VANCOUVER -- Team Canada will face off against the United States this weekend in a women's sledge hockey tournament in Richmond, and captain Christina Picton will be leading the charge for the home team.
She's been playing the sport for more than a decade, but is constantly thinking about ways to push her limits.
"There's so much to learn still," she said. "And I think that's why I'm still playing. I've been playing for 15 years, but every season I come back. I'm still thinking of new ways to improve."
Sledge hockey is played under the same rules as standard ice hockey, but players are seated on sleds instead of skates and use sticks with metal teeth to help move around the ice.
Picton was born with a congenital femoral deficiency that affects her lower body. She first started playing sports on a wheelchair baseball team, but was intrigued by the challenge of sledge hockey.
"As soon as I got on the ice, from the first moment, I was hooked," she said.
Growing up as an amputee, participating in recess and regular gym classes was hard for her, so playing a sport that solely depended on her upper body was a liberating experience.
"When I got on the ice, I didn't have to depend on my legs at all. I could just use my upper body and arms," said Picton. "It was like total freedom. Just that freedom is what hooked me on the sport. And the rest is history."
Assistant coach Derek Whitson said he has watched Picton develop into one of the top players in the world who is constantly working to improve her game.
"She's a superior athlete on and off the ice," he said. "I've never met anyone that pushes as hard as she does."
The Canadian women's team has been around for 10 years, but without much international interest in the sport, it's still not part of the Paralympic Games, which is something Team Canada hopes will change.
"I love coaching these women," said Whitson. "They fight hard. They're a true family and that's why I'm still here hoping to get them to the Paralympics one day and let them live out their dream."
The three-game series runs from Feb. 21 to 23 at the Richmond Oval.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Gary Rutherford
