The Dorchester Ringette Association has been helping young women in Dorchester develop their skills and self confidence for more than three decades. Countless volunteers and parents have worked together to create a positive experience for young women tyring to stay active and have fun.
ABOUT RINGETTE
Ringette is a Canadian sport that was invented in 1963 in North Bay, Ontario by the late Sam Jacks. There are currently over 27,000 players on nearly 2,000 teams across Canada with over 2,400 officials and 5,000 coaches. Internationally, it is played in half a dozen other countries around the world. Ringette has been designated a Heritage Sport by Sport Canada and as part of the Sport for Life movement, ringette is well advanced at adapting Sport Canada’s Long Term Athlete Development model. For more information, please refer to the Ringette Canada Web site at www.ringette.ca.
Ringette, like hockey, is played on ice with skates and sticks. Each team consists of six players – two defenders, one center, two forwards, and a goalie – with an objective to score goals. But the resemblance to hockey ends here.
The stick is straight. The object being pursued by players is a rubber ring, not a puck. There is no intentional body contact. There are two 20-minute (15-minute for younger divisions) periods. And the rules of ringette make it a wide-open and dynamic sport.
The emphasis is on play-making and skating skills. Players cannot carry the ring across the blue lines on the ice. Only three players from each team, plus the defending goalie, are allowed in the end zones at the same time, which keeps the play open, puts a premium on sharp offensive moves, and requires defending players to skate close to their opponents. These features of the game demand the development of keen skating skills that give ringette players fantastic skating speed and agility.
THE GAME
Image courtesy of BC Ringette Association (provided by Ringette Canada’s Webpage)
EQUIPMENT
