What is Ringette?
Ringette is a unique winter ice sport played primarily by females, but is open to all.  This non-contact sport has players using a straight stick and a hollow rubber ring.  Ringette rules require individuals to pass over each blue line, thus encouraging team play.

Ringette is now played across Canada, including the Northwest Territories.  Ringette boasts a total registration of 20,000 players across Canada and is played internationally in Estonia, Finland, Sweden and the United States.  The sport has also been introduced to Japan, Australia, Czechoslovakia and Switzerland.

History
In 1963, the late Sam Jacks of North Bay, Ontario, created the game of Ringette so that girls in his community would have a team sport to play during the winter months.  His wife, Agnes Jacks, served as the sport’s ambassador at many Ringette Championships and at international events until her death in 2005. Recently, Ringette Canada has developed an athlete scholarship that bears her name.

The sport of Ringette was introduced to Saskatchewan in 1973 by Mr. Bob Gotts of Regina, with the Ringette Association of Saskatchewan established in 1976.

The Game
As with any sport, the rules that govern play can be extensive. The following is a list of the major playing rules:

• Fast paced, non-contact ice sport

• The game can be played on either indoor or outdoor rinks or inside a gym

• Teams consist of between seven and eighteen players, with five skaters and one goaltender allowed on the ice at one time.  In certain situations, however, the goaltender can be pulled and replaced on the ice by an extra skater.

• A free pass (the Ringette equivalent of a face off) is used to start play.  The free pass starts inside one of the five free pass circles on the ice surface.

• In addition to the goalie, each team is allowed three skaters inside the Free Play Line at any one time.

• Players are required to pass the ring over each blue line.  Two blue line passes are not permitted

• The goal crease is a semi-circle with an eight foot radius.  Only the goalie is allowed inside the crease.  Once the ring comes to a stop within the goal crease, the goalie has five seconds to put the ring back into play.

How we do things
Our sport is divided into divisions based on age. Our season runs from October to April and all league games are played at the various arenas in Regina and surrounding area.  You can expect to play at least 22 league games during the season.  Most teams practice during the season and attend various tournaments.  Some teams even travel out of province! 

Our B level teams are divided up equally in order to keep the FUN in our sport.  If teams in our A & AA programs win their respective Provincial Championships they earn the right to represent Saskatchewan at the Canadian Ringette Championships (AA) and Western Canadian Ringette Championships (A).

• U9 (Bunny) (5, 6, 7 & 8 year olds) is our youngest playing division, where fun and learning the basics is foremost.  This is where your child will learn to skate.
   

• U10 (Novice) (8 & 9 year olds) is the next level where fun is still important, but the game is a bit more competitive.  Teams in our novice division will attend tournaments.  Some teams travel out of province for  tournaments.
   

• U12 (Petite) (10 & 11 year olds)  is where your child will most likely learn the position they will favour.  The game is more competitive, with many opportunities to participate in tournaments.
   

• U14 (Tween) (12 & 13 year olds) is when things really start to heat up.  The game is very fast paced and you can really see what  we mean when we say “It is the fastest game on ice”.  Again there are many opportunities for tournaments and participation in Provincial Playoffs.  We offer B and A levels of play at this level.
   

• U16 (Junior) (14 & 15 year olds) is where the emphasis is on technique and tactics.  You will notice more “finesse” in the game.  We offer B, A & AA levels of play.
   

• U19 (Belle) (16, 17 & 18 year olds) is a balance between sport, family, school, and work.  The program is more flexible as players have more commitments.  We offer a B, A & AA program at this level as well.
   

• Our 18+ (Open) division (30 and over) offers a place for the mature athlete.  The schedule is very flexible as is required by these players.  We offer C, B & A levels of play.