Reflections and Milestones from the 1970s

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• Reflections and Milestones from the 1970s
• Wayne Page, Former Director of Sport Development
  1975 1981, Ringette Alberta

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Historical Highlights1963 - 1996

• In 1963, Sam Jacks and Red McCarthy developed the
  sport of Ringette in North Bay, Ontario. The
  on-ice game for girls would provide the
  excitement of a team sport without the body
  contact.
• The sport of Ringette was first introduced to
  Alberta during the 1974-75 season.
• A very small group of people had heard of and or
  seen this sport being plated in the East it was
  sort of like floor hockey, but was played on ice
  with the girls wearing skates.
• In 1974 girls could take part in either a very
  limited girls hockey program in some communities
  or they could figure skate.
• In Alberta, Sherwood Park was the first to
  introduce the game of Ringette. They did so in
  1974 under the guidance of Fred Rusnak, who had
  just moved to Alberta from the east. Shortly
  thereafter Leduc and Lacombe became involved.

• In October 1975, Alberta Recreation, Parks and
  Wildlife sponsored an introductory clinic in the
  town of Leduc. The clinic boasted an attendance
  over 60 participants from throughout the
  province, which in turn stimulated 25 new
  communities to offer the sport.
• Joan Wood from Edmonton, Wayne Page of Stettler
  and Harry Stuber of Big Valley played significant
  founding member roles in the development of
  Ringette Alberta.
• Exhibition games were organized in several
  communities throughout the areas from Big Valley
  to Slave Lake during the 1975-76 season. These
  games were intended to promote the sport and were
  accompanied by a clinic on game philosophy and
  rules of play.
• October 1975 was the focal point for the first
  organizational step in the creation of Ringette
  Alberta.

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• In November 1975 a steering committee meeting was
  appointed to establish a provincial association.
  Helen Greaves provided the committee with an
  overview of government assistance available to
  PSOs, under the chairmanship of Nelson Ball.
• Fred Rusnak, Howard Hesjedal and Nelson Ball lead
  the clinic agenda, which included pre-game
  discussion, rule interpretation, a demonstration
  game, a referees clinic and the provision of rule
  books and resource materials.
• In January of 1976 Leduc sponsored Albertas
  first invitational tournament for teams in the
  Edmonton area.
• In February 1976 the first Alberta team journeyed
  outside the province to compete in a tournament.(
  Sherwood Park Belles was Albertas representative
  at the Manitoba Ringette Associations annual
  tournament)
• Also in February of 1976 promotional success was
  achieved as five minutes of coverage was provided
  on Edmonton CTV, the first television coverage of
  the game in Alberta and Western Canada.
• In December 1976 the first ever coaching clinic
  was conducted by the Ontario Ringette
  Association. (Site, Sherwood Park)

• Ringette Alberta was incorporated on the 17th day
  of February 1976, with signatures from Bob
  Tailleur from Spruce Grove Nelson Ball, Jack
  Lukey, and Phil Rogers from Sherwood Park and
  Debbie Drake Gabinet from Leduc.
• The first Annual General Meeting of Ringette
  Alberta was held in the Archbishop Jordan High
  School in Sherwood Park on April 3, 1976.
  Representatives from 11 communities were in
  attendance and reported that 500 girls were
  playing the sport in Alberta.
• Ringette Albertas first elected President was
  Nelson Ball of Sherwood Park.
• In 1977 Ringette Alberta announced that the
  number of players/teams playing the sport were as
  follows 115 girls Sherwood park 105 girls
  Fultonvale 12 girls Big Valley/Stettler 100
  girls Spruce Grove 30 girls.
• In June of 1978 Ringette Canada held its first
  planning meeting in Banff Alberta. Alberta sent a
  team to participate in the Peace River Winter
  Games, as a demonstration sport.

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• 1979 was a difficult year for the growth of
  Ringette Alberta. Records show that there were 23
  teams registered for the season, with 271
  registered players. The AGM was held in Leduc and
  only the executive of Rinette Alberta were in
  attendance.
• In 1980 the motion was passed at the AGM to
  support, that at least one coaching member of the
  bench staff would be an adult female, starting at
  the 1981 Alberta Provincials. Ringette Alberta
  joined with the Edmonton Federation Ringette
  Association in hosting the first Ringette Canada
  AGM in September. Records indicate a dramatic
  increase in registrations for this season, with
  930 players registered and 75 teams. Alberta
  participated at the Alberta Winter Games in
  Grande Prairie and at the 2nd Ringette Canada
  Nationals, held in Waterloo, Ontario.
• At the 1981 AGM there were six associations
  registered to vote and there were also six zones
  with designated representatives. In the referees
  certification program Alberta had 51 officials
  registered 41 community, four regional, five
  provincial and one national accredited. There
  were 81 coaches with level 1 technical.

• At the 1982 AGM Ringette Alberta named their
  first class of Honorary Members Nelson Ball,
  Howard Hesjedal, Harry Stuber, Jane Burns, and
  Dorothy Heidman.
• Ringette Alberta was on the move in 1983,
  increasing from 6 associations in 1980-81, to 27
  associations in 1983. Player registration
  increased to 1600 and Ringette schools began to
  develop in Edmonton and in Calgary. Al Munro of
  Calgary chaired the first Western Canadian House
  League Friendship Games. The 5th Ringette Canada
  National Championships were held in Alberta, with
  five hundred players from 24 teams participating
  in the event.
• In 1984 Alberta recorded continued registration
  growth from 1600 to 2150 player members. Alberta
  members received their first edition of the
  Ringette Alberta Newsletter that was published in
  October. The Edmonton Federation Ringette
  Association hosted the Silver Ring Tournament
  that was attended by 48 teams.
• 1985 was known as the year of change, many teams
  were experimenting with rule changes to the game.
  Extended Zone - No Zone rules were the talk of
  the day. The introduction of the A,B,C divisions
  were infused into the matrix of the sport,
  stimulating a 19 percent increase in membership
  growth from the previous season.

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• The Lacombe Ringette Association celebrated 10
  years of Ringette in 1986. Alberta had five
  players selected to the National Team that
  season.
• During 1987 President Ernie Bamber witnessed
  several changes within the Ringette community.
  Ringette Canada required all bench staff to be
  fully certified at level 1 N.C.C.P. and that at
  least one member must be an adult female. Player
  registration had crested at 3476 and the hot
  topic of the season was now, should male
  participation be encouraged within the sport. The
  introduction of the Notice division was initiated
  by Ringette Alberta. Updates to playing equipment
  was also the focus in this year Girdles,
  Shoulder pads and improved face masks saw
  necessary investment. National Championships
  reverted to a full round robin format, with a
  championship round for the four top teams in each
  division. The Alberta Sports Council awarded
  Ringette Alberta with the necessary funding to
  hire RAs first Professional Staff member, along
  with a computer system that assisted Ringette
  Alberta to move away from the kitchen table
  operation and become more mainstream as a
  credible PSO.

• A new provincial association logo was designed
  and approved in 1988, as well as, the first issue
  of the Ringin Out Magazine published. Alberta
  continued to supply the National Team with
  skilled players, ten deserving ambassadors from
  our community wore the national jersey that
  season.
• 1989 saw a major rule change, the 30 second time
  out per game was introduced. The first Western
  Canadian Championships were held in Edmonton in
  December, which as a result, produced a Alberta
  Champion that represented Western Canada at the
  first World Championship in Gloucester in the
  early part of 1990.
• The Alberta Sport Council increased the base
  level funding again in 1990, due to the
  associated growth of Ringette in the province.
  The 1990s ushered in decisions affecting the
  coaching staff certification status requirements,
  level 2 NCCP was now mandated for all staffs and
  all team managers had to register for the
  Managers Certification Course. The Canada Winter
  Games coaching staff for 1995 would have to be
  fully certified at a level 3 status.12 players
  from Alberta made the National team in 1990.

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• 1991 saw Ringette Alberta host the first
  technical level 3 course in May. Many of the
  tournament staged in Alberta were now required to
  be sanctioned by the PSO on behalf of its
  members. With 3818 players now registered the
  element of safety had become an issue once again.
  The sport had become of age with regards to speed
  of play and the amount of available skilled
  players in the game. Throat protectors now became
  mandatory. The Ringette community also took
  notice of what was happening in our province,
  with the gold result at the first Canada
  Winter Games, held in PEI.
• Once again the rules of the game were changing.
  Teams in the East and West experimented with the
  3 in rule, making the game even faster for the
  players. In 1992, as well, the 2nd World
  Ringette Championships were held in Finland. Two
  teams were sent from Canada. Ringette Alberta
  hired its first Provincial Coach to develop a
  action plan for the Canada Games for 1995.

• In 1993, Ringette Alberta recorded increases in
  registration to the mark of 4109, However, Zone 8
  saw their numbers decrease, especially with the
  older girls, due to the introduction of ladies
  hockey. As of February there were 600 carded
  officials in Alberta. This was the first year
  that the Intermediate division was included at
  the National Championship Level.
• In 1994, the Board was restructured to further
  represent the province and the delivery of
  programs and services to its membership. Alberta
  witnessed a very successful Canada Winter Games
  Team vs. Alberta Alumni contest. Sport outreach
  programming moved its clinic format into rural
  Alberta. The introduction of the Ringleader,
  the associations new publication edited by the
  professional staff.
• In June of 1995, the first edition of the
  Ringleader newsletter was produced and mailed to
  its membership. As of July of the same year,
  Ringette Alberta had grown to a level of 60
  associations, 318 teams and 4094 registered
  players province wide.

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• Ringette Alberta celebrated its 20th Anniversary
  on February 17th, 1996. Several years have passed
  since a small group of people decided that
  Alberta needed a new sport, a winter sport on
  ice. Those Ringette founders had few resources
  other than their own determination and finances
  with which to build a new sport and a new sport
  organization.
• As Ringette Alberta opens a new chapter in its
  32nd season and continues to offer its membership
  a full array of programs and services, it is
  ultimately the individual member that will
  determine weather or not the effort expended in
  the formative years and what was envisioned for
  the sport has been realized.
• Ringette Albertas Current Vision
• To Be The Most Innovative And Well
  Managed Sport Association In Canada and
• To Make Ringette The 1
  Sport Choice For Female Athletes.