‘I wanted to play, too’: Lachine Curling Club adapts facility for children with limited mobility

The Lachine Curling Club has adapted its facility to allow children who use wheelchairs to play the sport.

It may be the most Canadian sport ever, but for nine-year-old Charley Barsanti it’s an activity she had to watch from the sidelines because of her wheelchair.

“My mom, my dad and brother play since I was two-and-a-half years old,” explained Charley. “I wanted to play, too”

But then her parents thought, what if she could find an accessible curling club willing to take her on along with other children living with disabilities.

“When we came here talking to other members, they’re like, ‘We can get her on the ice here,’” says Charley’s mother, Jennifer Kokesh.

The Lachine Curling Club was more than happy to adapt its facilities and welcome the new players.

“We were thinking about the locker room to make sure that they’re accessible to them. And then, of course, getting onto the ice and the bathrooms,” said Laurie Chambers of the Lachine Curling Club.

Chambers was sensible to the ideas, being an occupational therapist by trade. She says the initiative is being done at no cost to the parents for the time being.

These beginners are finding out that the sport is more complex than it looks.

The adults take care of the brooms, while the children practise sliding the rock in the direction of the rings, commonly called the house.

The sense of pride and achievement is what matters for them.

The parents and the club admit they’re off to a slow start. But they want more parents to sign up in order to keep this pilot program viable for the future.

“We’re expanding what we need to do first before we can expand the program,” Chambers said.

For the children, however, it’s all about discovering a new activity where their limited mobility is no longer an obstacle.