said. “We have players of different levels of disabilities, but within that group, they are all on a sled on the ice. And they can all do things that none of their coaches can do.”

Sled hockey isn’t only for players with disabilities. While tournament rules differ — some require a player with disabilities to play goalie or limit the amount of players without disabilities allowed on the ice at once — the CNY Flyers usually play with a mix of athletes both with and without disabilities. The sport’s adaptive nature helps athletes without disabilities as much as it does for those with physical disabilities.

Joe Zhao | Design Editor

The Central New York Flyers is an adaptive sled hockey team and part of CNY Adaptive Sports, a registered nonprofit that helps people with disabilities participate in athletics. The CNY Flyers participate in various weekend tournaments throughout their October to March season.

For the team’s manager, Jamie Favata, years of competitive volleyball caused damage to his knees. Sled hockey allows him to continue doing fairly intense cardio and play alongside his son without further injuring his body, Werner said.

Suzanne Wamp, who plays forward, developed balance issues outside of playing. Sled hockey’s accessible nature allowed her to continue playing.

Sled hockey is still physically demanding. Without the use of their legs, players’ core and upper thigh muscles are more engaged as they use their arms to move across the ice, Werner said.

Especially for those who have only played ice hockey, the sport is a different kind of workout and can take some getting used to.

“When you’re starting out, it’s tough to move, to handle the sticks,” Suzanne Wamp said. “But once you get the hang of it, it’s fun and also challenging.”

Competition in the recreational league is fierce. Tournaments are fun, but stakes are high as teams compete for their chance at a medal. Before and after games, though, the sidelines are filled with hugs and cheers from players who consider their competitors as friends, Suzanne Wamp said.

“I take things very seriously,” Ryan said. “I always want to win every game. And if we’re not winning 10 to nothing, I’m not happy.”

Joe Zhao | Design Editor

Central New York Flyers sled hockey team players have formed a tight-knit community. The majority of the team stayed together in a wheelchair-accessible condo for their Lake Placid tournament a few weeks ago.

The players have formed a tight-knit community. The majority of the team stayed together in a wheelchair-accessible condo for their Lake Placid tournament a few weeks ago. Time together off the ice has built camaraderie that strengthens connections during the game, Werner said.

Suzanne Wamp still remembers the joy of her first goal and the genuine excitement from her teammates who gave her hugs, high fives and fist bumps when she got off the ice. The coach even saved the game’s puck for her to memorialize it. She said the moment made her feel like a real part of the team and reinforced the team’s feeling of family.

“We help each other out and bring each other up when we’re down,” Suzanne Wamp said. “We have a real friendship with people on our team.”

Stephen Wamp, the team’s goalie, said having a community of friends who also have physical disabilities is important and has had a positive impact on his identity.

“When I grew up, I really wanted to be considered normal,” he said. “I’ve met this group of people who are mostly disabled and I realized I missed out on meeting them a long time ago.”

Adaptive sled hockey allows people with physical disabilities to remain active and enjoy the same participation in competition and sport. This benefits the mental and physical health of players, Werner said.

Especially for the younger players in wheelchairs on the team, they may not have other chances for accessible physical sport, Stephen Wamp said. Adaptive sled hockey teams, like CNY Flyers, allow them to have the same opportunities as other kids, Ryan said.

“If someone is in a wheelchair but doesn’t do any physical activity, that’s going to cause more problems,” Werner said. “Getting out, being active improves your overall health. It’s good for you.”

Ryan said he doesn’t want the team to be patronized. In fact, he hates the use of the word “inspirational” to describe actions of the disabled community. Adaptive sports are nothing extraordinary, he said, but instead simply a group of athletes playing the game they love.

“There’s always been this stigma around adaptive sports,” Ryan said. “I just want to break those boundaries. I’m just a guy who wakes up every day like everybody else and is a big sports fan and wants to go out and compete and do well.”

Published on February 13, 2025 at 2:22 am

Contact Eliana: ehrosen@syr.edu