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Written by: Connor Bizal “Speak or sign?” is a question I never really thought I would be asked while stepping onto the ice for a hockey practice, but recently I was – and it changed my life. I was fortunate enough to participate in the USA Hockey Deaflympics tryouts in Amherst, New York, marking my first time getting involved with this side of hockey. Going into it, I was not entirely sure what to expect, but I came out of the experience with a changed perspective and an appreciation for the existence of these opportunities. On top of that, this was probably the most fun I have ever had playing hockey… Before I dive into our week, let me give you a look into my background with hearing loss. Simply stated, I am half-deaf. I cannot hear out of my left ear and I have not been able to since I was born. Over time, I have racked up 12 surgeries – I think, it is hard to keep track – on my ear and have had to wear a hearing aid since I was 11 years old. How can an ear possibly be operated on 12 times, you may ask? Well, I was born with a hole in my eardrum, which is the main reason for me not being able to hear, so many of my surgeries were an attempt to reconstruct my inner ear and improve my hearing. This included placing a titanium rod in my inner ear that remains there today. Also, there were a few times where I developed a cholesteatoma in my ear, which is similar to a benign tumor and it looks like a pearl (look it up, it is actually kind of cool). As a result, I made many trips to the University of Minnesota to have these procedures done – some taking up to 6 hours to complete – and try to eliminate these issues. Growing up with hearing loss was difficult to deal with most of the time, as I did not have anyone around me going through the same struggles. When I was just starting elementary school, I had to be put into speech therapy, because I had a hard time controlling my volume and talking properly due to my inability to fully hear myself talk. As a kid, I thought it was weird that I had to do it and questioned why nobody else was either. As I got older, there were times where I almost felt like a lab rat in school. Technology was starting to advance as I climbed the school ranks, and it seemed like every year they were throwing a new speaker or sound-enhancing device on my desk to see how it benefited me. I say this in good humor, as I truly was positively impacted by these technologies and it is crazy to see how this area has advanced since then. I was introduced to a hearing aid when I was in 5th grade, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Before I received my actual hearing aid, they gave me a fake one to wear and try to get used to the feeling of having a hearing aid in. Naturally, I picked a bright orange one because I wanted everyone to know and see that I had a hearing aid now. Fortunately and unfortunately, my parents intervened and made me get a neutral color for my real one. Once I hit middle and high school, I thought I was too cool for my hearing aid and I stopped wearing it consistently. I also struggled to wear my hearing aid under my helmet when I played, so I have always taken it off before hopping on the ice. As I got older, I started feeling ashamed of my disability and developed a “why me?” attitude about it. The times after surgeries were especially hard on me, as I would have to miss my sports and had to wear a weird-looking wrap around my head. Plus, part of your balance system is located in your ears, so there were times when it felt like I was relearning how to walk again. In recent years, I began to embrace my condition and accepted it as a part of who I am. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and this has allowed me to be self-deprecating and view my situation in a light manner. If anything, I think dealing with these circumstances on the ice has allowed me to improve my vision and rely on knowing the game better. Being comfortable with who I am and what I have gone through led to me having the chance to partake in this special opportunity… For those who are unfamiliar with the deaf hockey community, here is some background and history. Opportunities for deaf hockey players started to gain momentum back in 1974, when legendary NHLer, Stan Mikita, and a local Chicago businessman teamed up to create the Stan Mikita Hockey School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Alongside this resource is AHIHA (American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association), which is the primary supplier of these opportunities. There are annual schools, camps, festivals, etc. on top of international competitions in the form of the Deaflympics and World Championships. The tryout for the Team USA Deaflympic team is what I attended. Going into it, I honestly was not sure what to expect. I was unsure how the range was going to look in terms of age, playing ability, etc., but it is much better than the common person likely assumes. Players ranged anywhere from 16 to 40 years old, with playing experiences ranging from U16 AAA to Tier III juniors to ACHA to NCAA DIII, etc. The best part about it? On the ice, none of these factors mattered – we were all in the same boat, playing for the same cause. Our tryout format looked like this: for the first 3 days, we had a skate in the morning, then fitness testing, then a skate in the evening. The last 2 days were similar, except we mixed in exhibition games against the University at Buffalo ACHA D1 team. The practices were interesting and took awhile to adjust to, as they had to be tailored for hearing purposes. To start, there were ASL interpreters on the ice at all times, signing everything that was being said by coaches, players, etc. Nicki and Jana were our two interpreters – they were amazing and so fun to talk to. This was necessary, as approximately 20% of the players (by my estimation) were completely deaf and relied on sign language to communicate. I had never learned or used sign language before, so it was cool that I was able to get the basic signs down and could communicate with all of my teammates. Also, drills in practice took longer to get through, as whistles were rarely used (a stick tap would signify the start of a drill). Much of practice relied on visual cues and required us to keep our eyes up at all times. Besides that, everything else was run like a normal practice. During international play, players cannot wear any hearing devices, so, especially for people who have cochlear implants, the game can become completely different. Talking to my teammates that have these, they said that it takes awhile to adjust to playing without them, as they tend to feel dizzy or have motion sickness when they turn their implants off. Also, there are usually strobe lights built into the boards that flash when a whistle has been blown, but we did not have those resources available for the tryouts. Fast forward to our exhibition games, we did really well. We ended up losing 5-7 and 4-7 against UB, but we stuck with them the entire time and did better than anyone thought we were going to. Considering we played a team that has been together for multiple years, is in the prime age for playing hockey, and has full hearing…I would say we did more than fine. Everyone gave their all and we had much to be proud of coming out of the weekend. Regardless of the outcome of the games or anything on the hockey side of things, what I took away the most had to do with the intangible side. The whole week consisted of nothing but positivity and cohesiveness, which is weird to think about considering I did not know a single one of my teammates beforehand. I exited the week with guys that I consider to be my brothers and ones that I genuinely want to stay connected with going forward. There was not an ounce of negativity the entire time and everything was about coming together for our common cause. It did not matter that we were considered different in the eyes of the hockey world because, when we looked each other in the eye, we knew we had gone through and continue to go through similar circumstances. For many, this was their only opportunity to play competitive hockey, and to see my teammates go about everything with passion and make the most of the opportunity was very cool to witness. At each of our team meals, nobody ever sat alone. If there was a table mixed with guys who use sign language and ones that do not, we made it work and it just seemed so natural. When we were performing our fitness testing, it was never silent – we were always cheering each other on and pushing each other to keep going. Needless to say, the camaraderie was unmatched. The joy and sense of belonging I felt with this group of guys is truly hard to describe in full, even as I write this.
I am so grateful that I was able to finally get a taste of how this side of hockey is, and I want to thank everyone that played a key part in this experience. Thank you to Head Coach Joe, General Manager Brad, Assistant Coaches Larry and Tony, Strength Coach Mike, Interpreters Nicki and Jana, Equipment Managers Brian and Rob, AHIHA President Kevin, and everyone else who I was fortunate enough to meet throughout the week. These people play a big part in why these opportunities even exist and you cannot grasp the importance/uniqueness of these opportunities until you see for yourself. The Deaflympics are taking place in Ankara, Turkey in March of 2024. Although my fate is undetermined right now – to be eligible, you have to have a certain decibel of hearing loss and I am waiting for my hearing test to be examined by an audiologist – I will never forget this experience and I am now motivated to stay involved within the deaf hockey community going forward. I highly recommend everyone to check out the opportunities that are present in hockey – not just Deaf Hockey, but also Blind Hockey, Special Hockey, Para Hockey, etc. To learn more about AHIHA or to donate, please visit https://ahiha.org/
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