CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR VERY OWN AILIN!
AS NY SLED PLAYERS CELEBRATE THEIR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE, THEY KNOW THERE'S MORE WORK AHEAD OF THEM TO ACHIEVE THEIR ULTIMATE DREAM
Madison Eberhard remembers the early days in her sled hockey career, the challenging times when she and her teammates had to scratch and claw for hand-me-down uniforms and equipment and settle for any ice time that was available.
Things are never easy when you’re trying to build a program from the ice up, but that’s what the Buffalo native and her teammates were trying to do to advance their cause of creating a U.S. Women’s Sled Hockey Program.
It’s not that there weren’t supporters along the way. The sled hockey community in Western New York, among the most established in the country, was always there to open its doors to girls looking to find their way in the sport. And USA Hockey did what it could to provide resources to help get a women’s sled developmental program off the ice, creating camps and providing high-level coaches to help these passionate players improve their individual and team skills.
And still there were challenges out of their control. There was very little competition outside of North America as other countries were not nearly as committed to supporting women’s hockey, and sled hockey in particular.
Those camps and international competitions were few and far between for aspiring sled players like Eberhard, who wondered what her future in the game looked like.
These and many other thoughts came flooding back as she and her teammates joined the procession that wound through the streets of Dolny Kubin in Slovakia, the host site for the inaugural World Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship. Over the course of a half mile, local fans lined the streets to cheer on the competitors from six teams, including the U.S., Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Norway, and Team World, comprised of players from several nations.
“The opening ceremony was unlike anything we’ve ever been a part of,” Eberhard recalled. “Having all the countries line up and proceed into the town center where they had a concert, vendors, and hundreds of people from town who came out to support the tournament. Being surrounded by all those teams was just amazing because you know the effort they’ve put in to be there.”
Joining Eberhard on the U.S. squad was 21-year-old Ailin Zheng of Queens, who got her start in sled hockey as a 10-year-old when a friend from elementary school introduced her to the sport.
“I came out one weekend, tried the sport, and just fell in love with skating,” Zheng said.
With few girls in the sport, like Eberhard she too found her place competing on co-ed teams. It wasn’t until she heard that there was a program with like-minded females that her hockey dreams took off.
“Being able to play with a group of girls, that’s always not expected, at least in disabled sports because it’s very uncommon to have that big of a population to start a women’s team,” she said. “The fact that I would be able to compete at like the highest level really pushed me to make it one of my goals to make the team.”
Both Zheng and Eberhard have tried other adaptive sports, but nothing compared to sled hockey. Zheng has tried mono skiing, wheelchair pickleball, basketball and tennis. Eberhard has been a competitive rower, the only para-athlete at the West Side Rowing Club where she has helped spur a greater awareness for adaptive sports among the club members and others interested in getting involved. She has even competed in international competitions trying to help the U.S. earn a place in the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Over the years the sled hockey team has played in several smaller international competitions, usually dominating the competition in a similar way as the men’s program has done in recent years.
That international streak of excellence continued in Slovakia as the U.S. women cruised through the competition, surrendering only one goal in four tournament games, a 7-1 decision against Canada in the gold-medal game.
With a packed house cheering on all the teams, the gold-medal ceremony was more of a celebration for the sport and an acknowledgement of all the hard work and long hours these women have put in to bring the sport to where it is today.
“It’s really just thinking about all of those things and stepping outside of yourself and feeling grateful that I have this opportunity to compete at this level,” Eberhard said after the gold medal was placed around her neck. “Hopefully I can expand on it and make it better than what it was when I started in it and give future girls the opportunity to do something like this.”
“It was probably the best game I’ve ever played in, honestly,” Zheng added. “Just the celebration when we were counting down the last few seconds of the third period and just skating as hard as possible to our goalie and celebrating with her, it was amazing. And then lining up and singing the national anthem all together, I don’t even know how to describe it. It was so cool.”
As they basked in the golden glow of the moment with their teammates and support staff, they were barraged by congratulatory texts from family and friends who watched the streamed games back home. At the same time, they know that the hard work is still ahead of them as they look to achieve an even bigger goal of making women’s sled hockey a Paralympic sport.
They know that is no small task. According to Eberhard, the Paralympic charter says that there need to be eight competitive teams from different countries playing by 2027. That’s just to be able to put in a bid to be added to the 2030 program in France. They know that there are challenges well beyond their control.
While USA Hockey has continued to proudly support women’s sled hockey, there are plenty of other countries who do not have the resources or the resolve to expand their programs, especially under such an intense time crunch.
“We’re really grateful for what USA Hockey provides for us to be at this tournament,” Eberhard said. “We know that that’s not the same for these other teams. We talked with Australia who did an on-ice fundraiser where they sat in their sleds and skated for 12 hours overnight to raise money to be there.
“We know the dedication that it takes out of each member of these teams. Just looking around and knowing that made the moment so special because they’re all there on their own dime.”
As the Paralympic countdown clock continues to tick, both women are moving on with their lives outside of the rink. Zheng relocated to Boston after graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in nursing, while Eberhard completed her undergraduate studies at Canisius College and is currently working on her master’s degree.
The gold medals that they proudly display at home serve as a testament to all the hard work and sacrifices they’ve put in along the way, and also a reminder of how far they have to go to achieve not only their dream but the dreams of female sled hockey players around the world.
“Being on this team and being a part of starting it and getting it to where it is, I really want to be there competing in the Paralympics,” Eberhard said. “We’ve come so far, and we’ve gone through so much that I really want to be a part of that team that gets to the Paralympics. That’s the goal for the future.”
Things are never easy when you’re trying to build a program from the ice up, but that’s what the Buffalo native and her teammates were trying to do to advance their cause of creating a U.S. Women’s Sled Hockey Program.
It’s not that there weren’t supporters along the way. The sled hockey community in Western New York, among the most established in the country, was always there to open its doors to girls looking to find their way in the sport. And USA Hockey did what it could to provide resources to help get a women’s sled developmental program off the ice, creating camps and providing high-level coaches to help these passionate players improve their individual and team skills.
And still there were challenges out of their control. There was very little competition outside of North America as other countries were not nearly as committed to supporting women’s hockey, and sled hockey in particular.
Those camps and international competitions were few and far between for aspiring sled players like Eberhard, who wondered what her future in the game looked like.
These and many other thoughts came flooding back as she and her teammates joined the procession that wound through the streets of Dolny Kubin in Slovakia, the host site for the inaugural World Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship. Over the course of a half mile, local fans lined the streets to cheer on the competitors from six teams, including the U.S., Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Norway, and Team World, comprised of players from several nations.
“The opening ceremony was unlike anything we’ve ever been a part of,” Eberhard recalled. “Having all the countries line up and proceed into the town center where they had a concert, vendors, and hundreds of people from town who came out to support the tournament. Being surrounded by all those teams was just amazing because you know the effort they’ve put in to be there.”
Joining Eberhard on the U.S. squad was 21-year-old Ailin Zheng of Queens, who got her start in sled hockey as a 10-year-old when a friend from elementary school introduced her to the sport.
“I came out one weekend, tried the sport, and just fell in love with skating,” Zheng said.
With few girls in the sport, like Eberhard she too found her place competing on co-ed teams. It wasn’t until she heard that there was a program with like-minded females that her hockey dreams took off.
“Being able to play with a group of girls, that’s always not expected, at least in disabled sports because it’s very uncommon to have that big of a population to start a women’s team,” she said. “The fact that I would be able to compete at like the highest level really pushed me to make it one of my goals to make the team.”
Both Zheng and Eberhard have tried other adaptive sports, but nothing compared to sled hockey. Zheng has tried mono skiing, wheelchair pickleball, basketball and tennis. Eberhard has been a competitive rower, the only para-athlete at the West Side Rowing Club where she has helped spur a greater awareness for adaptive sports among the club members and others interested in getting involved. She has even competed in international competitions trying to help the U.S. earn a place in the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Over the years the sled hockey team has played in several smaller international competitions, usually dominating the competition in a similar way as the men’s program has done in recent years.
That international streak of excellence continued in Slovakia as the U.S. women cruised through the competition, surrendering only one goal in four tournament games, a 7-1 decision against Canada in the gold-medal game.
With a packed house cheering on all the teams, the gold-medal ceremony was more of a celebration for the sport and an acknowledgement of all the hard work and long hours these women have put in to bring the sport to where it is today.
“It’s really just thinking about all of those things and stepping outside of yourself and feeling grateful that I have this opportunity to compete at this level,” Eberhard said after the gold medal was placed around her neck. “Hopefully I can expand on it and make it better than what it was when I started in it and give future girls the opportunity to do something like this.”
“It was probably the best game I’ve ever played in, honestly,” Zheng added. “Just the celebration when we were counting down the last few seconds of the third period and just skating as hard as possible to our goalie and celebrating with her, it was amazing. And then lining up and singing the national anthem all together, I don’t even know how to describe it. It was so cool.”
As they basked in the golden glow of the moment with their teammates and support staff, they were barraged by congratulatory texts from family and friends who watched the streamed games back home. At the same time, they know that the hard work is still ahead of them as they look to achieve an even bigger goal of making women’s sled hockey a Paralympic sport.
They know that is no small task. According to Eberhard, the Paralympic charter says that there need to be eight competitive teams from different countries playing by 2027. That’s just to be able to put in a bid to be added to the 2030 program in France. They know that there are challenges well beyond their control.
While USA Hockey has continued to proudly support women’s sled hockey, there are plenty of other countries who do not have the resources or the resolve to expand their programs, especially under such an intense time crunch.
“We’re really grateful for what USA Hockey provides for us to be at this tournament,” Eberhard said. “We know that that’s not the same for these other teams. We talked with Australia who did an on-ice fundraiser where they sat in their sleds and skated for 12 hours overnight to raise money to be there.
“We know the dedication that it takes out of each member of these teams. Just looking around and knowing that made the moment so special because they’re all there on their own dime.”
As the Paralympic countdown clock continues to tick, both women are moving on with their lives outside of the rink. Zheng relocated to Boston after graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in nursing, while Eberhard completed her undergraduate studies at Canisius College and is currently working on her master’s degree.
The gold medals that they proudly display at home serve as a testament to all the hard work and sacrifices they’ve put in along the way, and also a reminder of how far they have to go to achieve not only their dream but the dreams of female sled hockey players around the world.
“Being on this team and being a part of starting it and getting it to where it is, I really want to be there competing in the Paralympics,” Eberhard said. “We’ve come so far, and we’ve gone through so much that I really want to be a part of that team that gets to the Paralympics. That’s the goal for the future.”
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