Respect Others- True Sport Principle of the Year

Respect Others is the Ringette True Sport Principle of the Year and Ringette PEI wants all of our members including players, parents, coaches, officials and fans to give some thought to what this principle means.  Sport inherently has lots of emotion within it and sometimes those emotions get the better of us and our actions sometimes aren’t in line with this principle.
 
For the 2018-19 ringette season we ask you to think about how you can live out this principle so you can do your part to make sure all the players on both teams and the officials have a very positive and enjoyable season. 

Here are a few things to consider as a coach:

• All eyes are on you.  The players look to you for direction and the fans usually sit across or behind you.  What type of example are you setting and what legacy are you building for yourself with your actions.
• You can and do impact the enjoyment of both teams on the ice and you have a responsibility that both teams leave the ice with their dignity.  Have a plan in place should the score become one-sided so the score doesn’t get out of hand.
• You are responsible for the behavior of your parents.  Please communicate with them early in the season on how you expect them to behave in relation to their cheering in the stands and their comments towards and about the referees.
• Over the past three years, Ringette PEI’s retention rate for officials is less than 25%.  That means for every four officials who took up officiating in the last three years, there is only one that has continued to officiate.    Please make sure that all your dialogue with officials is respectful and that you are setting an example for your team/fans on how to treat and support them. 
• It is never okay to yell at a child/youth who is officiating (this could be said for adults as well).  They are learning and building their confidence in calling a game just as players are learning the skills to play a game.  If you have major concerns with the officiating, please raise your concerns with the director of officials in a calm respectful way after the game is done.  This will give us the chance to work with our officials to improve their abilities.
• Players sign up to play ringette to play.   Please consider fair play and each child’s best interest when dividing ice time.  Is winning at the expense of some children not playing very much really worth it?

We know the job of a coach is not an easy one and you are placed in positions to make lots of decisions throughout games and the season.  We appreciate your work and look forward to you helping Ringette PEI live out our True Sport Principle this season.  Have a great year.

Here are a few things to consider as a parent/fan:

• Remember there are two teams on the ice and at a certain point excessive cheering when your team is ahead and winning easily doesn’t feel very nice for the kids (and parents in some cases) on the other teams.  When your team gets up, remember to tone it down.
• Coaches have a tough job managing lots of things.  If you have concerns please be respectful in raising them and know that you have a board of directors who can assist if there are challenges.
• There is a huge shortage of officials and retaining them has been very challenging.  It’s not an easy job to officiate games and it doesn’t get any easier when fans are yelling at them or banging on the glass.  Give the officials a break and let them call the games.  Coaches and teams have mechanisms in place to raise concerns with officials in a professional way as oppose to having people yelling at them on the ice.
• It is never ok to yell at a child official (or an adult for that matter).  Imagine the official is your child and treat them accordingly.
• You can be an ambassador for the Respect Others principle by reminding those in the stands who are getting too emotionally involved in the game to tone it down.  We all have a responsibility to look after the best interest of all the players on the ice remembering that the majority of them are still children.

We know that watching your children compete is a great source of pride and enjoyment for many parents and fans.  Let’s make sure that the pride and joy we have for our child/team doesn’t come at the expense of another child/team and that we are living the Respect Others principle throughout the season.