The organization held its second adaptive curling event at the Minot Curling Club on Friday evening.

Prairie Grit marketing director Derek Hackett said the Minot Curling Club reached out to them and asked if they would be interested in making it an adaptive sport for people ages 5 and up.

Going ahead with the idea, the second event was a hit. The youth group curled first, starting at 6 p.m. The new participants who had not attended the first event were put on the outside edges of the building and the more experienced players were put in the middle lane.

One such player was Brayden Booth. He took part in the first event and enjoyed it so much that he decided to go back. With a Minot Curling Club member pushing his wheelchair, Booth sent the curling stone down the lane, where it was stopped by another club member.

Ciara Parizek/MDN Brayden Booth participated in the adaptive curling event hosted by Prairie Grit on Friday at the Minot Curling Club. His wheelchair was pushed by curling club member Wesley Mason and Prairie Grit executive director Krystal Butgereit gave encouragement from the side.

Curling is a sport that is normally played using delivery sticks to push and release the curling stone toward the target at the end of the lane. Another person shuffles in front of the stone, using a broom to clear the ice for distance and accuracy.

The ice at curling events is also much different than what is found in hockey rinks. It is not smooth, but rather “pebbled” to prevent the stone from going off in any which direction it pleases.

To adapt it so people with disabilities can play, wheelchairs were available for use by players who may need or desire one for stabilization. Curling club members helped push the wheelchairs, attach the stone to the delivery stick and stopped the stones at the end so no one was injured or tripped.

Another ice sport that Prairie Grit offers is sled hockey. Instead of standing up and skating, the player sits on a sled and is strapped in. They are armed with two sticks that have spikes on one end to propel themselves down the ice and a hockey stick end on the other side.

Emmit Vickerman quickly figured out how to best get around on the ice and joined the other kids in shooting goals on either end of the rink.

Prairie Grit had a sled hockey event scheduled for Feb. 22, but it was canceled due to the weather being too warm.

Sled hockey has been a success in terms of interest. According to Prairie Grit’s events calendar, the group holds several events every week. March 10-16 is Sled Hockey Week, and the Pepsi Rink at the Maysa Arena in Minot will be holding an international sled hockey event between the United States and Canada.