By TERRY PUGH
It was invented in Canada; it’s fast and exciting; it’s played with five skaters and a goalie on each side.
But, it’s not hockey.
Ringette originated in 1963 in North Bay, Ontario and was originally developed for girls. It now boasts roughly 50,000 players, coaches, officials and volunteers – predominantly female – in organized leagues across the country.
The game is played on standard-size hockey rinks. Players use a straight stick to pass, carry, and shoot a rubber ring to score goals. It’s a non-contact sport that requires passing over the blue lines – a feature that promotes team play.
Other differences include a specially-designed cage to protect the player’s face.
In Saskatchewan, there are three ringette leagues: Saskatoon, Regina, and Buffalo Plains (a group of communities near Regina). The Saskatoon league also includes teams in the Warman Ringette Association (WRA).
“Right now there are currently two U10 teams based in Warman,” said WRA Marketing Lead Tyler Dagenais. “But we have had U12 and U14 teams in previous years, and the potential is there to expand into those age groups again. It all depends on the enrollment levels each year.”
He added that players in the WRA also come from Martensville, Borden, Dalmeny, Hague, Neuanlage and other nearby communities.
The U10 league is split into three levels: Fun 1, Fun 2 and Fun 3.
“The Fun 1 level is an introduction to the sport and designed to help the kids learn basic skating and stickhandling skills,” said Dagenais. “The Fun 2 level is a little more advanced, and the Fun 3 level is more competitive, with players utilizing the full ice surface. So that’s one big difference when it comes to helping kids with their skating and endurance, because in hockey those kids that are seven to ten years old are still just using half-ice.”
While the game is most popular with girls, it’s also open to boys, noted Dagenais. He said the WRA holds several events throughout the season where youngsters are invited to come and try out the game. There is also an ‘active start’ program for kids as young as age 4 to learn to skate.
In the older age groups, ringette players have the opportunity to compete in provincial, Western Canadian, and national championship tournaments. The University of Saskatchewan has also instituted a ringette team in its athletic program this year for the first time, so the popularity of the sport is growing, he noted.
Dagenais said while there aren’t enough players in the U12 and U14 age groups to ice separate Warman teams this season, there are quite a few girls in those age groups from this area playing on Saskatoon teams.
In addition, many of the Saskatoon Ringette Association (SRA) league games and practices are in Warman.
Dagenais said while skilled ringette players make snagging and shooting the ring look easy, especially at high speed, it’s actually quite difficult.
“I played minor hockey as a kid and rec hockey as an adult, and I’ve tried playing ringette, and, honestly, I can’t catch that ring. It’s a whole different skill.
“And I think one reason ringette players are strong skaters is that they don’t have to focus on stickhandling while they’re skating like hockey players do.”
Dagenais said ringette rules prioritize passing, which brings all the players into the action. There are also rules aimed at speeding up the game, including the fact the goalie has five seconds to ‘frisbee’ the ring to a teammate after making a save.
He said the sport helps young athletes learn teamwork and develop confidence. It also promotes ‘giving back’ to the community, not just for players, but coaches and volunteers.
“It’s a great social sport,” he said. “There’s a high retention rate for players because teams bond really well. It’s also a pretty exciting sport to watch.”