A Sport of Our Own

“There was not one year that I thought about playing hockey instead of ringette,” says Treena Warnick. And with two older brothers, she’d spent a fair amount of time around the game. But from the time a then four-year-old Treena first spotted ringette players heading out to the ice at her local community club, she knew this sport was for her. Twenty-six years later she is still playing. At her side are a group of women who have grown up together on the ice. Wearing the Richmond Kings logo of their youth, they’re one of a number of competitive adult ringette teams that play year round throughout the province.

According to Cheryl Adlard, executive director of the Manitoba Ringette Association, 2,890 Manitoba girls and women played ringette last year, making up 229 teams. And while it’s just over half the number of females that now play organized hockey, these are encouraging numbers for a sport that has seen its share of highs and lows in its relatively short 40-year history.

Developed in 1963 by Sam Jacks in North Bay, On., ringette grew slowly, first in Ontario, and then across the country, hitting its peak in Manitoba the early ‘80s. A decade later, participation dropped dramatically, especially in the province’s rural areas. But things are definitely looking up. Over the last 10 years participation has gone up about five per cent annually, says Don Kozun of Ringette Canada, and is especially high in Winnipeg. “We are currently at the highest registration levels in over a decade. Last season alone we had over 650 new players enter into our sport,” says Adlard.

Besides the 11 and under divisions, which are seeing huge participation increases, a large segment of growth is in the adult or “Open Division” teams. “It’s a non-contact sport and appeals to a lot of women later on when they’re looking for a recreational release,” offers Kozun. “It’s an avenue to stay fit and something that’s a lot of fun.”

For Warnick, playing on a team is both an athletic and social outlet. “I guess I appreciate it more as I get older,” she explains. “It’s time to myself and it forces me to get out and do something with my friends.” Of course she is also a huge fan of the game itself. “I love how ringette is a skating game,” she says. “It’s fast-paced and I love the competitiveness of it.” This competitive streak is especially apparent on Warnick’s Richmond Kings team, where the 12 core players are so dedicated to the game that, despite careers and young families, they hardly ever miss a game. “We’re a very committed team,” agrees longtime team member Marie McGregor, who has been a King for two decades.

McGregor was in Grade 3 when she caught a glimpse of her good friend Treena and her ringette team on the evening news. “I don’t know if I wanted to play because my friend was playing or because it was on TV,” she laughs. Regardless of the reason, McGregor’s hockey-loving dad soon had his eldest daughter on the ice. “I like everything about the it,” McGregor says of the sport, “beginning with the feeling at the start of the season of skating on ice for the first time.”
And while they are no longer the youngest team in the league (“We always laugh that we’re going to be grandmas and still playing”), Warnick says that there are some clear benefits to having played together for such a long time. “We know what each other is going to do on the ice,” she explains. “We know which strategies and plays we’re going to use.”

And while they are no longer the youngest team in the league (“We always laugh that we’re going to be grandmas and still playing”), Warnick says that there are some clear benefits to having played together for such a long time. “We know what each other is going to do on the ice,” she explains. “We know which strategies and plays we’re going to use.”

Strategizing may actually be what sets ringette apart from hockey, to which it is often compared. For Don Kozun, the need for plays makes the sport more akin to basketball. “I love the speed, the finesse. It’s like basketball on ice,” he says. “Coming from a high school basketball background I see a lot of basketball’s philosophy in ringette.”

Teaching kids and parents the ins and outs of ringette has been key to garnering interest from a new generation of players, says Kozun. One of the more successful outreach programs has been the “Come Try It” program run by the MRA. “The goal is getting kids and parents who might not know the sport out for a development session,” explains Kozun. “We get them out on the ice, get them to hold a stick, and bring out AA players, or players from the national league, so they can see how good you can be and the athleticism that you need.” Even if parents think they might want their daughters to play hockey later, he encourages them to consider ringette, where a focus on speed and skating skills helps turn them into better players in either on-ice sport.

Although he’s spent the last 20-odd years moving up through the administrative ranks of the MRA and Ringette Canada, Kozun started out as many parents do, coaching his daughter’s team. Initially he knew nothing about the sport, but learned on the go, continuing to coach Michelle and her teammates, including Warnick and McGregor, from age 11 on.

“We are really like a family now, they are all like my daughters,” he says. “Each year I ask them if they really want a coach, and as long as they let me I’d like to be involved.” The players hope that both coach and players are together for years to come.

“When we were 18 or 19 we saw a team in their 30s and we thought they were so old,” laughs Warnick, “but we also thought it was neat. All of their families were in the stands and we thought that was so cool and said that’s going to be us someday. Now we’re all 30 and starting to have kids and I hope we can keep it up.” For McGregor, it seems impossible that a team this strong could fold. “I honestly can’t imagine 20 years from now not playing together.”

With continued growth levels—Ringette Canada’s strategic plan calls for continued five per cent growth through to 2013—ringette is quickly becoming a life sport for many girls and women. “I think ringette is a great sport for anyone regardless of age or skill level,” says Adlard. “Sports emulate life,” adds Kozun. “They teach you how to succeed and how to accept losses. They teach leadership and build lasting friendships. This team is a perfect example of that.”  

Photo by Ruth Bonneville