Cancellation of elite ringette program challenged

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This article was published 12/04/2022 (1467 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A decision to slash an elite ringette program for females under 14 in Manitoba is facing a serious challenge from players, coaches and parents.

Ringette Manitoba and its member associations have suspended under-14 AA play — the top level for players in that age category — for the 2022-23 season. Instead, the organization will introduce a high-performance developmental program to run in conjunction with an A division.

For many with either current or past ties to the under-14 AA level, the move is a major slip-up.

Caroline Girardin, a former player with the U14 AA Angels who now coaches the team’s U19 squad, started an online petition Friday. Just 72 hours later, it had nearly 1,600 signatures.

“Honestly, it’s the wrong move because I don’t think we should be cutting our elite programs. Female sports get left behind and are really underdeveloped to begin with,” said Girardin, in a recent interview. “Cutting our programs is not the way to go.

“Ringette is such a small community that even taking away the slightest little level or division away can have a huge impact… I’ve seen the impact of having those younger, elite levels for our girls and just how it helps them shape as individuals, players, and as a team.”

But Ringette Manitoba board member Alex Menard said the situation is complicated and the decision to remove the program wasn’t made lightly.

A shortage of players was the motivating factor.

“Essentially what happened is under-14 AA this year was run with two teams (Eastman Flames and Angels) because that’s how many players they had eligible,” said Menard. “There were concerns expressed about the fact they essentially had to only play each other or play exhibition games against some of the under-16 ‘AA’ teams. Obviously, that doesn’t create an insane amount of competition in that loop.

“You’re playing the same team over and over again. It isn’t the experience most want at that age.”

Ringette Manitoba sent out a survey over the holidays to families of eligible under-14 players, and the results showed over 60 per cent were opposed to playing with only two teams. Before the pandemic, the U14 ‘AA’ league typically had three to five squads.

“Most of them wanted five-plus teams to rotate through. So, based on the numbers we have for next year, is it even going to be possible to run a competitive under-14 AA loop?” said Menard. “The conversation wasn’t even at the Ringette Manitoba level. Ringette Manitoba ran the survey because we have access to all the members, but it was the local association presidents who voted only for the 2022-23 season to eliminate U14 AA because there just aren’t the numbers to sustain multiple teams.”

U14 AA Angels coach Karen Morgan said the U14 program is the most crucial age group for development. Morgan coached her daughter, Serena, this season and neither minded competing against older opponents.

Morgan also maintained while the COVID-19 pandemic led to registration numbers being low, a third team would have participated in 2022-23.

“If anything, you always want to play a team that’s better, faster, and stronger because you get to their level. I think it gave us more advantages this year than playing at our level,” said Morgan.

“I wouldn’t have stopped it. I was totally for it. And they didn’t ask the coaches. They didn’t ask the directors. They put a survey out to parents and parents made the decision? I’m the one putting a thousand hours of my volunteer time to do this and the girls are doing well and becoming successful at it. It seemed like they sent it to the wrong people.”

Morgan, Girardin, and others also feel left in the dark as Ringette Manitoba hasn’t offered a proper explanation of the proposed developmental program.

Girardin and her fellow petition supporters have a different idea.

“What we’re proposing is just a rough draft, but at least it’s a plan, is adding an ice time every week or every second week for our young athletes at U12 and U14 ages to come and get a little more of that high performance on top of playing at the AA level so that they are able to develop their skills and we can just become more competent as a ringette community moving forward and competing at our national levels,” Girardin said.

“Cutting is just not the way to go about this.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31