Its official, the 2011 Tim Hortons Candian Ringette Championships have started!
It all started yesterday... Teams practiced, attended the coaches meeting and the athlete forum. Then they were off to the opening ceremony.
I had the privilege to lead the athlete forum again this year. The 30 athletes who were in the room were very dynamic, energetic and ready to share their thoughts. A lot of great discussion, ideas and questions came up during this year’s forum. Things to look for in the coming months: the formation of an athletes’ council, Q&A videos on ringette specific topics, activity on our social media networks from our athletes. Stay tuned!
I also can’t mention our athletes without once again pointing out that they are the BEST. All who attended the forum this year were phenomenal people. Our younger generations have outstanding role models to look up to.
The opening ceremony was.... short. Coming in at just under 25 minutes, it has to be the shortest opening ceremony in the history of this event.
It was great to see all of the athletes come together in one room. The opening ceremony is always a great event; you can feel the excitement and the energy in the room. There is certainly no shortage of smiles on the athletes faces.
This year I got to see that first hand. As I was co-hosting the event with @ChaseVanExel that meant I was up on the stage... all eyes and smiles were on us. (Sidenote – @ChaseVanExel totally needs to get his followers up... as mentioned at opening he only has 2! Help a guy out will you.)
Although our stint on stage was short, it was enjoyable and we are looking forward to the closing ceremony. One thing is certain, the closing will most certainly last longer... at least 27 minutes... LOL
Today the teams hit the ice!
The athletes put on a great show on day 1. Fans were treated to fast paced games all day. The speed of this game never ceases to amaze me.
The success of the host teams was the talk of the rink for the day.
The U16 team is currently 2-0. They came from behind to pull off their second win of day. Down by one goal against Alberta, Cambridge scored with 20 seconds left on the clock to tie it up with a goal by Shaelyn Reaman (her third of the game). Expecting to see this game go into overtime, they then surprised everybody and scored a game wining goal 16 seconds later. Chantal Gauthier put one passed the AB goalie with four seconds left on the clock.
The host U19 team are also a team to talk about today. With Jennifer Gabel leading her team with two goals to a 2-1 victory over Ontario, they are off to a great start in this full round robin event.
So after one day of competition... who do you think is going to take home the gold? Still 5 more days to go before the trophies find a new home.
Laynski was the photographer for the day. Check our our photos on our Flickr site. Photos will be uploaded daily.
For those of you who were following the WRC or the CWG blog you might be wondering how come I have not shared any Laynski/Franski or Frick and Frack. We have not yet had a chance to go on any adventure. But the week is young. We still have plenty of time to get into ‘trouble’.
Tune in tomorrow...
- Franski
