A day to remember...
Sunday, September 29th, 2013 will be forever etched in the minds of players, fans and newcomers to the sport of Ringette thanks to RHRA hosting a full day of events at Elgin Barrow Arena to kick off the 50th Anniversary of Ringette.
The day inclu
ded a 50th Anniversary Road Show with Activity Zones for the kids to try shooting and handling the ring; a feature game between the U14AA Richmond Hill Lightning and Ajax Shooting stars; 2 Skills Clinic sessions; a Come Try Ringette event for newcomers; along with a Legends game made up of players who have donned the Team Canada jersey during the past 25 years.
The Legends game included celebrity guest athlete and three time Olympic medalist, Cartiona Le May Doan, who played ringette as a youngster and credits the sport with helping her develop the skills that allowed her to
capture two Olympic gold medals and one bronze in speed skating.
Catriona has become somewhat of an unofficial Ambassador for Ringette since returning to the sport about three years ago after signing up her own daughter in their local ringette league.
“It truly builds incredible skaters,” she said. “And, more even than being active, it builds confidence in girls. Because of the passing, you don’t have one kid who goes out there and dominates. … It’s very inclusive because all the girls touch the ring. I love it. It’s a game for life, it truly is.”
After the Legends game ended, Catriona remained on the ice to pose for pictures with young players coming onto the ice for a skills clinic. Catriona autographed the jerseys and helmets of several young players before changing and moving to the Lobby to accommodate more autograph seekers.
In the Legends game, play started out slowly with a very “friendly” feel, however once Team Belle (in black sweaters) jumped into an early 3 – 0 lead the play switched to a much more high tempo approach where the players began showing the type of play that earned them a spot on Team Canada over the years. 
Team Jacks (in white sweaters) stormed back to tie the game at 3, then traded a couple of goals before taking their first lead of the game at 6 – 5 heading into the intermission. When the teams returned to the ice, the players continued to entertain the fans with a high tempo, face paced game where Team Belle eventually won the first ever Legends game by a score of 11 – 9.
In the U14AA feature game, the teams traded goals early in the contest before Richmond Hill took over the game on route to a 10 – 4 win. Leading the way for Richmond Hill were Rachel Dickie and Gabriela Fiorino each recording a hat trick with multi point performances from Jada Laliberte, Alice Sandiford and Nadia Mattucci.
The day also allowed over 40 newcomers to the sport to take to the ice after the U14AA game to try their hand at stick handling and moving the ring around the ice during a free “Come Try Ringette” event.
The official mascots of Ringette “Samantha Belle” and “Junior Jacks” were also on hand to entertain the youngsters who were partaking in the various 50th anniversary activity zones.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of the many volunteers who gave their time to ensure the success of such a special day. The Richmond Hill Ringette Association continues to demonstrate what can be accomplished when you have a terrific supporting cast.
Thanks to all who made this day happen!