‘Welcome Home.’
That is the theme of the 2019 Provincial Ringette Championships to be held in North Bay, the birthplace of ringette.
The four-day tournament will run from March 14-17.
Hosted by the West Ferris Ringette Association, approximately 1,000 players, plus family and support staff for a total estimated 3,000 people, are expected to descend on North Bay.
“There will be about 70 to 80 teams competing at an ‘A’ level and there will be an ‘AA’ division as well. The ages will range from about 12 to 19,” said Kelli Van Buskirk President of the West Ferris Ringette Association.
There will be close to 200 round robin games.
The top teams in each division will go on to the finals on March 17.
Arenas from around the region will be used to accommodate the number of games being played.
“We’re at West Ferris and Pete Palangio arenas in North Bay, as well as arenas in Astorville, Powassan, South River, Sundridge and Trout Creek. So we’re really spreading out.”
It has been awhile since North Bay hosted a major provincial ringette championship. The World’s were five years ago. And two years prior to that, the city hosted the U12 provincial championships.
Provincial Tournament Chair Niko Gregorin says it’s a good opportunity to put the spotlight on the sport and the city.
“North Bay and area residents will have the chance to watch some really high calibre ringette, and the city will gain some wonderful exposure through the thousands of visitors and the media attention.”
Former City Parks and Recreation director Sam Jacks is credited with inventing the sport in North Bay in 1963, as another option for girls to get involved in winter sport.
It is now being played in arenas around the world by people who have a real passion for the sport.
“When we talk about ringette, we talk about a ringette family. It’s more than just a sport to us,” said Van Buskirk.
“Ringette has really, really spread. Across Canada there’s over 30,000 players, and around the world, it’s played in Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and the United States. Even Abu Dhabi has a small ringette league, I follow them on Facebook. Ringette has a real following around the world.”
Organizers say the outpouring of support for ringette has always been "amazing" and they hope the community will come out and support this major sporting event.
