This is why I PLAY

Ask a child why they play sports. You might be surprised by the following responses:

• To have fun
• To experience thrills
• To be with friends
• To make new friends
• To do something I am good at
• To feel good about myself
• To feel accepted
• To learn new skills
  

Huh?... that’s funny I don’t see TO WIN anywhere in that list… who would have thought?

S&H… in the SK

SEEN

• Oh the prairies!
• I just want to say that I LOVE Saskatchewan. I lived there for six months in 2005, and have loved it ever since!... oh the SK!
• Over the lunch break we watched parts of the World Championship final… great Ringette… was secretly hoping the result would be different…

HEARD

• “Why not use this as part of a TV show? Something along the lines of Test the Nation.”
• “I recently had a conversation with my mother, and she told me that one of the first years I played Ringette, my team lost all of our games. I was surprised to hear this because I remember having so much fun and enjoying myself, but I don’t recall any of the losses on the scoreboard.”
• “I agree that Petite AA is…"

Back to the SK…

First… apologies for the delayed update on the SK AGM presentation… no excuses, it’s been two days already …

But I’m here now and ready to update you all!


Let me start by saying, that I appreciated the fact that they held off on the snow at least until I left on Sunday morning.

The presentation went very well and the group was keen on a lot of the concepts. As expected there are a few concerns when it comes to the implementation process.

Thank you to Saskatchewan Ringette for welcoming me. It was great to see you all again or meet you for the first time. I hope to see you all again soon in our Ringette Travels!

And, thanks for the jacket!

play it. love it. live it.

-FL

S&H... Ringette Alberta

SEEN:

• Wow, they really pulled out all the stops in Calgary. In order to remind us that we are a winter sport, and to ensure that we are still in ‘ringette mode’ they called in a snow storm! Thanks Calgary!
• Please note that I left Sunny Ottawa - were it was +20 shorts weather – yesterday morning to step off the plane… in the snow. Good thing I brought a jacket! J

HEARD:

• "If all your kids want to do is play games, your practices must really be boring”
• “Kids play ringette because its fun and they can be with their friends”
• “Most of the time, the younger kids don’t even know if they’ve won or lost… their team wins one game at a tournament and they think they’ve won the whole thing!”

S&H…

Over the course of the Roadshow, I will be providing a Seen and Heard (S&H) section. Essentially this will include memorable moments that take place in each of the provinces as well as notable comments from the membership.

(No worries, I will keep it anonymous! So please don’t hesitate to ask questions and make comments throughout )

play it. love it. live it.

-FL

The Travelling Roadshow takes on Alberta…. (Ringette Alberta AGM)

So last night, I presented the Ringette Specific LTAD presentation for the first time. A very primitive version of this was presented to our Board of Directors earlier this month, but since then I have brought many changes to the content and the delivery.

All in all I have to say that round 1 went…GREAT!

The messages were clear, the group interacted very well and the wrap up included great discussion and feedback.

I must also make a note of the fact that stating the words “NO MORE TIERING IN PETITE” proved to be less painful than anticipated. (I guess I won’t be needing the bodyguards after all…lol).

Don’t get me wrong, this did generate a great deal of discussion. But the main focus and concerns were surrounding the implementation of this new way of doing… rather than being dead set against the idea. More on that later….

Another implementation road block that was addressed was the need for more facilities – we don’t have enough ice time as it is. This is a growing problem that we must be aware of as we move forward. Early steps have been taken with initiatives such as Pond to Podium 1. But that’s implementation… we’ll get to that shortly.

Before I sign off I just want to thank Ringette Alberta and its staff for the warm welcome and the opportunity to present at their AGM. I wish I could have stuck around for more of the sessions on Saturday. With the line up of guest speakers and events, they truly had a top notch event organized. I hope to have the opportunity to work with this group again in the near future.

Up next… Regina for the Saskatchewan Ringette AGM this afternoon.

** 1. A partnership between Ringette Canada, Hockey Canada, Skate Canada, Speed Skating Canada and Canadian Parks and Rec. The main goal is to work towards obtaining new facilities as well as getting people to skate.

Le “Travelling Road Show”

Vous voulez en savoir plus? Je fais la tourné des AGA provinciaux afin de parler du Model de DLTA spécifique à Ringuette Canada. Voici les endroits et les dates :

18 avril AGA - Alberta– Calgary
19 avril AGA - Saskatchewan– Regina
2 mai AGA - Colombie - Britannique - Kamloops
4 mai AGA - Nouveau Brunswick - Rogersville
6 mai Ile du Prince Édouard - Charlottetown
10 mai AGA – Manitoba - Winnipeg
24 mai AGA Nouvelle-Écosse - Halifax
7 juin AGA Ontario – Niagara on the Lake
--- AGA Québec

Au plaisir de vous voir!
-FL

What is LTAD?

Many of you may be confused by this term…
What does it mean? Do we have to do this? Where will it come from?

LTAD = Long Term Athlete Development.

What is it?
A Sport Canada initiative which:

• Integrates training, competition and recovery programming with relation to biological development and maturation
• Offers equal opportunity for recreation and competition
• Is participant/athlete centred coach driven and parents, officials, administration, sport medicine & sport science and sponsor supported
  

Want to learn more? Visit www.LTAD.ca

OUR SPORT. OUR PASSION.

Over the next few months Ringette Canada will takes its first step towards its new Long Term Athlete Development model.

As part of this I will be travelling to every Provincial AGM (as part of what I like to call the LTAD Travelling Road Show) to give some insight on what lies ahead with our sport as well as to gather some feedback from the Ringette Community.

As a means of keeping you all informed throughout the process I will be blogging about the process, the questions, the concerns and the ideas that come about throughout my travels.

Hope you enjoy!

-FL

Huh?

Ring what?... yes you heard right: RingNation.

All you Ringette players, officials, coaches, parents, sponsors, administrators and fans can all be part of the RingNation!

You play it, love it or live it?… join RingNation!

The view from here…

Hi, I’m Frances, nice to meet you and thanks for checking in to our brand new Blog.

I have been Technical Director here at Ringette Canada since September of 2006. Over the past year and a half this position has allowed me to be involved in many aspects of our great sport: from Canada Games to National Championships to World Championships… Programs such as Coaching and Officiating … Developing our Team Canada Programs (Senior and U19)... and last but not least Long Term Athlete Development.

As you will notice, I’ve seen quite a bit already. I must say that the best part by far has been working with amazing people throughout. Board Members, Committees, Coaches, Officials, Volunteers and Athletes… I have learned so much and look forward to learning so much more.

Okay! Well now you know a little about what I’ve gotten up to in the past year and a half since I started, but now I get the ultimate perk of reaching out and bringing you a different look into the world of ringette!

This blog will allow for me to share with you what is going on within our sport, where were are going and hints as to what to expect in the future. Think of it as an inside look of what goes on behind the scenes… my view from here.

If you’ve got something to share, I want to hear it, so don’t be shy! Send in your questions and comments and I’ll do my absolute best to address them because this blog is for YOU!

Be a part of RingNation!

play it. love it. live it.

-FL