St. Catharines Ringette Association: History/Rules
History of RingetteThe 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, Ringette has evolved into a fast paced, exciting sport that combines the speed of hockey with the strategy of basketball. In the game players use a straight stick to pass, carry, and shoot a rubber ring to score goals. For ten years play centered in Ontario and Quebec, however the sport quickly spread across Canada and is now played in all ten provinces and the Northwest Territories.
In fact, the sport has become one of Canada's favorite activities for females, with over 50,000 participants across Canada - a remarkable growth rate for such a young sport.
More than 9,000 certified ringette coaches are registered in the National Coaching Certification Program, and 2,866 registered referees trained under Ringette Canada's National Officiating Program. In addition, there are thousands of volunteers who administer clubs, leagues, and tournaments across Canada.
The explosive growth is continuing internationally with the formation of associations in the U.S.A., Finland, Sweden, Estonia, and France. In addition, Ringette Canada has been instrumental in demonstrating the game in the Netherlands, Switzerland, West Germany and Japan. Ringette is turning out to be one of Canada's fastest growing exports!
Ringette Canada has been following a well planned strategy for development and is now responding to an increasing interest from boys who want to try the game. It is expected that this trend will continue in the future, and when combined with the increasing enrollment of girls and women, ringette will become a very popular sport in Canada and internationally.
General Rules for Ringette
Parent's Guide to the Rules
Ringette is played on any standard hockey rink. Five skaters and a goalie are on the ice for each team, unless of course there are penalalties being served. The object is to score goals on the net of your opponent. How you do that, however, is where Ringette becomes unique. A straight stick, similar to a hockey stick with no blade, is used to pass an 8" hollow rubber ring between team mates.
Play is started by a Free Pass, similar to the start of a soccer game. The ring is placed in the half of the center ice free pass circle closest to the visitors' goalie. On the referee's whistle, the player "taking the free pass" has five seconds to pass the ring to a team mate... and the game is on! Any stoppages in play will result in a free pass to re-start the game, usually in the nearest free pass circle. Some defensive free passes are replaced by a "goaltender ring", again, like a soccer goalie throwing in the ball.
Rules restrict any one player from carrying the ring the full length of the ice (no ring hogs). The ring must be passed over each blue line to another player which means more players can be involved in setting up goals.
Free play lines define restricted areas in the deep offensive and defensive zones. Teams are allowed no more than 3 skaters at a time in these areas, so over-crowding is minimal. A wall of 5 skaters surrounding their goalie would make for little offensive opportunity, don't you think? There are exceptions to this rule, but only when two or more penalties are being served by one team, or if the goalie has been pulled for an extra skater.
Penalties
There is no intentional contact allowed in Ringette, with all the rules geared toward safety. When contact does occur, however, penalties are assessed. The most common are Body Contact, Tripping and Interference, and are usually unintentional as players focus on checking the ring from an opponent's stick or skating to get a loose ring first. Most penalties are 2 minutes, but a 4 minute Major is assessed for actions that are deemed intentional or particularly rough.
Some General Information on Positions:
Defense: The defense shall move the ring up the ice and protect the goalie. She is allowed up to the far extended "thin" red line (the one closer to our visitor's goal). If there are less than three of our team in this forward zone, then a defense player may enter.
Forward: The forward shall move the ring further up the ice and try to score on the opponent goalie. She is allowed up to the far extended "thin" red line (the one closer to our own goal). If there are less than three of our team in this defence zone, then a forward may enter.
General Rules:
* The ring must be passed over both of the blue lines.
* Only three players from the same team (excluding the goalie) are allowed in one zone at any given time (defense or offensive zones).
* No player is allowed in the crease with her stick, skates or body.
* No player is allowed in any of the five circles during the "free passes" other than the designated player.
Thanks to the Ontario Ringette Associate website for the above information.
Equipment
Equipment
The following is a list of the equipment a ringette player (Senior Bunnies to Belles) needs to wear while on the ice:
* CSA approved hockey helmet
* Ringette face mask - the kind with the triangular openings - Leave all of the stickers on!
* BNQ approved neck protector
* Elbow pads
* Protective (ie hockey) gloves
* Girdle (hip/tailbone/genital protector)
* Jill strap if girdle is other than a ringette girdle
* Shin guards
* Hockey/ringette skates (no picks)
* Track pants, cooper-alls or ringette pants
* Ringette stick
* Uniform jersey (provided by RAB)
Note that at the Bunny level the equipment required is as follows:
* CSA approved helmet and ringette face mask
* Neck protector
* Black skates without picks
* Knee protectors and elbow pads -- these can be roller blade equipment, but hockey equipment offers more protection and will be used at the Senior B/B level and up
* Stick -- a proper ringette stick will be required by December, until then a cut off hockey stick will suffice.
What Parents Need to Know about Equipment:
Sticks can be made from broken hockey sticks but watch out for carbon fibers and kevlar as they wreck your woodworking blades. Laminated wood sticks are best. The tip should be tapered over 250 mm. Maximum and 17 to 25 mm. X 27 to 35 mm. The referees have a gauge to measure the tip for compliance. Some dressing over the year will be required as the tip ‘mushrooms’ over. A commercial ringette stick can be bought for under $25.00 and they have a metal tip to prevent the mushrooming. The maximum length is to the height of the underarm with arm extending 90 degrees to the body standing in skates. Individual players may prefer a shorter stick.
Equipment should be dried after each use. A small cloth should be part of each player’s bag for wiping skates and sticks should be carried so the playing end does not bang on the ground.
Skates are the most important as they provide support, mobility and protection. The counter (heel area) and ankle area should be stiff. You can test the heel area by grasping the skate from behind and pinching the two sides together. Twist them – are they soft, limp or pliable? Cheaper skates have cardboard and poor leather in the counter area and when wet or under strain, it will break, crack or soften. The quality of blade determines how often it has to be sharpened, hence, how long it lasts.
When fitting skates, start with one pair of light-weight synthetic socks (cotton socks tend to stick to the skin when wet and cause blisters) and your shoe size. Youth sizes 6 - 13 1/2 , Junior sizes 1 – 6 and Adult sizes 7+. If the skates are too large and you try to take up slack by tightening the laces, the blood circulation will be restricted resulting in cold feet. An ideal fit will place the toe 1/4 inch from the front of the skate. Pretty hard to judge! You can measure this by pushing their foot to the front of the skate. When you can place one finger behind the heel the skate is the right size. The boot should hold the heel ridged like a medical cast. A narrow foot may require leather inserts to take up space in the heel side area. All children have strong ankles but not strong enough for the transition period from shoe to blade. It comes after varying lengths of time. For several years, all children need unyielding ankle support.
To tie the skate, divide it into thirds. The bottom third should be moderate tension (take up slack). The middle third should be slightly looser. The top third needs to be pulled tightly (taking up all loose leather holding the foot firmly). These are relative terms. Good skates will not require bull strength to tie. Do not wrap laces that are too long around the ankle area as it restricts ankle movement.
Sizes are not standard. Try them on. Spring is a good time for used equipment. Good skates can be purchased for between $25.00 and $75.00 depending on new, used and sale price. Remember proper fitting quality skates will improve their skating up to 30%, last for a half dozen children and make skating more fun.