The Central Alberta Bullseye invited cowboys to take a break from rodeo action to take in a blind hockey game.
Visually impaired hockey players from around the province competed in an annual game at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games on Saturday, which was the second-last day of the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Red Deer.
“We do this game every year – this year it lined up with the CFR, so we asked some of the cowboys to come out here and let them play,” said Blake Schneider, a player with the Central Alberta Bullseye.
Schneider said it’s fun to share the ice with fellow visually impaired players from outside of Central Alberta.
“It means a lot to have people come out from around Alberta. Just in Red Deer we have a few players, but it’s not the same as a good five-on-five hockey game,” he said.
“We all sort of know each other. We have tournaments in Toronto and all over Canada we go to. We’ve seen each other before and it’s nice to see each other again. We have the same passion.”
Schneider has retinitis pigmentosa, which results in him having no night or peripheral vision. Learning of the Central Alberta Bullseye hockey team was exciting, he noted.
“I played hockey as a kid for a long time, but had to stop because of sight loss. I took brail classes in high school and my teacher mentioned blind hockey – I was interested right away,” he said.
Cory Gaskins was his team’s goaltender in Saturday’s matchup.
“Being able to play hockey and being surrounded by fellow individuals who understand what we’re going through is an amazing feeling,” Gaskins said.
“The social aspect, getting on the ice for exercise – it’s all amazing.”
Gaskins learned of blind hockey through a friend at the Canadian National Institute of the Blind. He’s now in his fifth season with the Central Alberta Bullseye. He started as a skater, but became a goaltender after his second season.
“I always wanted to be a goalie, but never had a chance to play in my youth because of my vision loss. This gave me my chance,” said Gaskins.
Gaskins has Stargardt Disease, which is genetic and degenerative. He said he is able to count his fingers from a foot away, but anything beyond that is too far to see clearly.
More information on the Central Alberta Bullseye Blind Hockey can be found on the team’s Facebook page.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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