ENJOYING THE ICE — Wheeling Nailers goaltender Taylor Gauthier assists a family during the Inclusion on Ice event Sunday at Wheeling Park’s ice rink. -- Gage Vota

WHEELING — People of all ability levels were able to enjoy an afternoon on the ice Sunday, as the fourth-annual Inclusion on Ice event allowed skaters to glide along the Wheeling Park Ice Rink in a safe, inclusive environmentThe Augusta Levy Learning Center, Easterseals Rehabilitation Center and the Wheeling Nailers once again came together to provide people with disabilities the opportunity to skate in a controlled environment and enjoy it without difficulties that may be triggering or difficult to them.

Event founder David George first came up with the idea during the COVID-19 pandemic. Growing up, George struggled with learning disabilities, and he said he wanted to give people with disabilities the opportunity to connxect with resources as well as other people with disabilities so that they can have the quality of life they deserve.

“I wasn’t in an appropriate school situation in high school but when I attended Bethany College I was admitted to a special education program and I was where I really needed to be,” George said. “I was finally in an environment where I felt cared about, loved, and appreciated.”

George played hockey growing up and saw this idea of his as an opportunity to bring people together while incorporating his love for the sport.

Easterseals Marketing Director Betsy Bethel-McFarland said Inclusion on Ice is a product of many groups coming together to provide a fun time for anyone who wanted to join.

“It’s an inclusive event, so it includes people with and without disabilities,” she said. “It gives people the opportunity to come and enjoy the ice rink. Maybe they’ve never done it before, and this is an opportunity to come and have help on the ice.

“We’ve got the Wheeling Nailers, Wheeling Lightning Birds, and a bunch of other people who are proficient at ice skating that are helping people around the ice,” Bethel-McFarland added. “And so maybe you’re a parent whose kid wants to skate, but you don’t skate, so you can bring them here today. This is the perfect opportunity to bring them here and have somebody help them skate, and it’s all free.”

She added that she believes the event is a perfect opportunity for people with disabilities to skate in a safer environment without having to worry about people weaving in and out of groups while skating fast.

The event also provided hockey sleds for people in wheelchairs as well as walkers to help people who needed a little extra assistance. In addition to the inclusive ice skating, the event also had a resource fair which gave families with members with disabilities the opportunity to seek out Ohio Valley agencies and organizations that serve these families.

Bethel-McFarland said that this year’s event had more than 20 different local organizations and agencies that serve people with disabilities.

The resource fair wasn’t all business, though. It had snacks, selfie stations, face painting and inflatables by Tripp’s Fun Zone.

“The only way we’re able to do this event is because of the Oglebay Foundation underwriting all the admissions, so that it’s free for everybody, as well as the Regional Economic Development Partnership. They’re the Nailers’ owners, and the Nailers are a huge part of this event,” Bethel-McFarland said.

The Wheeling Nailers have collaborated with Inclusion on Ice since the beginning. Wheeling Nailers Community Relations Director D.J. Abisalih said that Ohio Valley is a tight-knit community and the Nailers take pride in playing a positive role in it.

“We like to be able to have community partners and different organizations be involved in our games and well, the only way to have them come to our games is if we return the favor and we go out and support their events,” he said. “We thought that this was a fantastic idea to be involved in because it directly involves skating. So this is the perfect opportunity to get the players out there.”

In addition to the Nailers being involved in the event, several players on the team’s roster were out helping the children in attendance skate as well as pushing children’s wheelchairs on the ice.

“We have eight players involved in the event, our head coach is here with his kids, our assistant coach is here, his family’s doing the face painting, our ownership is all in with the Regional Economic Development Partnership. It’s really cool to be able to have that all encompassing backing from the organization,” Abisalih said. “The resource fair is enormous this year, so it’s cool to see how many organizations in the community want to be a part of this and encourage it to be able to get the word out to make this community grow as a whole.”