Kylie Thorp only knew the competitive world of puck hogs in hockey when she first tried ringette.
The 11-yea-old from Bradford West Gwillimbury joined the Newmarket and District Ringette Association’s Learn to Play program last year, and she said it was a nice change of pace.
“There are no ball hogs. You just have more fun,” she said. “You get to play more instead of standing on the (sidelines).”
Ringette varies in several ways from hockey, including how players must pass to a teammate on every blue line, which fosters better sportsmanship and an atmosphere ideal for making friends, she said.
Kylie said she originally had wanted to sign up for ball hockey, but with all the local teams filled, her mom suggested ringette — and she has not looked back.
She spent her first season with an under-8 team that spent its time learning the rules, doing drills and playing games for fun.
One of her favourite parts was doing a drill where players skate from one end of the rink to the other, drop down to do a snow angel on the ice, roll over, and then get up and skate back.
“I’m looking forward to doing harder games and learning new rules,” she said, adding she will also get to travel and compete in tournaments. “I just like skating, and when you’re playing ringette you have to participate. I like when we have to skate really fast.”
Kylie, who is a member of the Newmarket Rays, said she hopes more people will come play ringette.
“Just try it for a few games. It’s hard at first (because you have to learn the rules). Once you get it, it’s really fun.”
The next season does not start until the fall, but the ringette association is currently looking for more players to join its teams. There is an early-bird rate available of $100 off sign-up fees until June 30.
Its Learn to Play program is for kids ages four to 10, whether or not they know how to skate, and the association also offers an equipment lending program for players in their first years.
“(Equipment costs) deter a lot of parents from signing up their kids,” said Alyssia Byers, last year’s head coach of the Newmarket Rays.
The lending program takes some pressure off while allowing players time to see whether the sport is for them.
The ringette association has a number of different leagues for all age levels, from under-8 to under-19, as well as teams for people 18 and over.
There is also regional play, which is more for fun, and provincial play, which is more competitive, said Byers.
The sport is dominated by girls, but boys are also welcome, she said.
For BWG’s Byers, ringette is a family affair.
As the Rays’ head coach last year, her husband was the team manager, and her daughters, Hailey, 13, and Erin, 11, are both on the team.
“It was a very rewarding experience to see how much the kids had developed,” she said.
This will be Hailey’s seventh year playing ringette.
“You make a lot of friends. There’s a lot of teamwork involved, and it’s fun to play,” she said.
She goes to regular practices with her team during the season, and she practices with her sister at home once a week, doing skating drills, plays and scrimmages.
“It’s really fun, and it’s a good thing to do for exercise,” she said.
Erin said Hailey’s involvement in the sport inspired her to give ringette a try.
This will be her fifth year of playing and she is hoping to one day pursue it professionally.
“You get to have fun skating on the ice and playing a game with your friends,” she said.
Erin, who used to play hockey, said ringette is similar to the game but faster.
“I really like to skate and learn to get better,” she said. “If you’re a girl and you like to play hockey, you may like to try it.”
Zoe Walters, 13, of BWG, has been playing ringette with the Newmarket Rays for five years.
The goalie said it can be frustrating when she is scored on and her team is losing, but she said she tries to remember not to worry about the score — “It’s just about how you’re playing as an individual.”
Zoe also plays baseball, basketball, football and rugby at W.H. Day Elementary School, but she said ringette is unique and she hopes more people will give it a try.
“It’s a fun sport to play and it’s a good opportunity to make new friends,” she said, “and learn more about a sport that’s not as common.”
For more information about the ringette association, visit newmarketringette.ca.
