This Chatham Alum Brought OT Know-How to the Hockey Rink
Madison Black ’20, OTD ’24, completed an internship with the Mighty Penguins, a sled hockey organization, as part of her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy capstone. (Courtesy of Madison Black)
When she began volunteering for the Mighty Penguins, Madison Black ’20, ELOTD ’24, fused two of her passions: occupational therapy and hockey.
A center for the Chatham University Women’s Ice Hockey team during her undergrad years, Black first hit the ice when she was nine years old after encouragement from her dad. But it was in supporting two of her grandparents through stroke rehabilitation that she became interested in OT.
“My passion, my dedication, and my ability to be compassionate for individuals—[I] really want to help them become the best version of themselves and achieve their every-day activities,” Black said.
That drive led her to the Mighty Penguins, an organization that helps people with disabilities learn and play sled hockey. First introduced to the group at a USA Hockey festival, Black became a volunteer while she was pursuing her Bachelor of Psychology degree at Chatham.
“At Chatham, the professors, coaches, and other staff members, both during undergraduate and graduate, were so supportive and genuinely cared for my success,” she said. “It has allowed me to make so many connections and reach my dream of becoming an occupational therapist.”
Chatham was also connected to her start with the Mighty Penguins, Black said. “My sophomore year, my hockey team scrimmaged with them, and some of us were able to go in the sleds. It gave me a whole new perspective and so much respect for those athletes, how strong their cores and arms are.”
She said using the sled was like sitting in a bucket with skates on the bottom. Using short hockey sticks in each hand, players propel themselves, turn, and shoot. Black, with 10 years of experience in the rink, said she was “falling everywhere” during her first time in a hockey sled.
“I right away was starstruck by their athleticism and how incredible the organization was,” she said, noting how much the board and volunteers support the participating athletes, who range in age from kids to adults.
Mighty Penguins players and volunteers hit the ice during a practice. (Courtesy of Madison Black)
During her time volunteering with the Mighty Penguins, Black was able to bring her OT knowledge out of Chatham’s classrooms and into the rink. Joe McCormick, treasurer for the organization, said Black had a lot of great ideas to improve communication, like a card system to help coaches send messages to hard-of-hearing players during games.
“I wasn’t providing the practice plan [to the athletes] in advance,” McCormick also said. “That was one of her recommendations, and I started doing that. Our practices were more organized.”
Some of Black’s other recommendations focused on the athletes’ physical health, like dedicated reminders to regularly help athletes check for skin wounds. McCormick said she even had ideas about how to make the Mighty Penguins—a volunteer-led nonprofit—more sustainable in finances and labor.
“She’s definitely a leader,” he said. “She would help coach. She would jump in with whatever drill we were doing and help out. She didn’t wait for us to ask; she noticed there was a need and addressed it.”
Black said a needs assessment, education, and advocacy were among her focuses for helping the organization. In addition to providing information to the board, she also went on the ice with the team every week.
While her internship with the Mighty Penguins lasted for three months, Black said she plans to continue volunteering for the org in the future. “If I can do anything to help increase their performance, limit frustrations, and guide them to be the best versions of themselves—it’s so rewarding.”
Learn more about occupational therapy at Chatham, where students can obtain entry-level and post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy degrees.