Game performance in ice sledge hockey:  an exploratory examination into type of disability and anthropometric parameters.
OBJECTIVE
To compare first disability and anthropometric variables and second disability and game efficiency measures.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study.


METHODS
Winter Paralympic Games in Vancouver (2010).


METHODS
A sample of 54 (age, 30.85 ± 7.99 y) of the 114 elite ice sledge hockey athletes participated in this study. To be included in the analysis, an athlete had to participate for a minimum of 45 minutes in total and in a minimum of 2 games during the tournament.


METHODS
Athletes were categorized according to type of disability into 4 groups: group 1 (double amputee above and below the knee), group 2 (single amputee above and below the knee), group 3 (spinal cord injury), and group 4 (other physical disabilities, including phocomelia, cerebral palsy, sclerosis multiplex, and lower limb paresis, and players with minimal disability). Before the tournament, athletes completed a Personal Questionnaire Form. Data including anthropometric measurements (seated position and range of arms) and length of the sledge were also collected.


METHODS
All 20 scheduled games were videotaped using 3 video cameras. The games were analyzed after the tournament by 5 observers. All observations were recorded using the Game Efficiency Sheet for Ice Sledge Hockey developed by the authors. Fourteen game parameters were included for analysis.


RESULTS
The instrument was developed specifically for this project's exploratory analysis. Interobserver and intraobserver reliability were established by statistical analysis (r > 0.93 and r > 0.95, respectively). Significant differences between disability groups were found for training frequency (F3,50 = 4.73, P = 0.006), height (F3,50 = 12.54, P = 0.001), and sledge length (F3,50 = 12.35, P = 0.001). The results of the Tukey honestly significant difference post hoc analyses revealed significant differences between groups 1 and 4 (P = 0.026), 2 and 4 (P = 0.007), and 3 and 4 (P = 0.013) for training frequency. There were also significant differences between groups 1 and 2 (P < 0.001), 1 and 4 (P < 0.001), and 2 and 4 (P = 0.021) for body height. In sledge length, significant differences were observed between groups 1 and 2 (P < 0.001), 1 and 3 (P < 0.001), 1 and 4 (P = 0.016), and 2 and 4 (P = 0.028). There was no strong evidence to support disability group differences in game efficiency measures.


CONCLUSIONS
The results may confirm the lack of a need for additional classification in sledge hockey beyond minimum eligibility or may enhance the argument that a classification system may be needed because the lower functioning disabilities are not being represented in the sport.
Faculty of Rehabilitation, Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland. bartosz.molik@awf.edu.pl
Bartosz
B
Molik
Natalia
N
Morgulec-Adamowicz
Andrzej
A
Kosmol
Abu B
AB
Yilla
Alicja
A
Filipkowska
Mateusz
M
Lewandowski
Justyna
J
Pijanowska
Katarzyna
K
Słyk
Tomasz
T
Zubala
Sylwester
S
Flis
Roman
R
Herink
D000328:Adult; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D000886:Anthropometry; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D001827:Body Height; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000145:classification*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006688:Hockey / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014741:Video Recording; D055815:Young Adult