Christy Gardner

Christy Gardner is the captain of the United States women's national ice sledge hockey team.

Playing career
Gardner grew up in Lewiston, Maine and joined the national ice sledge hockey team in 2011. She participated with Team USA at the 2012 Women's Ice Sledge Hockey International Jamboree in Philadelphia. Compared to her teammates, she is one of the few players with full functionality in her lower extremities. In February 2012, Gardner had the chance to play in front of her hometown fans as the national team played the Northeast Passage Wildcats, based out of the University of New Hampshire.

Injury
An accomplished athlete at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University, Gardner joined the military after graduation. In 2006, she suffered a direct hit to her forehead while serving for the military in Korea. She suffered a skull fracture which affected the frontal and temporal lobes in her brain. In her recovery, she had difficulty walking, and speaking, while suffering from memory loss and seizures.