sportsleader

The results of the program for those who have
participated so far are undeniable.
“We have one kid who, this is the first time he’s
been able to participate in any kind of sport,” Duden
said. “His mom said his grades are better, he
has more confidence and it has helped him emotionally.
She is not exaggerating when she says it
has changed his life completely in the short several
months he’s been participating.”
Colton Roorda, 12, of Maurice, has fallen in love
with the sport after trying it at the clinic.
“He loved it,” said Joni Roorda, Colton’s mom.
“You can just push a couple times and you’re just
sliding.”
He also participates in wheelchair basketball in
Omaha, NE. Sled hockey, though, is his favorite.
“There’s just a different aspect to the sport that he
really loves,” Joni said. “When he was younger you
just always wondered what he’d be able to do and
what he could participate in. Now to see him on a
team — it’s just been awesome.”
As a parent, Joni said it is comforting to see
Colton on the ice enjoying the game.
“There aren’t a lot of options for kids who are in
a wheelchair or whatever,” she said. “It’s great to see
him having so much fun and loving being involved
in it. There’s also the team aspect of it and having
other kids participate with him so he can be part of
a team. He asks every weekend if he can get his stick
and helmet. Our free time has been taken over by
sled hockey, which is good.”
Kevin McKee, a member of Team USA’s sled
hockey team, provided instruction at the team’s first
practice. McKee lives in Davenport.
“We had been hearing about him and then I believe
the Minnesota Wild sled hockey coach put Juli
in touch with him,” Horstman said. “It’s a small
world when you’re talking sled hockey. Being he
was from Iowa, we thought it was cool.”
McKee had to compete with Team USA in Canada
for national sled hockey. The he was ready to help.
“We had this ice time and we were like ‘Hey, why
don’t you come and run our first practice,’” Horstman
said. “He thought that was cool. It just all fell
into place within a two-week time period. It kind of
exploded.
“That’s how this whole thing has gone. It’s honestly
gone crazy. We did not expect to be where
we’re at right now for sure.”
Meeting McKee and practicing with him was a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the kids.
“They were pretty amazed,” Horstman said. “I
feel like the Dordt Blades were really impressed too
with his level of ability.”
Competing in the sled is much more difficult
than it appears, according to Horstman.
“I got in a sled over Christmastime and I ran into
walls because I could not turn that thing at all,” she
said. “He was turning on that one little circle — a
full 360.”
A survey from 2009 showed that Disabled Sports
USA participants were twice as likely to be employed
as adults with disabilities.
“If you look at the employment rate of individuals
with physical limitations, the unemployment rate is
just horrible,” Duden said. “But for the ones able to
participate in sports, the employment rate is much,
much higher. It helps give them life skills to succeed
in other areas of life as well.”
So far, so good for Siouxland Adaptive Sports.
Roorda, who is part of one of the four founding
families as well, said the group really hasn’t had a
REPRESENTING HIS SPORT AND NATION Team
USA sled hockey member Kevin McKee attended the first practice of the
Siouxland Adaptive Sports team in Sioux Center. He also gave demonstrations
and helped with instruction that day.
ton of challenges in finding its footing.
“We all work together really well and all have the
same vision and same goal, which is to find things
for our kids to be involved in and to give them a
sense of being a part of something,” Joni said. “I feel
like there weren’t a lot of challenges. It seems like everything
just fell into place. It felt that this was God’s
timing and this is really something we’re supposed
to be doing. God just set everything in place.”