Pickering Ringette Association

What is Ringette?
What is Ringette?

The Sport of Ringette was developed in 1963 in North Bay, Ontario, by the late Mr. Sam Jacks. Originally designed to be a unique winter team sport for girls and an alternative to hockey, Ringette has evolved into a fast paced, exciting sport that combines the speed of hockey with the strategy of basketball. The first game played in Espanola, Ontario, was nothing like the sport of today.

The History of Ringette in Canada

Sam Jacks
Ringette was invented by Sam Jacks in 1963. As Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of North Bay, Sam saw the need for a winter sport for females. Working on this premise and utilizing existing recreational facilities, Sam presented the idea of Ringette to the Northern Ontario Directors of Municipal Recreation Association in 1963.

The sport was developed and refined to become one of the most popular winter sports in Ontario.

Red McCarthy
At the request of the Northern Ontario Directors of Municipal Recreation, Red was the first to take the rules of Ringette from paper to the ice. Refining some of the basic concepts, Red organized the first Ringette game ever in Espanola in 1963-64

* *A more indepth History of Ringette in Canada can be found at Ringette Canada's web site.* *

Facts About Ringette
Some Facts about Ringette in Ontario

Ontario Ringette boasts a membership of over 120 Local Associations with 10,763 players registered (over 500 players are male). An estimated 5,000 + unregistered players are also participating in schools and Recreation Center programs. 1,200 coaches, 800 referees and countless volunteers are also active in Ringette.

Six Regional Committees oversee many programs offered to our members, from National Coaching and Officiating Certification Program Clinics, to Regional Championships and Sanctioned Tournament play. The Regions are there to help the members administer local programs too.

Levels of play are C, B, A, and AA. Over 60 tournaments are held throughout the season, with Regional Championships being the highlight for B and C, while Provincials are the finale for the A level and Petite and Tween AA. Each year Provincial Champions in the Junior, Belle, Deb and Intermediate AA divisions earn a berth at the Canadian Ringette Championships. Ontario teams have won many National Titles.

Also available to the elite athlete, AAA Belle Team Ontario is selected every four years for Canada Winter Games competition. The older divisions form the AAA Team to compete against the other provinces with the victor representing Canada at the bi-annual World Championship.

What next? The Olympics are not far off!