An animation of a science beaker with a bubbling green liquid appears on screen with a title that reads "Sports Lab."

Now Nykeem appears on screen walking down a lighted hallway in an indoor stadium. Nykeem is in his thirties, has shaved black hair, is clean-shaven, and wears red long-sleeve shirt and jeans.

Nykeem says HI EVERYONE,
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB
WHERE SPORTS AND SCIENCE
ARE THE FOUNDATIONS
FOR A HOUSE FULL OF FUN.

(Theme music plays)

The opening sequence begins.

Two light blue doors with a title that reads "Sports Lab" open where thousands of sports equipment encircles a classroom skeleton. The animated balls fly throughout the white room stopping at scenes of people playing different sports.

First Nykeem kicking a soccer ball, then a boy on a skateboard, then a tennis ball, then a hockey goalie, and lastly of a group of kids and Nykeem who break on a tennis court and say SPORTS LAB!

All the sports equipment turns into different colours and funnel into a science beaker with green liquid with a label that reads "Sports Lab."

(music plays)

Nykeem appears on screen wears a yellow padded jersey that reads "Sports Lab" and walks in front of blue bleachers onto an ice-skating rink.

Nykeem says MY NAME'S NYKEEM
AND TODAY WE'RE
CHECKING OUT A SPORT
THAT HAS THE SPEED
AND ADRENALINE OF HOCKEY
WITH TWICE AS MANY STICKS.
EXCITEMENT IS THE GAME;
SLEDGE HOCKEY IS ITS NAME!

(music plays)
(Fanfare)
(Applause)

In the white room, the science beaker with green liquid bursts with colours and balls and a title emerges that reads "Sledge hockey."

Nykeem skates on the ice rink holding a sled over his shoulder and a caption reads "Chedoke Arena, Hamilton, Ontario."

Nykeem says SLEDGE HOCKEY WAS DESIGNED TO
PROVIDE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
A CHANCE TO PLAY HOCKEY.
AND TODAY, PEOPLE OF
ALL ABILITIES CAN PLAY.
IT'S PLAYED ON A SLED...
LIKE THIS ONE.
YOU CAN BE PUSHED,
OR YOU CAN PUSH YOURSELF
USING THESE TWO STICKS.
AND IT'S A WORKOUT!

Now Dr. Heather appears on screen with a caption that reads "Dr. Heather, Sports Scientist." She has straight, dark brown hair in a ponytail and wears a pink shirt. She stands at a white desk with books and science supplies around her.

Dr. Heather says IT SURE IS, NYKEEM.
PUSHING A SLED, EVEN ON ICE,
REQUIRES TEAM WORK
FROM LOTS OF DIFFERENT FORCES.
FROM THE MUSCLES IN YOUR BODY
TO THE MAKE-UP OF THE ICE.
THAT MEANS WHEN
YOU PLAY SLEDGE HOCKEY,
YOU'RE ALWAYS PART OF A TEAM.

Nykeem slides on a sled, pushes a puck with a stick, and says SO GET STRAPPED IN...
SPORTS LAB IS ON A BREAKAWAY.
WOO!

Cole appears on screen with a caption that reads "Cole." Cole has short, straight, middle-parted dark brown hair and HI, I'M COLE.
I'M 18 YEARS OLD,
AND I'VE PLAYED SLEDGE
HOCKEY FOR EIGHT YEARS.

Standing right next to Cole, Cooper appears on screen with a caption that reads "Cooper." Cooper has short, straight dark brown hair.

Cooper says MY NAME'S COOPER,
I'M 12 YEARS OLD,
AND I'VE BEEN PLAYING
SLEDGE HOCKEY FOR SIX YEARS.

Cole says I STARTED PLAYING
SLEDGE HOCKEY
BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING
FOR A WINTER SPORT,
AND I CAN'T REALLY
PLAY STAND-UP HOCKEY
BECAUSE OF MY DISABILITY,
SO THIS WAS
THE NEXT BEST THING.

Cooper says I STARTED PLAYING
SLEDGE HOCKEY
BECAUSE STAND-UP HOCKEY
WASN'T REALLY MY
FAVOURITE THING.
SO ONCE I STARTED
PLAYING SLEDGE HOCKEY,
IT WAS REALLY AMAZING BECAUSE
I GOT TO PLAY WITH MY BROTHER.

Nykeem slides over to Cole and Cooper who are sitting on their sleds on the ice.

Nykeem says HEY COLE,
HEY COOPER.

They both say HEY, NYKEEM.
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB.

They both say THANKS!

Nykeem says SO YOU GUYS ARE BROTHERS.
TELL ME WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT
PLAYING SLEDGE HOCKEY TOGETHER.

Cole says I LIKE THE FACT
THAT WE KNOW
WHAT EACH OTHER
IS THINKING AT TIMES.
I CAN JUST GIVE HIM A LOOK,
AND HE KNOWS
WHAT I'M GONNA DO.

Cooper says I LIKE PLAYING
WITH MY BROTHER
SINCE IT'S THE ONLY SPORT
THAT WE CAN PLAY TOGETHER.

Nykeem says THAT'S COOL.
SO HOW ARE THE RULES
OF SLEDGE HOCKEY
DIFFERENT
THAN ICE HOCKEY?

Cole says NO BY MUCH.
JUST A FEW DIFFERENT PENALTIES
AND WE'RE ON SLEDS.

Nykeem says OKAY, I'VE GOT ONE MORE
QUESTION FOR YOU GUYS.
AM I HOLDING
THESE STICKS RIGHT?

Nykeem holds both sticks up in the air.

Cooper says NO.
WHEN YOU'RE SKATING,
YOU HOLD THEM AT THE TOP
SO YOU CAN HAVE MORE SPEED.
AND SLIDE YOUR HAND
DOWN TO THE BOTTOM
WHEN YOU WANT TO SHOOT.

Nykeem says OKAY, WELL I'LL TRY
TO REMEMBER THAT.
YOU GUYS KNOW A LOT
ABOUT THIS GAME.
BUT DO YOU KNOW
WHO INVENTED IT?

Cole says NOT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
THEN LET'S GLIDE
INTO THE STORY OF...
SLEDGE HOCKEY.
(Fanfare)

Back in the lab, a book opens and a title flies out that reads "History of Sledge Hockey."

Nykeem says SLEDGE HOCKEY
BEGAN IN SWEDEN
IN THE 1960S.
TWO MEN WITH
PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
PLACED SKATE BLADES
ONTO A METAL FRAME
SO THE PUCK COULD
PASS UNDERNEATH.
FOR STICKS,
THEY USED TWO POLES
ATTACHED TO BIKE HANDLES.
GENIUS!
IN 1994, SLEDGE
HOCKEY WAS FEATURED
IN THE VERY FIRST
PARALYMPIC GAMES
IN LILLEHAMMER, NORWAY.
SWEDEN WON THE GOLD MEDAL
WHICH MUST HAVE MADE
THE GAMES INVENTORS
VERY PROUD.
NOW SLEDGE HOCKEY IS PLAYED
ALL AROUND THE WORLD,
WITH TEAMS
AS FAR AS JAPAN.
GAME ON!

Back on the ice, Nykeem says ALL RIGHT GUYS,
THAT WAS COOL.
I'D LOVE FOR YOU TO
SHOW ME HOW IT'S DONE.

Both Cole and Cooper say LET'S DO IT!

Cole, Cooper, and Nykeem start playing sledge hockey with other teammates. Cooper pushes Cole and they make several goals.

The coach says GET THERE, COOP! GET THERE!
COME ON, GUYS!
YOU GOT IT!
YOU GOT IT!

All the kids say WOOP WOOP! WOO!
OH!
WOO!
(ALL CHEERING)

Now off the ice, Nykeem walks over to Cole and Cooper.

Nykeem says THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN!
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU
WOULD LIKE TO IMPROVE?

Cole says I THINK COOP NEEDS TO
WORK ON HIS ACCELERATION.

Nykeem says HMM, I THINK
SCIENCE COULD HELP.
NYKEEM TO THE SPORTS LAB.

Nykeem looks at his watch and Dr. Heather appears on screen.

Back in the sports lab, Dr. Heather says HI NYKEEM, HI GUYS!
FOR A GOOD PUSH,
YOUR BODY NEEDS TO
WORK TOGETHER WITH THE ICE.
BUT I'LL NEED TO SEE
SOME MORE ACTION
BEFORE WE REACH OUR GOAL.
I'M SENDING SOMEONE
WHO CAN HELP US PUSH ON.

Back in the rink, Nykeem says AWESOME, LET'S GO.

Back in the lab, the science beaker with green liquid appears on screen with a label that reads "Pop Quiz." The bottle swirls and flies over to the blackboard with a question.

Nykeem says HEADS UP, GUYS!
IT'S QUIZ TIME.
WHY DOES ICE FLOAT IN WATER?
A) IT'S SHAPE.
B) IT'S TEMPERATURE
OR C) IT'S DENSITY

A skeleton with a red cap says THE ANSWER IS C!

Nykeem says ITS DENSITY.
AS WATER COOLS DOWN,
ITS MOLECULES SPREAD OUT.
THAT MAKES IT LESS DENSE
THAN ITS LIQUID FORM.
HOW REFRESHING!

(music plays)
(Applause)

Back in the lab, out of the science beaker launches white foam that turns into a slate that reads "Meet the Pro."

Jordan appears on screen with a caption that reads "Jordan." Jordan has short dark brown hair and wears a black jersey.

Jordan says HEY, I'M JORDAN.
I'VE BEEN PLAYING
SLEDGE HOCKEY FOR 12 YEARS.

Clips of Jordan playing sledge hockey appear on screen.

Jordan says I WOULD DESCRIBE SLEDGE HOCKEY
AS FAST-PACED AND PHYSICAL.
ANYBODY CAN REALLY
PLAY SLEDGE HOCKEY.
THOSE THAT MAY NOT
BE ABLE TO SKATE
OR HAVE DIFFERENT DISABILITIES
ARE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE
AND HAVE A GOOD TIME.

Back on the ice, Jordan slides over to Nykeem, Cole, and Cooper.

Nykeem says HEY, JORDAN!

Jordan says HEY, NYKEEM.

Nykeem says JORDAN, THIS IS COOPER,
AND HIS OLDER BROTHER, COLE.

Jordan says HEY GUYS,
HOW YOU DOING?

Both Cole and Cooper say GOOD, THANK YOU.

Nykeem says JORDAN, WHAT DOES
IT FEEL LIKE TO PLAY
FOR A TOP
SLEDGE HOCKEY TEAM?

Jordan says IT FEELS INCREDIBLE
BEING ABLE TO
REPRESENT YOUR PROVINCE
OR YOUR COUNTRY AT
THE HIGHEST LEVEL.
IT'S TRULY AN HONOUR.

Nykeem says DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS FOR JORDAN?

Cole says HOW DOES IT FEEL TO GO FAST?

Jordan says WELL, FOR ME,
I JUST LIKE BEING ABLE
TO FEEL THE WIND
ON MY FACE
AS I'M MOVING
DOWN THE ICE.
THERE'S NOTHING MORE
FREEING THAN THAT FEELING.

Nykeem says ALL RIGHT, GUYS.
WHAT DO WE NEED FROM JORDAN?

Cole says CAN YOU SHOW US
YOUR ACCELERATION?
ABSOLUTELY.

Jordan says THE FIRST THING YOU WANT TO DO
IS YOU WANT TO START OUT
BY TAKING SMALL
PICKS ALONG THE ICE,
AND SLOWLY, BUT GRADUALLY
TAKING LONGER STRIDES.
LET ME SHOW YOU
HOW IT'S DONE.

Jordan puts on his helmet and starts to slide with his picks and hits a puck into the goal.

Nykeem says OH!

Cole says LOOK AT THAT
ACCELERATION!

Nykeem looks at his watch and says WHAT'S UP, DOC?

Back in the sports lab, Dr. Heather says HEY, EVERYONE!
THE DATA
LOOKS GREAT.
ALTHOUGH, JORDAN
PUSHES SO FAST
IT'S HARD TO KEEP UP.
AS IT TURNS OUT,
PUSHING IN SLEDGE HOCKEY
IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE
OF ISAAC NEWTON'S
THIRD LAW OF MOTION.
YOU MIGHT KNOW ISAAC NEWTON
AS THE PERSON
WHO DISCOVERED GRAVITY
WHEN AN APPLE FELL OFF A TREE
AND HIT HIM ON THE HEAD.
HIS THIRD LAW OF MOTION STATES
THAT WITH EVERY ACTION
THERE IS AN EQUAL
AND OPPOSITE REACTION.
SO FORCES COME IN PAIRS.
THINK OF A FLYING BIRD.
AS IT FLAPS ITS WINGS,
IT PUSHES AIR DOWNWARDS.
SINCE IT PUSHES AIR DOWNWARDS,
THE AIR PUSHES
THE BIRD UPWARD.
WHEN YOU PUSH BACKWARDS
WITH YOUR STICK,
THE ICE EXERTS
AN OPPOSITE FORCE
WHICH PUSHES YOU FORWARD.
THE HARDER YOU PUSH,
THE STRONGER THE OPPOSITE
FORCE FROM THE ICE.
AND, THANKS TO
THE TEETH ON HIS STICK,
JORDAN IS ABLE TO GRIP THE ICE
TO GET A PROPER PUSH.
THE ICE AND YOUR PUSH
ARE OPPOSITE FORCES,
BUT THEY'RE ACTUALLY
WORKING TOGETHER.
NOW THAT'S TEAMWORK.

Back on the ice, Nykeem says OKAY, GUYS.
SO THANKS TO NEWTON'S THIRD LAW,
WE CAN BE EINSTEIN ON THE ICE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Both Cole and Cooper say PRETTY COOL.

Cole looks at Cooper and says COOP,
I THINK IT'S YOUR TURN.

Cooper propels his sled with his ice picks and knocks the puck into the goal.

Nykeem says WOO! WOW, COOPER'S
REALLY FAST.

(music plays)
(Fanfare)

Back in the lab, the green liquid in the science beaker spills and then dries up to reveal a title that reads "Fun Fact."

Nykeem holds a puck and says I BET THIS LOOKS FAMILIAR.
BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT
THE TEMPERATURE OF A PUCK
PLAYS AN IMPORTANT
ROLE IN A GAME?
WHEN A PUCK HEATS UP,
IT HAS MORE ENERGY.
THAT MEANS IT
BECOMES BOUNCIER...
SO IT'S HARDER TO CONTROL.
THAT'S WHY THE PUCK IS FROZEN
BEFORE AN NHL GAME
AND KEPT FROZEN
BETWEEN PERIODS.
AN NHL PLAYER PACKS SO
MUCH POWER INTO A SHOT;
HAVING A VERY BOUNCY PUCK
COULD BE DANGEROUS.
WHY DON'T YOU TRY
FREEZING A PUCK
AND SEE HOW IT CHANGES.
JUST DON'T MISTAKE IT
FOR A POPSICLE.

Nykeem tastes it and says UGH.

Back on the ice with Cooper and Cole, Nykeem says ALL RIGHT, GUYS.
I HAD A TOTAL BLAST
LEARNING ABOUT SLEDGE HOCKEY.
BUT...THERE'S ONE POSITION
I'VE BEEN WANTING
TO TRY ALL DAY.

Nykeem slowly slides backwards toward the goal.

Cole says ALL RIGHT.

Cooper says SOUNDS GOOD.

Nykeem says IT'S TIME FOR THE BROTHERS
TO PLAY ON THE SAME TEAM.
GAME ON!
BRING IT ON, GUYS!

Cooper and Cole work together.

Nykeem says WOO-HOO!
GOOD JOB, COLE!

Cole says THANK YOU.

Nykeem says GOOD JOB, COOPER.
I'M GONNA TAKE A NAP.
(SIGH)

(music plays)

Back in the lab, colours and balls fly out of the science beaker and a slate reads "Pro Tip."

Jordan appears on screen and says ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT I LEARNED
WHEN I WAS GROWING
UP IN THE GAME
WAS TO ALWAYS FOLLOW THROUGH
WHENEVER I WAS LINING UP
TO TAKE A SHOT.
WHENEVER YOU GO
TO TAKE A SHOT,
YOU MAKE SURE THAT
THE BLADE OF YOUR STICK
IS ALWAYS POINTED
IN THE DIRECTION
THAT YOU WANT THE PUCK TO GO.
IF YOU FOLLOW THROUGH
WITH YOUR SHOT,
CHANCES ARE YOU'LL
BE RIGHT ON TARGET.
MY NAME IS JORDAN,
AND THAT'S MY PRO TIP.

Nykeem rides on the ice and says WE PUSHED HARD
IN THE SPORTS LAB TODAY
AND DISCOVERED THAT,
WHEN WE DO,
THE ICE PUSHES BACK.
WE GOT THE CHANCE
TO CHECK OUT A GREAT SPORT
THAT GIVES EVERYONE
THE CHANCE TO PLAY
AND HAVE FUN.
NOW I'VE GOT TO PUSH ON,
BECAUSE ON SPORTS LAB,
WE LEARN THROUGH ACTION
AND LOVE THE REACTION.

The credits roll scenes of kids playing sports appear on screen.

Written and directed by, Johnny Mitchell.
Host, Nykeem Provo.
Editor, David Mitchell.

Produced in association with TVO Kids for riverbank pictures, copyright 1919216 Ontario Inc.