2013 USA Women's Sled National tryouts!

Hello! My name is Daniella and I am an above knee amputee who loves playing sled hockey. Sled hockey is a competitive adapted form of ice hockey in that most players have some sort of physical disability that hinders their ability to play standing up. In 2006, I experienced a motorcycle accident that changed my life forever. I suddenly woke up and realized I would never walk the same again. The years following, I went through just a couple months of physical therapy and intense emotional pain as I was the only surviving passenger of the motorcycle crash. It was not until 2010, that I was introduced to sled hockey. I went to the first practice mostly just to see how anyone with a physical disability could play hockey. When I saw people with different physical disabilities play sled hockey, I felt empowerment and for the first time a sense that my life was not over...that it was just the beginning and it was! Since then, I never got off the ice and have dedicated my life to empowering other people with disabilities to become all they can be through recreation and sports. With the help from the Challenged Athlete's Foundation, I received a grant that paid for a custom made competition sled, special hockey sticks, and hockey gear. In 2012, I had the honor in practicing with and playing for the USA Women's national sled team against the Florida elite Bandits sled team in Brandon, FL. Since then, I've had my eyes set on trying out to become a member of the women's national sled hockey team. With your generous donation, I will travel to Blaine, Minnesota, August 2-4, for the 2013-2014 USA Women's sled hockey team tryouts! In addition, I will be graduating August 5 from Florida International University with my bachelor's degree in Therapeutic Recreation. I have been training and preparing for this next journey to become a member of the USA women's sled team and hope to continue my passion for helping people by being an example to youth and adults with disabilities of what we can do.

Check out the link below to see an awesome interview with the Florida Sled Hockey Association:
http://youtu.be/VQlbY_DI328