Mighty Penguins, paralympians teach Haine elementary students
CRANBERRY TWP — “The unifying power of sport” has been a recurring theme at Seneca Valley School District events.
With the Paralympics beginning later this week in Italy, the spirit of unity and inclusion was on display Tuesday, March 3, when students learned how those who face disabilities still compete at the highest levels of organized athletics.
“I don’t know what the exact statistic is, but a lot of people end up having a disability at some point in their life,” said Jeff Hantz, a Paralympian who competed in the 2004 Athens games. “If and when that happens to you, there’s still a lot that you can do.”
At Haine Elementary School, first-through sixth-grade students had the opportunity to learn about adaptive athletics and how sports like sled hockey, bocce, and track and field events provide an avenue for children and adults with physical and mental disabilities to compete. Groups of 40 to 50 students participated in presentations and activities in interactive learning stations focused on inclusion within athletics.
“We’re trying to make a curricular connection. These kids have just seen the Olympics on the TV. We’ve had various events in our classroom around this and with the Paralympics coming up, it’s good that they can see everybody of all abilities can participate in sports,” said Ashley Salman, a physical education teacher.
In one gym, students used scooters to simulate what playing sled hockey is like. As opposed to skating on ice, it’s all upper body strength to move yourself.
In another, Hantz taught students how to throw shot put.
“Everybody just watched the Olympic games and the Paralympics start on Friday and they’re going to be on TV, too,” Hantz said. “It’s nice to be able to let the students know that there are people right here in Cranberry that have done that sort of thing.”
Tyler Mesisca, a district health and physical education teacher and assistant coach for Seneca Valley’s varsity hockey team, taught elementary students how to play sled hockey alongside Mitchell Everly, a Seneca Valley freshman who currently plays for the Mighty Penguins.
The Mighty Penguins are a sled hockey program based in Pittsburgh. The program has had much success over the years, including seeing its own players go on to win gold medals at the Paralympics. The team travels around the country for tournaments, recently playing in places like Ohio, Indiana and Canada. The farthest they’ve traveled this year is Dallas, Texas, Everly said.
Everly said when he was about 5 years old his teammate’s dad helped introduce him to sled hockey. Since then, he’s played on a competitive team competing for championships.
“Winning with your teammates and how fast paced the game is, it’s exhilarating. I’ve been able to build a brotherhood with my teammates. Some of my best friends I’ve met playing sled hockey,” Everly said.
Last year, Seneca Valley’s varsity hockey team got the chance to play a friendly sled hockey match up against the Mighty Penguins. Mesisca said the match up was an exhausting challenge for the players and that “they kicked our butts.”
“It’s great to recognize that sports are for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you have a physical disability, a mental disability, anybody can play. There’s so much opportunity for kids, whatever it is out there for them,” Mesisca said. “Whether they’ve seen it on TV or heard about it, I think it’s really cool to get to see it live in person and meet some of these athletes. It’s a nice connection.”
Seneca Valley’s hockey team won its quarterfinal playoff game Monday night. On Tuesday, players were taking time out of their school day to volunteer with the elementary students and help teach them about adaptive athletics alongside Everly and Hantz.
“It’s really important for people to see this. Some people don’t even know what it is. They may not think of sports like this, but it’s a fast-paced game. People may think we’re not as athletic, but this is a really hard game to play. It takes a lot of effort.”
