London, Ontario – December 28th, 2012 – Ringette Canada today officially launched its plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the sport during the opening ceremony of the 2012 U19 World Ringette Championship taking place in London, Ontario. In 2013 ringette will be 50 years old and the sport, which was first introduced in 1963 by the late Sam Jacks in North Bay, Ontario, has nearly 30,000 registered players in Canada. It is also played in a number of other countries around the world, including Finland, Sweden, the United States, France, Slovakia, Russia and the Czech Republic.

 

“Our 50th anniversary is a very exciting milestone for our sport and we are pleased to unveil an exciting line up of activities that will allow the entire ringette community to come together and celebrate the fastest game on ice,” said Frances Losier, sport development director, Ringette Canada. “Our goal is to make the 2013-2014 season our best yet.”
 

During today’s launch, Ringette Canada officially announced the dates, locations and details for its all-star weekend and national all-star skills contest, its 30-day 15 city roadshow tour and announced a contest that will begin on January 1st for a trip to the 2013 World Ringette Championship in North Bay, Ontario next December. A 50th anniversary website (www.ringette50.ca) was also launched and Samantha Bell and Junior Jacks, the 50th anniversary mascots, came to life.

A second launch event will occur in conjunction with the 2013 Canadian Ringette Championships in Fredericton, New Brunswick. This event will feature the announcement of local and provincial 50th anniversary celebration events, which will become part of the national celebration festivities. The 50th anniversary celebrations will run through till June 2014.

 

Over the years, ringette has noted many achievements and accomplishments. These include the establishment of a Hall of Fame, which recognizes outstanding ringette achievements and contributions to the development of the sport; the introduction of a Learn to Skate Program for four to six year olds; a successful National Team Program; the introduction of a U19 program; the development of programs such as the National Coaching Certification Program and the National Officiating Certification Program; the development and implementation of a comprehensive Long Term Athlete Development model and a Come Try Ringette recruitment system; and an expanding National Ringette League.