As a sport, ringette is considered among the fastest games on ice.
Since its creation in 1963, the mostly female-dominated sport has grown in every province and has sprouted roots internationally in the United States and Europe.
A Come Try Ringette session is coming to the Dr. Carson & Marion Murray Community Centre in Springhill on Nov. 1 from 5 to 6 p.m. and will be followed Nov. 8 by a four-week introductory program at the arena.
The four sessions will run from 9:15 to 10:15 am on Nov. 8, 15, 22 and 29.
Cost for the four-week program is $85 per person.
A Come Try Ringette session is coming to the Dr. Carson & Marion Murray Community Centre in Nov. 1 from 5 to 6 p.m. That will be followed by a four-week introductory program beginning on Nov. 8 from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. Ringette Canada photo
An eight-week program will kick off in January, running from Jan. 10 until Feb. 7. The program is open to youth ages four to 12.
“It’s designed to be low cost and so there’s minimal equipment required,” Ringette Nova Scotia executive director Stacey Sloan said. “The participants will need a hockey helmet with a cage, skates and some sort of protective glove.”
Sloan said sticks will be provided and the organization will have some helmets and cages available.
“It’ll just be some basic skills,” she said. “You don’t have to know how to skate as we’ll have some of the skate assists there. We’ll teach them how to hold the stick, how to pass the ring, how to stab it. The hope, longer term, is we could start a team and then a club.”
After the Come Try Ringette session in Springhill, there will be some exhibition games from 6 to 7 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. among some U12 teams.
“If anyone wants to stay, they’ll be able to watch the games to see how the sport is played,” Sloan added.
For several years, ringette associations in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have been using rinks in Amherst and Oxford, and sometimes Springhill, for games and tournaments. Eventually, Sloan said, the hope is to see the creation of a local Cumberland County ringette association. There is also a growing university league across the Maritimes, including Mount Allison University in nearby Sackville, N.B.
“We’re pretty HRM heavy right now as that’s where the bulk of our players are right now, but we’re growing strategically into others of the province,” she said. “Along with the sessions in Springhill, we’re also hosting an introductory program in Antigonish. We also have an association in Berwick, that’s been there for decades and we’re just starting an association in Colchester.”
The main objective of ringette is to use a stick to hit a ring into the opposing team's goal. Like hockey, the team with the highest score at the end wins.
Ringette is different in hockey in several ways, including:
30-second shot clock: The short shot clock leads to a fast-paced game that requires constant motion.
Everyone wins: The fast pace and constant passing of ringette discourages ring hogs and fosters teamwork.
No-contact policy: There is no intentional body contact, making it much safer than hockey.
Straight stick: Sticks are straight with a specialized tip.
Hollow ring: Rather than a puck, ringette uses a 6-inch rubber ring.
No face-offs: Any stoppage results in a free pass to restart the game.
No offsides: Players can't carry the ring over a blue line. They must pass the ring over a blue line to a teammate.
More protection: Ringette cages (masks) are made with tight triangular or horizontal bars to prevent the stick from penetrating.
