Atlantic Ringette Consortium Commits to Supporting HP Athletes

ATLANTIC RINGETTE CONSORTIUM COMMITS TO SUPPORTING ATHLETES, ANNOUNCES ATLANTIC EVENT
Following the announcement of the cancellation of the 2021 Canadian Ringette Championships (CRC), the Atlantic Ringette Consortium, comprised of Ringette New Brunswick, Ringette Nova Scotia and Ringette PEI, committed to finding ways to support Atlantic Canada ringette athletes, their competition aspirations and their passion for the sport this season.

The cancellation of the 2021 CRCs was a difficult one; one that did not come easily and was met with sadness and disappointment across the country but it was the right decision to make and the responsible thing to do as the world continues to grapple with this unprecedented health crisis.

While a national event is not in the plans for this season, the Atlantic Ringette Consortium recognizes that there is an opportunity given the progression Atlantic Canada has seen in the past few months with the ‘Atlantic Bubble’ and have agreed to move the Atlantic Ringette Championships, typically held in February each year, to April 2021.
'The Atlantic ringette associations are very fortunate to be in the position we are to use the Atlantic Bubble to our advantage and continue to offer meaningful competition at the high performance (HP) level” said Ringette PEI Executive Director, Victoria Leard.

“The decision to move Atlantics to April will extend the season, giving our athletes something to strive towards and add purpose to their HP training” continued Clarissa Oleksiuk, Executive Director for Ringette Nova Scotia.
Event details including exact dates, game format/rules, location and other event details are still to be finalized and will be shared with the ringette community as they are confirmed.

Britany Gordon, Executive Director for Ringette New Brunswick spoke to the uniqueness this season brings and how the provinces have been working to adapt and create more opportunities for athletes. “As we all return to the ice, we have needed to adapt to adhere to public health guidelines. These guidelines have our sport, all sport really, looking and feeling a little differently than usual. But it has also provided us the opportunity to get creative in our programming. This has resulted in each province modifying their HP programs to include more teams, giving more athletes the opportunity to experience HP play and experience the HP training environment.”

As the other details will be set in the coming months, in order to provide direction for consistent program planning in all three provinces, all three provinces have agreed that the game rosters for the event will be set at twelve (12) players.

It is important that our community and members understand that this announcement is based on the current Public Health regulations and is subject to change based on the direction from the health authorities in each of the three provinces. The health and well-being of all participants – players, coaches, officials and spectators – remains our number one preoccupation and as we plan for the Atlantics we will ensure each decision is made with that as the top deciding factor.