Sometimes in sports, it truly isn’t about whether you win or lose – it’s about how you get along with fellow players who share the same passion for the sport.
That’s the message the Big Country Zone Two Ringette Association hoped to spread last weekend as they hosted the Rusty Ring Tournament – a series of exhibition games designed to reconnect the community and encourage players to be fierce on the ice … but friendly when they’re off.
“It’s all about friendship,” said chairperson Tanya Ferguson. “You play a competitive game, but off the ice let’s hang out a little bit ... get to know the people behind the mask.”
The round robin style tourney saw Zone 2 U14AA and U16AA teams compete in four games, as well as in a skills competition. While the Cochrane Rockies U14AA went 1-1-2 and U16AA pulled in a 1-3 record over the course of the two-day event, Ferguson stressed the weekend was more about the rapport than the reward.
“There’s no medals,” she said. “You’re reconnecting with the kids you may have met in camps. You notice the girls in the lobby start to exchange their Instagram accounts.”
U14AA coach Laurie Reeve said she and her staff were proud of the way their girls handled themselves both on and off the ice.
“It gave the girls a chance to get to know themselves and their abilities, their teammates and some of the other players from across the province,” she said
The Zone 2 U19A team also participated in the Rusty Ring tournament, and coach Steve Rosenberg said it was a chance for “athletes and parents to connect for the first time as a team.”
Ferguson says she hopes the camaraderie the girls experienced on the weekend will continue throughout the season.
“It’s the whole philosophy of ‘friends first,’” she said. “I think that’s what makes ringette unique to other sports.”
