REGINA – The First Steps Wellness Centre held its 3rd annual Funspiel Saturday, with more than 30 teams from across the province turning out to play the classic game with a twist.
“The rules are pretty much the same as regular curling but everyone’s got to throw from a chair,” said participant Jessica Frotten.
Every player uses a throwing stick to shoot the rocks across the ice and into the house.
“It puts everyone on the same level playing field,” explained the executive director for First Steps Wellness Centre, Owen Carlson.
The Wheel Chair Curling Funspiel is held every year by the First Steps Wellness Centre in hopes of raising funds for spinal cord injury therapy and rehabilitation, which helps people like Frotten.
She was paralyzed in a car crash in 2009 and upon hearing about the Regina program, relocated to Saskatchewan from her home in Yukon.
“When I was hurt and went through traditional rehab, I really wanted something more than that, and I found First Steps and moved out here to participate in the program,” she added. “It’s an amazing program and it completely changed my life.”
Organizers are dubbing the event the largest one-day wheel chair curling game in the world and said they continue to see it grow each year.
Carlson said the game gives everyone, with or without a disability, a chance to play one of Canada’s most loved past times regardless of their skill set.
“Just cause you’re in a wheel chair doesn’t mean your life stops right? So they want to participate and show the community that they’re still around.”
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