Ringette in Canada

From Justapedia, unleashing the power of collective wisdom
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This article is about organized ringette in Canada. For Canada's national ringette organization, see Ringette Canada.
Ringette was created in Canada in 1963.

Ringette in Canada began in 1963 when it was first conceptualized by Sam Jacks of North Bay, Ontario, in West Ferris. The sport of ringette is played in all 10 Canadian provinces and the Northwest Territories and involves an average of over 31,000 registered players every year. Canada is the location of ringette's origin where it is also recognized as a national heritage sport. The sport is governed nationally by Ringette Canada.[1] Canadian provinces and territories have their own individual governing bodies in their respective jurisdictions.

From the beginning, the sport was unconventional in its approach, having been created exclusively for girls rather than following the traditional approach whereby a separate female equivalent is developed from a sport already popular among the male population. The first basic rules were drafted by Sam Jacks, but its first official rules were drafted in Espanola, Ontario, by Mirl Arthur "Red" McCarthy between 1964 and 1965.[2] The first ringette team in history was a group of Canadian girls from Espanola, Ontario who had played female high school ice hockey. The team experimented with the rules being developed by McCarthy and helped him further his goals by giving him feedback. The sport was created due to broomball and female ice hockey programs failing to attract the interest of girls and complaints that sports programs tended to be "too male-oriented".

Ringette is played by Canadians from the youth level to the adult level with competition ranging from recreational to elite high performance competitions. In Canada players compete locally, provincially, nationally and internationally, as well as at the university and college level and the semi-professional level. Ringette is also a sport in the Canada Winter Games, a multi-sport competition for amateur Canadian athletes.

National governing body

Main article: Ringette Canada

The national governing body for the sport of ringette in Canada is Ringette Canada[1] based in Ottawa, Ontario and is also responsible for the promotion the sport nationally. Ringette Canada is a member of the International Ringette Federation (IRF). Ringette Canada's national hall of fame, the Ringette Canada Hall of Fame, was established in 1988.[3][4]

Competitive structure

Levels of competition in Canada are based on age group and skill, and range from recreational to competitive. Elite level competition includes university and college ringette, the National Ringette League, and the Canada national ringette team.

Levels of competition in Canadian ringette include: Recreational, C, B, BB, A, and AA and AAA, with AA being the highest level at which league competition occurs. AAA ringette is typically specific to particular regions who feel another category is necessary to clarify their league or tournament play. For example: AAA teams out of Quebec have played AA teams out of Alberta at various tournaments, including the Canadian Ringette Championships.

National ringette teams

Main article: Canada national ringette team
Former Canadian national ringette team players: Julie Blanchette (left) and Stéphanie Séguin [fr] (right)

Canada selects two national ringette teams for international competition: Team Canada Junior and Team Canada Senior. The roster for Team Canada's modern-day makeup includes athletes who either play or have played in Canada's semi-professional National Ringette League.

The first all-Canadian national ringette consisted of adult and young adult ringette players and was established in 1996 and competed in the third World Ringette Championships, though Canada's first international appearance in ringette took place at the first World Ringette Championships in Gloucester, Ontario, at the 1990 World Ringette Championships. At the first World Ringette Championships, five teams from five separate Canadian provinces were represented: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. A sixth Canadian team, Team Gloucester, also competed having been selected to participate due to the fact that Gloucester served as the international tournaments host city. Canada has competed at every World Ringette Championships since, though a new division for junior players was eventually created in the early part of the 21st century beginning in 2009.

Canada's first all-Canadian junior national team was established for the 2013 World Ringette Championships. Previously, Canada's junior elite ringette players had competed in the World Junior Ringette Championships which first occurred in 2009 and then 2012 before the junior program was merged with the World Ringette Championships itself, resulting a new junior division. For the 2009 and 2012 world junior competitions, Canada sent two different junior teams to represent Canada at the world tournament, Team Canada East and Team Canada West.

Semi-professional league

Main article: National Ringette League
Bourassa Royal playing against the Montréal Mission during the 2011–2012 NRL season

The National Ringette League[5] (also indicated by the initials NRL) is Canada's premier, semi-professional showcase league for the sport of ringette and was introduced during the 2004–2005 ringette season. It is Canada's national league for elite ringette players aged 18+.

The final competition for the National Ringette League is held annually at the Canadian Ringette Championships. The winning team in the NRL division is awarded the Jeanne Sauvé Memorial Cup[6] named after the late Governor General of Canada, Jeanne Sauvé. Initially coined the Jeanne Sauvé Cup and initiated in December 1984, it was first presented at the 1985 Canadian Ringette Championships in Dollard des Ormeaux, Québec. It is now entitled the Jeanne Sauvé Memorial Cup and is awarded to the best team in the National Ringette League. Canada's Rick Mercer visited the National Ringette League's Cambridge Turbos in 2009 to shoot an episode about ringette in Canada.[7]

Participation

Ringette is played in all 10 Canadian provinces and the Northwest Territories and involves an average of 50,000 participants a year. In the 2017–2018 Canadian ringette season, 31,168 players were registered to play ringette in Canada, the highest known participation rate for a season.[8][9][10] Players participated on nearly 2,000 teams in eight age categories across the country. The largest increases were observed in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The Covid-19 pandemic which began in 2019 had a negative impact on registration rates.

In Canada in 1979 there was an estimated 4,500 girls playing ringette across the country,[11] but by 1983 (20 years after ringette was created) there were over 14,500, marking an increase in participation of roughly 10,000 Canadian girls. That same year the number of players registered in the female category of ice hockey in Canada, which was almost a century old, was a mere 5,379, less than 40% of ringette's numbers.[12] A small decrease in the number of ringette athletes after 1998 has been attributed at least partially to women's ice hockey being recognized officially as an Olympic sport that same season,[8][13][14] but is largely considered due to the decision by major governing body's for the women's hockey game to exclude body checking.[15] Body checking was removed from the women's ice hockey program by the International Ice Hockey Federation after the 1990 IIHF Women's World Championship. Once women's ice hockey reached the Olympics, in general, public memory internationally did not include recognition of female ice hockey as having ever involved bodychecking. However, within a decade, ringette began to see an increase in registrations in Canada once again.[14]

Brief decline and comeback

Between 1985 and 1987 the sport experienced a notable increase in registrations in Canada. Player registrations grew from roughly 20,000 registered players in 1985 to over 27,000 in 1987, a substantial increase within less than a five-year period. While the 1996–1997 ringette season saw a peak record of 27,058 registrations nationwide, a slight drop occurred in registration rates during the following season in 1997–1998 whereby 25,951 players were recorded to have registered in Canada. However, rates began climbing again after the 2002–2003 season and by the 2007–2008 season, 27,197 players had registered, breaking the sport's highest recorded registration rate in Canada which had been set a decade before in 1996–1997. By 2017–2018 Canada recorded a record breaking 31,168 registered players, the highest number of players ever recorded in the nation's history.[8]

Recorded registrations

The number of ringette registrations in Canada from 1983 to 2022 is as follows:[16][8]

Year Registrations
2021–2022 Unavailable
2020–2021 Unavailable
2019–2020 Unavailable
2018–2019 Unavailable
2017–2018 31,168
2016–2017 Unavailable
2015–2016 Unavailable
2014–2015 Unavailable
2013–2014 30,398
2012–2013 29,804
2011–2012 29,566
2010–2011 29,423
2009–2010 28,905
2008–2009 27,899
2007–2008 27,197
2006–2007 26,287
2005–2006 25,924
2004–2005 25,477
2003–2004 25,477
2002–2003 25,127
2001–2002 24,631
2000–2001 24,748
1999–2000 25,128
1998–1999 24,854
1997–1998 25,951
1996–1997 27,058
1995–1996 27,460
1994–1995 27,200
1993–1994 27,660
1992–1993 26,925
1991–1992 26,690
1990–1991 Unavailable
1989 over 28,000
1988 Unavailable
1987 over 27,000
1986 Unavailable
1985 20,000 barrier broken
1984 Unavailable
1983 over 14,500
1979 about 4,500[11]

University and college ringette

In Canada, ringette players have the opportunity to play their sport at the university and occasionally the college level in several provinces. The organizing body for the post-secondary level is known as Canadian University & College Ringette Association, which is abbreviated "CUR" due to its initial name, "Canadian University Ringette".[17] The first tournament took place at the University of Winnipeg in 1999. Other Canadian universities previously known to have had teams include Lakehead University (Thunder Bay, Ontario), Mount Royal University (Calgary), Simon Fraser University (British Columbia), and the Université de Sherbrooke (Quebec).[18]

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, several competitions for CUR's college and university ringette athletes were cancelled. Some teams did not reconvene post Covid-19.

Canadian university and college teams

Canadian University Ringette Teams
Ontario (12 teams)[19] Other
McMaster University Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia)
University of Western Ontario University of Calgary (Calgary Dinos, Alberta)
Wilfrid Laurier University University of Lethbridge (Alberta)
Guelph University University of Alberta and MacEwan University
Nipissing University (Nipissing Lakers) Conestoga College
Brock University University of Manitoba
Queen's University at Kingston
Carleton University
Laurentian University
Trent University
University of Waterloo
University of Ottawa

Other Canadian universities that have been known to have had teams: Lakehead University (Thunder Bay, Ontario), Mount Royal University (Calgary), Simon Fraser University (British Columbia), and the Université de Sherbrooke (Quebec).[20]

University Challenge Cup

The University Challenge Cup is an annual competition in Canada which groups together ringette teams from various Canadian universities[21] in two conferences and is organized by the Canadian University & College Ringette Association. The first competition took place at the University of Winnipeg in 1999. The competition typically involves in excess of 350 players, coaches, referees and tournament staff.

University Champions
Year Host University[22] Gold Gold medal icon.svg Tier 1 Gold Gold medal icon.svg Tier 2
2021 Carleton University
2020[23][24] Wilfrid Laurier University cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2019 Wilfrid Laurier University University of Calgary Dalhousie University
2018 University of Guelph University of Calgary[25] Wilfrid Laurier University
2017 University of Guelph[26] University of Ottawa[27] McMaster University[28]
2016 University of Calgary[29] University of Calgary N/A
2015 University of Calgary[29] University N. Alberta N/A
2014 Nipissing University[29] University N. Alberta University of Guelph
2013 Nipissing University[29] University of Alberta McMaster University
2012 University of Western Ontario[29] University of Alberta McMaster University
2011 University of Western Ontario[29] University of Calgary University of Western Ontario
2010 Brock University[29] University of Calgary University of Western Ontario
2009 Brock University[30] University of Calgary University of Western Ontario[31]
2008 University of Ottawa[32] University of Calgary N/A
2007 University of Ottawa[33] University of Calgary N/A
2006 University of Ottawa N/A
2005 University of Manitoba[34] University of Calgary N/A
2004 University of Winnipeg[35] University of Calgary N/A
2003 College of Saint-Boniface N/A
2002 College of Saint-Boniface N/A
2001 University of Manitoba, Team A N/A
2000 College of Saint-Boniface N/A
1999 University of Winnipeg University of Winnipeg N/A

National competitions

Canadian Ringette Championships

Main article: Canadian Ringette Championships

Canada's elite ringette players compete at the end of every ringette season in the Championnats Canadien d'Ringuette/Canadian Ringette Championships, commonly called "the Nationals", which also includes the final competition for the National Ringette League (NRL). The Canadian Ringette Championships, typically held each April, took place for the first time in 1979 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.[36] This tournament was created to determine the Canadian champions in the categories of Under-16 years, Under-19 years and Open (replaced by the National Ringette League since 2008).

Canada Winter Games

Main article: Canada Winter Games

While ringette was invented in 1963, the first Canada Games, a multi-sport event, was held four years later in 1967 in Quebec City. Ringette has only been a part of the Canada Winter Games[37] since 1991.[38] The ringette program takes part during one of the two weeks of the Canada Winter Games. Competition usually begins on Mondays followed by the semi-final on Friday evening with the National final taking place on Saturdays. The best ringette athletes from 10 Canadian provinces are selected to compete on their representative provincial teams.

The Canada Winter Games are considered an important national event in Canada and is considered to be a key event in the development of Canada's young athletes. The multi-sport competition involves the best young Canadian athletes competing in their age groups. The entire event is of two weeks in duration and is held every four years. Today, 21 sports appear in the program.

Canada Winter Games: Ringette Champions (1991–2019)
Year Location Gold Silver Bronze
2019[39] Alberta Red Deer, Alberta Quebec Ontario Manitoba
2015[40] British Columbia Prince George, British Columbia Manitoba Ontario New Brunswick
2011[41] Nova Scotia Halifax, Nova Scotia Ontario Alberta Quebec
2007[42] Yukon Whitehorse, Yukon Ontario Alberta Quebec
2003[43] New Brunswick Bathurst and Campbellton, New Brunswick Ontario Manitoba British Columbia
1999[44] Dominion of Newfoundland Cornerbrook, Newfoundland Ontario Manitoba Saskatchewan
1995[45] Alberta Grande Prairie, Alberta Alberta Manitoba British Columbia
1991[46] Prince Edward Island Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Alberta Ontario British Columbia

Provincial competitions

Provincial championships

Annual province-wide championship competitions are organized in a number of Canadian provinces for various skill levels and age groups.

Provincial Winter Games

In Canada a number of provinces organize province-wide, winter-based, multi-sport competitions either annually or biannually. These events are typically referred to as provincial "Winter Games". However, ringette is not included in every provincial winter games program and it depends on which province is involved.

Provincial Winter Games in Canada
Province Event Ringette played & year added Games inaugural year
 British Columbia BC Winter Games 1978; 46 years ago (1978)
 Alberta Alberta Winter Games 1974; 50 years ago (1974)
 Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Winter Games No 1972; 52 years ago (1972)
 Manitoba Manitoba Winter Games 1974; 50 years ago (1974)
 Ontario Ontario Winter Games * Yes
* 1976; 48 years ago (1976)		 1970; 54 years ago (1970)
 Quebec Quebec Winter Games 1971; 53 years ago (1971)
 New Brunswick New Brunswick Winter Games
 Nova Scotia Nova Scotia Winter Games
 Prince Edward Island PEI Winter Games
 Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games

Other competitions

Several Canadian cities and regions also have their own annual competitions.

Eastern Canadian Ringette Championships

Main article: Eastern Canadian Ringette Championships

The Eastern Canadian Ringette Championships (ECRC) is an annual competition organized strictly for ringette teams from the eastern part of Canada. The competition involves teams from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. The first event was held in 2002. Since 2002, teams from the participating provinces compete in the following four divisions: U14AA, U16A, U19A and 18+ A.

Western Canadian Ringette Championships

The Western Canadian Ringette Championships (WCRC) is an annual competition organized strictly for ringette teams from the western part of Canada. The tournament's inaugural year was in 2003. Typically held at the end of March, the competition involves teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia competing in U14, U16, U19 and 18+ divisions of competition.

Each of the four Western Canadian Provinces is eligible to send one provincial team to compete in each age division. The Host is able to enter a host team at U16, U19 and 18+ to create a five team division. U14 is a 10-team division made up of two teams from each province and two wildcard draws.

Largest Canadian tournament

The largest ringette tournament in Canada is the annual Esso Golden Ring Tournament in Calgary, Alberta which takes place in the month of January.

Cross-sport participation

Bandy

Main article: Canada women's national bandy team

Some of Canada's national level ringette players have also played bandy for the Canadian women's national bandy team.[47][48][49][50] Both the women's and men's Canadian national bandy teams are based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Several of Canada's women's national bandy players also played in the National Ringette League and on Canada's National Ringette Team. The bandy team has included top level ringette players like Ainsley Ferguson, Carrie Nash, Shelley Hruska, Amy Clarkson, and Lindsay Burns. Their best results are 4th at the 2007, 2010, 2012, and 2016 Women's Bandy World Championships.

Canada's first goal scored in the nations history of organized women's bandy was by Lindsay Burns, a former member of Canada's national ringette team.[51][52]

Male players

In Canada male players are uncommon since numerous other winter team sports options for them exist such as ice hockey, bandy, and broomball. Boys are restricted to competing at the "B" level or lower in many ringette organizations since the sport is meant to highlight, cater to, and increase participation among females. Male players compete at the AA level in limited areas where the sport is played. Boys have participated in Under-9 (U9) or Under-6 (U6) divisions in some Canadian provinces.

Further reading

  • Collins, Kenneth Stewart (2004). The Ring Starts Here: An Illustrated History of Ringette.
  • Hall, Margaret Ann (2016). The Girl and the Game: A History of Women's Sport in Canada. University of Toronto Press.
  • Hall, Margaret Ann; Pfister, Gertrud. Honoring the Legacy: Fifty Years of the International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women.

References

  1. ^ a b "Ringette Canada". Ringette Canada.
  2. ^ "Ringette (A Game on Skates for Girls) Rules 1965–66". Ringette Calgary. Society of Directors of Municipal Recreation of Ontario/Ringette Canada.
  3. ^ "Hall of Fame".
  4. ^ "Ringette History – National Ringette School".
  5. ^ "National Ringette League". nationalringetteleague.ca.
  6. ^ http://www.ringette.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/CRC-Trophies.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  7. ^ "Media".
  8. ^ a b c d Barnes, Dan (6 April 2018). "Canadian ringette is back on the path to prosperity – and just maybe, to beating Finland for once". National Post. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Ringette Canada reaches record registration numbers, announces new president and board appointments". www.ringette.ca. Ringette Canada. 7 November 2018. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  10. ^ Cardwell, Mark. "The ins and outs of ringette: The growing popularity of a nearly 60-year-old sport". Costco Connection.
  11. ^ a b "HISTORIA | SUOMEN RINGETTELIITTO PERUSTETTIIN 5.5.1983" [HISTORY | RINGETTE FINLAND WAS ESTABLISHED ON MAY 5, 1983]. ringette.fi. Ringette Finland. 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  12. ^ Etue, Elizabeth; Williams, Megan (11 September 1996). On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History. Second Story Press. ISBN 9780929005799.
  13. ^ Barker, Jill. "Fitness: Do the Olympics turn host cities into active cities?". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  14. ^ a b "Devoted ringette players say they prefer it to hockey". CBC News. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  15. ^ Smith, Beverely (27 November 2002). "Canada out to ring up gold metal". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Ringette Canada Media Information Kit" (PDF). www.ringette.ca. Ringette Canada. 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  17. ^ "Welcome to www.canadianuniversityringette.ca". canadianuniversityringette.ca.
  18. ^ "Canadian University Ringette". CANADIAN UNIVERSITY RINGETTE Website.
  19. ^ "UNIVERSITY RINGETTE". 2021.
  20. ^ "Canadian University Ringette". www.canadianuniversityringette.ca. Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Welcome to www.canadianuniversityringette.ca". canadianuniversityringette.ca. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  22. ^ "UCC Prior Year Champions". Canadian University Ringette. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  23. ^ Russell, Jacob (13 October 2021). "'IT WAS HEARTBREAKING' Western ringette remembers final moments of 2020 season". Western Gazette.
  24. ^ "_90A4661". December 29, 2019 – via Flickr.
  25. ^ "UofC Dinos win Gold in Guelph Ontario at the 2018 University Challenge Cup". Ringette Calgary.
  26. ^ "University Challenge Cup 2017". canadianuniversityringette.ca (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2016-10-09. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  27. ^ "2017 UCC Tier 1 Game Scores". canadianuniversityringette.ca (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  28. ^ "2017 UCC Tier 2 Game Scores". canadianuniversityringette.ca (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g "Canadian University Ringette Website". canadianuniversityringette.ca. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  30. ^ Week, Niagara This (2008-04-18). "Brock Ringette hosting University Challenge Cup". niagarathisweek.com. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  31. ^ "Western ringette wins tourney first time out". Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  32. ^ "| History of Ringette in Calgary |". www.ringettecalgary.ca. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  33. ^ "Ringette: One ringette to rule them all | The Gauntlet". www.archive.thegauntlet.ca. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  34. ^ "| History of Ringette in Calgary |". www.ringettecalgary.ca. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  35. ^ "| History of Ringette in Calgary |". www.ringettecalgary.ca. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  36. ^ "Canadian Ringette Championships – Ringette Canada". Ringette Canada. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  37. ^ "Canada Games". Canada Games.
  38. ^ "Canada Winter Games".
  39. ^ "2019 Canada Games – Red Deer, Alberta". cg2019.gems.pro. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  40. ^ "2015 Canada Games". Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  41. ^ "2011 Canada Games". Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  42. ^ "2007 Canada Games". Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  43. ^ "2003 Canada Games". Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  44. ^ "1999 Canada Games". Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  45. ^ "1995 Winter Games". Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  46. ^ "1991 Canada Games". Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  47. ^ "USA Women's Bandy vs Canada". February 20, 2016 – via Flickr.
  48. ^ "Winnipeg-based national women's bandy team wins North American crown". winnipegsun.
  49. ^ "National Ringette League Nash a triple threat | NRL". January 9, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-01-09.
  50. ^ Wynn, Thom (December 27, 2012). "USA to Host Canada in Women's Bandy". USA Bandy.
  51. ^ "True North Strong part 1". Retrieved 3 December 2017 – via Vimeo.
  52. ^ "Team Canada/Équipe Canada: Lindsay Burns". Ringette Canada. 21 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 3 December 2017 – via YouTube.

External links


Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ringette.
Retrieved from "https://justapedia.org/index.php?title=Ringette_in_Canada&oldid=1116018698"