Miss-Delectable
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http://www.westislandchronicle.com/pages/article.php?noArticle=9129
The inability to hear has never stopped West Island residents Ramesh Arya and Alvin Witcher from attaining any of their goals in sports and life.
Tomorrow, Arya, a 35-year-old Dollard des Ormeaux resident, and Witcher, 31, also a Dollard resident, will head off to Trudeau International Airport to board a plane bound for Calgary. Their purpose will be to participate in this weekend’s sixth Canadian Deaf Ice Hockey Championships as part of Team Quebec. The event, which takes place every four years, features the top deaf and hard-of-hearing pucksters from across the country competing for the right to represent Canada at the 16th Deaflympic Winter Games next February in Salt Lake City. The gold-medal game unfolds late Saturday afternoon.
Arya, born deaf, will play defence. This marks his fifth appearance at the championships, his fourth as a player, although he will only serve as a spare this time ‘round. He will also be an assistant coach. Witcher, a forward, will be making his playing debut, although he was also an assistant coach a few years back with Team Quebec.
“I hope we can stay positive and perhaps win gold,” said Arya, who when not playing is a certified referee in the West Island Hockey Association. He will also be making the calls at the upcoming Mission Cup peewee to midget AAA tournament scheduled for late May at the Sportplexe 4 Glaces in Pierrefonds. “Still, if we win silver or even bronze, that will be fine. I’ll still be proud of my teammates. They have worked hard to prepare for this tournament.”
He might be proud of them, but Arya, part of Quebec bronze-winning teams in 1990 and ‘98 as well as a silver-winning squad in ‘94, knows communication on and off the ice will be vital to any success. In the dressing room, he along with Witcher, will communicate with teammates in sign language. Meanwhile, Team Quebec coaches will use signals behind the bench to instruct players out on the ice. They will tap the ice with a hockey stick, hit the wall behind the bench with a stick, or, in the case of a line change, wave their right arm. Meanwhile, on the ice, a reflection off the glass is usually sufficient for players to find an open man to pass the puck to.
On-ice rules in Calgary will be the same as any other organized tournament. Offsides and icings will be called. Hitting will be allowed, fighting will not. In order for players to know when the game is whistled down, referees will press a button that trigger strobe lights, situated all along the boards.
Because of his age, Arya, who learned his hockey in the Dollard house-league system, has decided against trying to earn a spot on the Canadian team scheduled to compete in next year’s Deaflympic Games. He wants to give younger players a chance. Witcher, on the other hand, will be trying to earn a right to put on a Canadian jersey, which for the first time ever, will be the same as those worn by all Hockey Canada teams.
If you’d like to find out more about the Canadian Deaf Ice Hockey Championships, go to
www.cdihc2006.ca.
The inability to hear has never stopped West Island residents Ramesh Arya and Alvin Witcher from attaining any of their goals in sports and life.
Tomorrow, Arya, a 35-year-old Dollard des Ormeaux resident, and Witcher, 31, also a Dollard resident, will head off to Trudeau International Airport to board a plane bound for Calgary. Their purpose will be to participate in this weekend’s sixth Canadian Deaf Ice Hockey Championships as part of Team Quebec. The event, which takes place every four years, features the top deaf and hard-of-hearing pucksters from across the country competing for the right to represent Canada at the 16th Deaflympic Winter Games next February in Salt Lake City. The gold-medal game unfolds late Saturday afternoon.
Arya, born deaf, will play defence. This marks his fifth appearance at the championships, his fourth as a player, although he will only serve as a spare this time ‘round. He will also be an assistant coach. Witcher, a forward, will be making his playing debut, although he was also an assistant coach a few years back with Team Quebec.
“I hope we can stay positive and perhaps win gold,” said Arya, who when not playing is a certified referee in the West Island Hockey Association. He will also be making the calls at the upcoming Mission Cup peewee to midget AAA tournament scheduled for late May at the Sportplexe 4 Glaces in Pierrefonds. “Still, if we win silver or even bronze, that will be fine. I’ll still be proud of my teammates. They have worked hard to prepare for this tournament.”
He might be proud of them, but Arya, part of Quebec bronze-winning teams in 1990 and ‘98 as well as a silver-winning squad in ‘94, knows communication on and off the ice will be vital to any success. In the dressing room, he along with Witcher, will communicate with teammates in sign language. Meanwhile, Team Quebec coaches will use signals behind the bench to instruct players out on the ice. They will tap the ice with a hockey stick, hit the wall behind the bench with a stick, or, in the case of a line change, wave their right arm. Meanwhile, on the ice, a reflection off the glass is usually sufficient for players to find an open man to pass the puck to.
On-ice rules in Calgary will be the same as any other organized tournament. Offsides and icings will be called. Hitting will be allowed, fighting will not. In order for players to know when the game is whistled down, referees will press a button that trigger strobe lights, situated all along the boards.
Because of his age, Arya, who learned his hockey in the Dollard house-league system, has decided against trying to earn a spot on the Canadian team scheduled to compete in next year’s Deaflympic Games. He wants to give younger players a chance. Witcher, on the other hand, will be trying to earn a right to put on a Canadian jersey, which for the first time ever, will be the same as those worn by all Hockey Canada teams.
If you’d like to find out more about the Canadian Deaf Ice Hockey Championships, go to
www.cdihc2006.ca.