Sports Demos & Clinics

Wheelchair Sports Awareness Clinics

Why not try something new, fun and different with your students?

Wheelchair Sports Awareness Clinics are a gym based activity for classroom-sized groups that provide an opportunity for students to:

Try activities in a wheelchair and learn about wheelchair sports and skills
Learn about different types of physical disabilities and how people with disabilities can live an active lifestyle

We are now offering clinics in two different sports:

1. Wheelchair Basketball

Wheelchair Basketball is one of the largest adaptive sports in the world and continues to grow in Canada.

The clinic will include :

A class set of wheelchairs brought to the school
A knowledgeable instructor to lead students through basic wheelchair skills and fun games
Introduction to the basic rules of wheelchair basketball and a short game

2. Para Ice Hockey

Para ice hockey is the Paralympic version of ice hockey. It is played in sledges that have blades on the bottom and two sticks for moving the sledge and the puck.

The clinic will include :

A class set of wheeled sledges and rubber ended sticks for use in a gymnasium
A knowledgeable instructor to lead students through basics of the game, games and drills

Cost

Full Day

$350

Half Day

$200

$0.55/km for out of town travel only

Frequently Asked Questions

1) How many wheelchairs and sledges do you have?

We currently have 21 wheelchairs in our trailer and 19 wheelchair sledges that we can bring to schools

2) How big of groups can you accommodate at one time?

Depending on the amount of time we have, usually groups no more than double the amount of equipment we bring should attend each session. This allows them to do all the activities and to not waste time constantly switching in and out of the equipment. Smaller groups allow for a more enjoyable experience.

3) How long should each session be?

We find that 45-60 minutes is the minimum we require for each group/session to ensure that all participants receive adequate time in the equipment.
With some younger groups where we don’t get to the wheelchair basketball part, 30 minutes can be adequate for them to get an experience in the wheelchair.

4) What is the minimum age that participants should be for the activities?

For Para Ice Hockey, we recommend the participants be around the 9-10 years of age at a minimum. The wheeled sledges do require strength and co-ordination to maneuver and our sledges are also used with adults, so they may be too big for younger participants.
For Wheelchair Basketball, we find that participants as young as 5 years old can have a meaningful experience in the wheelchairs. They may not be able to do the wheelchair basketball part, but can still learn about the wheelchairs and go through our other activities (such as tag and a modified version of wheelchair rugby). We find that around the 9-10 years of age range they are able to better grasp wheelchair basketball and we can add in the basketballs.

5) What does a typical session consist of for wheelchair basketball?

An introduction of who we are and what the purpose of the clinic is
Introduction of the sport wheelchair – what makes it different than a regular wheelchair
Safety and rules of being in the wheelchair
Warm-up activities – usually partner tag or octopus
Rules of wheelchair basketball and what makes it different from stand-up basketball
Everyone gets a ball so they can practice shooting, passing, and dribbling
Play a game of wheelchair basketball with slightly modified rules
Relay races (time permitting)
Wrap up of the clinic and any questions

6) What does a typical session consist of for para ice hockey?

An introduction of who we are and what the purpose of the clinic is
Introduction of the sledge: how is it different than other equipment?
Safety and rules of being in the sledge and how to get in the equipment
Rules of para ice hockey and how it may be different than hockey
Warm-up activities
Play a game of para ice hockey with slightly modified rules
Wrap up of the clinic and any questions

7) What is needed from me to book a session?

School Name and Address
Contact information for person doing the booking
Do you have any students with a disability?
Schedule for the day (you decided how you want to divide the day)
Where to park the trailer and/or unload the wheelchairs (if doing wheelchair basketball)
If multiple days, where to store equipment for the night

8) How much does it cost to book?

We currently charge $200 for a half day and $350 for a full day and $0.55 per km outside Saskatoon and Regina
We consider half a day to be either from start of the school day to lunch or from lunch to the end of the school day. Usually this covers 2 or 3 classes.
This money helps cover our instructor fees and maintenance of our equipment
If funding is an issue, please still contact us and we will see what we can do

9) Can we use the equipment over the lunch hour for a student vs teachers activity?

Absolutely! We strongly encourage this as it is a fun time for the teachers to get a chance in the equipment as they may not during the sessions. We believe everyone should try out the activities to get a better understanding of how difficult and fun they are!

10) Will I be given any other materials to continue to educate my students after the session?

We will try and provide each school we visit with:

Materials for how schools can continue to incorporate parasports into their physical education curriculum
Information about future SWSA Events
Posters with contact information for SWSA
Contact information for sports and how to join
Online resources and any other resources we may feel are helpful

Contacts

Regina and area

reginaclinics@swsa.ca

Saskatoon and Area

clinics@swsa.ca