Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is ringette?

Ringette is a Canadian sport, played on ice, on skates, predominantly by females, on a standard hockey ice rink, with a rubber ring and a straight stick. There is no intentional body contact allowed.

Ringette rules are designed around speed, teamwork and strategy. Ringette was invented in 1963 by the Northern Ontario Recreation Directors Association (NORDA).

What are the various levels for ringette age groups?

The names of the divisions and ages are as follows (ages cutoff is Dec 31):

Active Start levels 1&2 (4, 5, 6 year olds)

Intended for new players to ringette that aren't ready to play games but rather need to develop skating skills. Fun activities are used to teach basic ringette skills.

U10 Step 1, 2 & 3 (6 to 9 year olds)

U10 Step 1-3 are intended to for skaters to progressively build their skills, being introduced to new ringette rules at each level.

U12 (10 & 11 years old)

U12 is the first time players will play with the full ringette rules. Skills acquired are based on the Stage 3 Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) - "Learn to Train"

U14 (12 & 13 years old)

Skills acquired are based on the Stage 4 Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) - "Train to Train"

U16 (14 & 15 years old)

Skills acquired are based on the Stage 5 Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) - "Train to Compete"

U19 (16, 17 & 18 years old)

Skills acquired are based on the Stage 5 Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) - "Train to Compete"

Open (18 and up)

Open is intended for players that can no longer play in the minor league but want to continue playing ringette as adults

What equipment do I need?

Required equipment for ringette is similar to ice hockey with the biggest difference being the stick and facemask:

Helmet with Ringette Facemask (the cage must have a triangle bar pattern; square bars are not allowed because the stick tip can fit through the spaces)

Neck guard

Shoulder pads

Elbow pads

Hockey gloves

Shin pads

Ringette pants - long covering pants (sometimes call "Cooperalls") with a protective girdle (many come with a 'cup' or a 'jill' built in to protect genitals) OR hockey pants, jill strap/cup, and hockey socks are an acceptable alternative

Hockey skates

Practice jersey (game jerseys are provided by Beaumont Ringette)

Ringette stick - generally lightweight composite or hollow wood, with metal or ridged plastic tips. Ideal stick Length should be under the armpit while wearing skates

Note: Goalies will use goalie pads, Goalie gloves or a blocker and keely (ringette goalie catcher). The Beaumont Ringette Association can supply this equipment if required.

Where do I buy Ringette Equipment?

Most equipment can readily be purchased anywhere that sells hockey equipment. The Ringette sticks, facemask, girdles and pants are only sold by a few dealers:

United Cycle - new equipment and new and secondhand skates (BRA Gold Sponsor)

Totem Outfitters (both new and secondhand)

Evolution Sports - Leduc business that has most equipment (BRA Sponsor)

When is registration?

Registration is usually starts in June for the following September/October season start. It is done online and fees must accompany registration, full payment is required by Sept 15.

What are the fees?

Fees are for budgeted practice ice, jerseys, home game ice and referees. Also included in the fees is registration for the home tournament, and a player and team picture mount. Not included are additional athlete development teams choose to schedule, away tournament fees or other extra events a team may choose to participate in.

Registrations received after July 10 are subject to a fee increase because planning for the next season starts in early July.

Player Level	Registration Fee	Late Registration
Active Start	$285.00	$285.00
Under 10	$425.00	$500.00
Under 12	$675.00	$750.00
Under 14	$705.00	$780.00
Under 16	$715.00	$790.00
Under 19	$725.00	$800.00
Open	Determined by # of players
Ages are based on Dec 31 of the current season

Is there a discount if I have more than 2 children registered

The cost for ice, equipment, jerseys and officials remains the same; therefore registration fees will remain the same. If you have 3 or more players registered, you will be allowed until Dec 31 to pay all your children's fees.

Are there any other fees during the year?

Any fees for away tournaments or other extra ice time are over and above the fees for ringette. As well, any costs for team wear, travel, lodging and food for out of town tournaments will be at the players expense. Any other events the team wishes to participate in will not be covered by the ringette fees noted above. Each team decides amount, when and how they collect additional costs.

Ice Time Expectations

Once evaluations are complete and teams are established, players can expect an average of two-three ice times per week. The exception is the U10 Active Start program who practice solely at 4:30-5:30pm on Mondays.

There will usually be 1-2 practice ice times assigned to each team per week. Ice times and locations will vary dramatically particularly for games and "prime ice time" is not always available. When possible, earlier ice times are allocated to the younger divisions and late evening ice times to the older divisions.

Game times vary but you can expect one, sometimes two games per week. Away games are in and around the Edmonton area. They will be at different times and arenas and may fall on a weeknight. We belong to the Blackgold League which includes Leduc, Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan, Spruce Grove, Hinton, Fort McMurray, St. Albert, Drayton Valley, Edmonton, Pembina, Red Deer and Lacombe. Your team will be "pooled" against other teams which may include some of these away teams. If so, you can expect to travel to their arena during the season, and they will travel here at other times during the season.

Ringette typically takes a break over the Christmas season. Practice and game times continue during the Thanksgiving and Family Day weekends.

Farley Camp (conditioning camp) usually starts the week that school starts, evaluations take place mid Sept, and teams are made and practices start shortly thereafter.

The regular season for games usually begins around Thanksgiving and ends in February. Playdowns (playoffs) are usually done by the end of March for U10. U12 and up will have playdowns in February and Provincials in March. Most teams will elect to participate in tournaments. The number of tournaments entered is decide by the team, parents, and the coaches (Blackgold League does have limits on the number of blackout dates for teams). The location is also up to each team as some are close to town and some are far away. As a rough estimate, most teams will do two "away" tournaments over the year and may involve weekends out of town. We also host our own "home" tournament in October for U10 Step1 - U19 teams. The tournaments are a great deal of fun and a wonderful way for the teams to compete and enjoy the sport of ringette. Ringette Alberta is currently working on ways to allow tournament acceptance to be more equally spread out.

When do I start?

For U10 Step 1 to U19 levels:
Beaumont's Ringette season begins in September with evaluations.
Evaluations usually happened the weekend after the Labor Day long weekend.
Practices start the week after evaluations.
Games usually start the second week of October.

For Active Start:
Active start does not have evaluations.
This beginner program starts in early October.

Volunteer Positions

Along with our coaches, each team needs a committee of parents to fill various volunteer positions. Without the dedication of our non-coach volunteers who step forward each and every season to lend a hand, Beaumont Ringette Association would not be able to maintain a high level of success in our teams and in the integrity of our organization.

Volunteer time is required by each family to help us host Association events, such as tournaments and other fundraising activities that take place throughout the season. Each family will be asked to volunteer 4-8 hours of their time for each child enrolled and will be given the option of picking an event and time that works for them. This is what your volunteer deposit cheque is for. Visit the volunteer page to see what positions are available

Aside from the Executive Board Positions, all positions at the team level are changed and decided upon with the start of each new team and season. The following list is a description of some possible volunteer positions that need to be filled for each team, every season. At the team level it is expected that one parent from each family will become involved in one or more of these positions.

The following positions count as your entire volunteer commitment for the season (for one player):

Head Coach - Responsible for lead coaching role.

Assistant Coach - Responsible for assisting lead coach.

Team Manager - Contact person for team, liaison between coaches, managers, players & parents, primary organizer for team, activities, attend monthly meetings.

Brass Ring Tournament Representatives - 2 Team reps for Brass Ring Tournament planning meetings and weekend coordination

The following positions are mandatory team commitments and do not count towards your volunteer commitment:

Jersey Parent - Responsible for transporting jersey to games/events and cleaning as required.

Timekeeper/Scorekeepers - Responsible for arranging timekeeper/scorekeepers for games.

Shot Clock operators - Run shot clocks at games (U12 and older divisions)

Trainer (optional) - Certified first aider for the team, a coach with first aid may fill this position.

The following positions are optional team commitments that a team may choose to have to distribute responsibilities and do not count towards your volunteer commitment:

On-Ice Assistant - A non-certified coach, who aids coaching staff on the ice during practices

Junior Coach - A player who is at least 14 years of age (not older than 18) and is interested in coaching.

Dressing Room Steward - responsible for helping to get the players ready prior to games/practices (Females only).

Tournament Coordinator - responsible for tournament applications, hotel reservations, itinerary, etc.

Treasurer - Responsible for management of financial resources of team.

Social Coordinator - Responsible for coordination of team social events.

Fundraising Coordinator - Responsible for coordinating fundraising activities if required.

Do we have to attend all the practices and games?

Ringette is a team sport and relies on all the players to participate. Except for illness or other unusual circumstances, it is expected that players will attend all practices and games.

Do we have to host a tournament if we attend tournaments?

Our association hosts the Brass Ring Tournament in October which is our associations largest fundraiser so all teams participate (except Active Start). Your team is responsible for having 2 representatives to help plan the Brass Ring.

Active Start does not participate in the Brass Ring Tournament because most Active Start teams are not ready to play games in October. Active Start fees cover entry into 1 association sponsored local tournament of their choosing.

Can I be a coach?

All parents are encouraged to enroll in the courses for coaches and managers. Coaches are required to have the Community Sport- Initiation Certificate or Competition Introduction (depending on level of coaching) offered by Ringette Alberta. Registration costs for coaches clinics are reimbursed by Beaumont Ringette Association. Managers must complete a self-paced certificate program through Ringette Canada. There must be a certified female coach on the bench for every game. Visit the Coaching page for more information.

Can my child start ringette as an older child even though she has never played?

Players of all ages are encouraged to join ringette. Ringette does require strong skating skills, so players joining in older age groups may also want to register in a power skating program if they are weak skaters and want to close the gap quicker. For further information and discussion please contact the Director of Player Development.

How is ringette played?

While Ringette may initially look like hockey with modified equipment, there are significant differences between the sports. Ringette is a sport that was designed around speed and strategy has alignment with other face paced sports like basketball.

Periods: Most Ringette games consist of 2 periods, the length of period varies depending on age group. At the National Level, Ringette games are played in 4 quarters.

Team: Six players on each team are permitted on the ice at one time. One centre, two forwards, two defenders, and a goaltender (an additional player can be substituted in place of the goaltender).

Shot Clock: Similar to basketball and lacrosse, Ringette is largely a game of possession. Beginning in U12, Ringette introduces a shot clock which limits how long (30 seconds) one team can maintain control of the ring (without taking a shot). Every time possession changes or a shot is taken on the net, the shot clock resets.

Teamwork: Ringette requires teamwork to move the ring from one end to the other, players must pass the ring across the blue lines (they cannot carry the ring over the blue line). This requirement, combined with the "3-In Rule", are largely why Ringette is such a fast sport. Successful teams must make very fast transitions before the opposing teams defense can get setup

3-In Rule: If you've every wondered what the thin red line above the circles is, its called the Ringette line (or Free Play Line)! In Ringette, only 3 skaters from each team are permitted below this line. At younger ages, this is normally your defense and center (defending team) and your forwards and center (attacking team), at older age groups it often become the first 3 players from each team.

Free Pass/Goalie Ring: Play in Ringette commences with one team being given possession and having 5 seconds to distribute the ring. When a player distributes the ring, it is called a free pass, when a goalie distributes the ring it is called a Goalie Ring. There are several rules in Ringette that will result in a stoppage of play and possession change, for example: Passing across both blue lines or having 4 offensive players enter the zone below the ringette line

THE GAME: begins with the visiting team receiving control of the ring on the defending half of the center circle. One player from the visiting team must pass the ring to another player within five seconds of the whistle, without leaving the half circle or crossing the centre line, or else possession is lost and granted to the home team.

What are the rules?

Ringette rules are focused on encouraging a game of speed and strategy. The closest parallel to other sports would be a combination of Basketball, Lacrosse and Hockey. Links to the official rules can be found below: