Source : ABC NEWS
It was by chance that Kieran Watts first saw the national powerchair hockey team.
The Australian Sliders were training near a sports event he attended, and he was instantly hooked.
“I enjoy everything about it, you know? The competitiveness, being able to get out there and be physically active,” Mr Watts said.
“Also, the relationships that you build with teammates. You make so many friends.”
Kieran Watts is one of the Australian Sliders players competing in Finland in May. (ABC News: Warwick Ford)
Sixteen years later, he will represent Australia with the Sliders in the upcoming 2026 world championships.
The modified sport follows the same principles as hockey, but is played in a motorised wheelchair controlled by a joystick, with a ball instead of a puck.
Powerchair hockey is enjoyed by players who don’t have the mobility to use a manual chair, while those who can’t hold a handheld stick use an attachment instead.
This championship will be Mr Watts’s third, taking place in Finland in May.
Australia will be in the running against Canada and eight European countries, including the host.
Players can either hold their hockey stick, or use one attached to their chair. (ABC News: Timothy Ailwood)
The underdogs have been quietly competing for more than two decades, and proudly placed fourth in the 2004.
But this year, the team’s arsenal has been fully revamped, and they say they are ready to “give it our all”.
“There’s been so much change … we have new coaching staff, new players, new management,” Mr Watts said.
“It’s always special to represent your country but I think with this new energy we have and fresh hope, it’s even more special.“
A clean start
For the Sliders, the stakes have always been higher than for their counterparts.
Their opponents are closer together geographically, so “it’s much easier for them to gather more frequently,” Mr Watts said.
Meanwhile, the Australian team have to fly interstate to train in Western Sydney, and can only do so a handful of times each year.
“When we do get together it’s really special,” Mr Watts said.
“We’ve really stepped up our training and level-of-play to try and be more competitive.”
The Sliders have to travel from around the country with their powerchairs to train together. (ABC News: Timothy Ailwood)
To bridge the gap, the team focuses on individual training; perfecting drills and studying videos while constantly communicating online.
Another “game changer” was nabbing coaches Berrie Hommel and Marcel van den Muysenberg, who have two world medals and decades of combined experience playing for the Netherlands under their belt.
The pair seized the opportunity to train down under, saying Australia was “always like a dream for us”.
The team says the “game changer” additions will help in the competition. (ABC News: Timothy Ailwood)
Mr Hommel said their strategy was to maximise the Sliders’ limited time together through team building, with one more face-to-face session in April.
“We’re on the good path and I think we can make a good thing in Finland,” he said.
“It will be hard but not impossible.”
Berrie Hommel (left) and Marcel van den Muysenberg (right) are coaching the Sliders. (ABC News: Timothy Ailwood)
Also wearing green and gold this time is Alexander Pedersen, who won the last championship with Denmark, and now plays for Australia.
“What they’ve brought to the table has just been such a game changer for us,” Mr Watts said of the team’s additions.
“It’s a whole new way of thinking about powerchair hockey.”
‘Not letting anything be a barrier’
The team has “stepped up” their training. (ABC News: Timothy Ailwood)
Getting to Helsinki will not be an easy feat.
Travelling such a long distance can take a physical toll on players, and there is limited funding for the journey.
The delegation is made up of 26 people — with flights, uniforms, specialised equipment, accommodation and even the powerchairs to compete in racking up more than $55,000 in total, Mr Watts said.
Team manager Rachel Willmer said powerchairs aren’t “considered on the same level as able-bodied” or even manual wheelchair sports.
“People have this misunderstanding that just because someone is in a powerchair that the chair is doing all the work for them … [but] if you watch the game it is really intense. Fitness has to be incredible,” she said.
Rachel Willmer says the Sliders are inspiring the next generation. (ABC News: Timothy Ailwood)
Ms Willmer said the lack of exposure meant potential new fans were “missing out”.
“If people knew more about it [powerchair hockey], they would resonate in their own way as not letting anything be a barrier.
“I think it shows the next generation of people who have a disability that there [are] things they can achieve at that kind of level.“
Despite the challenges, Mr Hommel said the Sliders just wanted to make their country proud.
The Sliders are aiming to place in the top three, but will shoot for gold. (ABC News: Timothy Ailwood)
“They put a lot of time and energy into it [the sport] .. That’s why we also hope we get a medal because then they get something back for it,” he said.
The Sliders are pushing to place in the top three this year but have their hearts set on coming first.
“We’re going to give it our very best, and if everything goes our way — who knows? Maybe we will come home with a gold,” Mr Watts said.
“It’s the beginning of a new chapter, and we’re going there to show the world Australia can be the real deal.”
