CAREGIVER • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020 • 7
FACING OFF
itself has become more competitive.
“You have people with disabilities competing
and playing who want to know the
rules and the tiebreakers and things like
that,” he said. “That’s the best part of it
is we realize it’s just a hockey game like
any other hockey game and the players
are athletes and it’s not just a ‘let’s go play
hockey because it’s a nice thing to do’ kind
of thing.
“These are athletes who are competing,
and they want to win and play hard and
all the things that go into playing a team
sport.”
For anyone who isn’t familiar with disabled
sports, it’s a fantastic way to come
learn what’s possible and support local
athletes. Humphreys said she tells parents
of special-needs kids all the time that their
children are capable of a lot more than they
might think and that there are so many
SUBMITTED
positives that come along with competing,
socializing, networking and having fun and
playing a game with other people.
“Pittsburgh is a great hockey community,
from the Pittsburgh Penguins on down,”
said Humphreys, adding that the NHL team
and Penguins Foundation has been fantastic
supporters of disabled hockey throughout
the years as well as with this festival.
“To see how they rally around our disabled
athletes and support our disabled
athletes, and not only that but what I love
is how our athletes teach other kids to
respect them with the bond of hockey (is
special). It’s not just, ‘There’s a disabled kid.’It’s ‘There’s my friend who plays sled hockey,
or blind hockey or special hockey.’ The
disability isn’t a part of it, it’s just kids who
play hockey just like them. That’s really
powerful for our community.”