New sled hockey player grateful for new doors the sport has opened

When Mefi Barrera, 56, first got into his sled, a whole new world of possibilities opened up for him. “I never thought I would be here,” he said. “It was that feeling that the impossible was possible. There I was, on my own.”

Photo provided by Mefi Barrera

The 2024-2025 season was Barrera’s first season with Belle Tire Sled Hockey. He discovered sled hockey through a “Try Sled Hockey” event his friend in handcycling had told him about.

“It wasn’t something that I was looking for, it kind of came to me,” said Barrera. 

Before joining sled hockey, Barrera had done other adaptive sports like wakeboarding, tennis, kayaking, and skiing. But many of them were too far away. After playing tennis in Grand Rapids, MI, a couple years later, he realized that other opportunities closer to home must have existed. 

But for Barrera, sled hockey offered him a unique benefit that the other adaptive sports didn’t. 

“For someone with a disability, winter can be kind of a bleak time. You don’t want to be out, it’s dangerous if you fall. For the very first time, I was looking forward to winter,” said Barrera. “Now, I can ski, but I can also skate.”

Another first that unfolded for Barrera was being on a team. “It’s rewarding. You can draw on your teammate’s strengths to achieve the team’s goals, but you also realize ‘I have to contribute.’ We have to be together to accomplish it,” said Barrera. 

Through all the positives sled hockey provided, there were still challenges. Barrera said that learning the names of drills was one of the earlier challenges. “I remember a couple of times that I fell, and I couldn’t get up,” said Barrera. “It’s so frustrating, because you don’t know why you can’t get up, even though you’re putting all of your strength in it. And then it’s like, I figured it out!”

While there are still things that Barrera is learning, he takes each challenge as it comes. “The reward is worth it. To keep enjoying it, I have to overcome the situation,” said Barrera. 

When Barrera was a toddler, he caught polio, and now he wears a brace from his waist to his foot to walk. Because of sled hockey, Barrera can now move in a way he didn’t think was possible. “It’s liberating. It’s so different from walking. I’m not gonna fall, I’m just gonna slide. It’s an easier environment to be on ice,” said Barrera. 

In his journey as a new player, Barrera has found joy, challenges, community, and acceptance. He encourages new people who aren’t sure about joining to take the opportunity. “I would tell them to take the chance, to not be afraid, and to enjoy the moment,” said Barrera. “If you find the joy in it, it’s worth it to try.”