BRIGHTON, Mich. – Life is better with a team.
“Just being included in everything, being able to do all the things that you know everybody else can do,” Katrina DiMassa agreed.
DiMassa is a lifelong hockey player and mother to Caleb, a child with special learning needs.
For kids with physical and mental challenges, the Hockey Challenge Camp in Brighton is a four-day, formative experience.
“Programs like this are really great because it brings the community together and helps buddies participate with folks with disabilities,” Dr. Sarah Dunkel-Jackson said. “Everyone can have a chance.”
Dunkel-Jackson launched the adaptive sports camp five years ago with 20 kids.
By this summer, the Michigan State University researcher and professor had expanded the program to multiple sports and sessions, serving the needs of nearly 100 athletes.
“Being part of the team just allows you to have that sense of belonging,” Dunkel-Jackson said.
Belonging is a battle Cindy Kohli watches her son, Jamison, fight daily.
“Once they leave high school, they’re kind of on their own,” Kohli observed. “When he’s in a program like Hockey Challenge Camp, he has buddies who are ‘typical’ peers who are high-fiving him and giving him confidence and building his morale. That’s huge for him.”
Kohli equated Jamison’s high school experience to that of a “rock star.” Skating recaptures the fulfillment missing from his social life.
“He feels good about himself. He wants to do things. He’ll want to help with things. It’s amazing, “Kohli gestured, “like he goes from here to here and it’s great.”
Using Dunkel-Jackson’s background and research in behavioral analysis and human development, each skater has their own individualized game plan.
“We connect with families ahead,” Dunkel-Jackson said. “[We ask] what works in school, what works in therapy, what works in the community, to really help this kiddo be successful? Kids who might not have ever had the thought of skating, let’s put them in a sled and give them some sticks and picks to go and enjoy.”
Hockey Challenge Camp captured the attention of the National Hockey League, grabbing the spotlight during the Stanley Cup Final and earning Dunkel-Jackson the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award, which included a $25,000 donation to the Arc Livingston to cover equipment costs for the camps.
“We saw it on the Stanley Cup game, and then my mom saw it on Facebook,” camp buddy Connor Ottmar said. “Everyone is learning different. You want to try and teach everyone how to play, because everyone’s smiling just having fun.”
This camp is not a skills clinic; it’s a connection point.
“I just love playing hockey,” DiMassa said. “To be able to see one of my kids play hockey is amazing.
“(Caleb) is the first one in the car ready to go. My other two kids choose to skip their sports to come watch their brother because they don’t get to do it very often.”
As families leave the Biggby Ice Cube with smiles, it’s proof to Dunkel-Jackson that the camp is accomplishing its goal, fostering inclusion and demonstrating that hockey is for everyone.
“I mean, sports do change people’s lives,” Dunkel-Jackson reflected. “You should get to be a part of something like that.”