Rules Development Chair - Ontario Ringette Association

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TRIBUTES ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
SAM JACKS, FOUNDER...................................................................................................................................................... 3
AGNES JACKS, AMBASSADOR............................................................................................................................................ 3
MISSION STATEMENT ..................................................................................................................................................... 5
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE ............................................................................................................................................. 7
AGENDA ............................................................................................................................................................................ 8
MINUTES OF THE 2014 ORA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING .................................................................................... 10
ONTARIO RINGETTE ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT TEAM..................................................................................... 20
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORTS............................................................................................................................ 22
PRESIDENT..................................................................................................................................................................23
VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATION................................................................................................................................25
VICE PRESIDENT TECHNICAL........................................................................................................................................26
ATHLETE DIRECTOR....................................................................................................................................................27
REGIONAL DIRECTORS REPORTS.............................................................................................................................30
CENTRAL REGION.........................................................................................................................................................31
EASTERN REGION.........................................................................................................................................................31
NORTHEAST REGION.....................................................................................................................................................32
SOUTHERN REGION...................................................................................................................................................... 33
WESTERN REGION........................................................................................................................................................35
PROGRAM CHAIRS REPORTS.....................................................................................................................................36
ADULT DEVELOPMENT..................................................................................................................................................37
COACHING DEVELOPMENT............................................................................................................................................38
ELITE DEVELOPMENT...................................................................................................................................................39
MEMBERSHIP SERVICES...............................................................................................................................................40
OFFICIATING DEVELOPMENT.........................................................................................................................................41
SPORT DEVELOPMENT..................................................................................................................................................44
GAMES AND TOURNAMENTS..........................................................................................................................................44
STAFF REPORTS...........................................................................................................................................................45
EXECUTIVE DIRECOR....................................................................................................................................................46
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR..................................................................................................................................................47
2015 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS..................................................................................................................................50
1
Sam Jacks, Founder
s
am Jacks, Director of the North Bay Recreation
Department, invented Ringette™ in 1963. Through his
insight to develop a winter team sport alternative to boys’ hockey,
Ringette™ has grown into a world-class amateur sport in just 40
short years.
Agnes Jacks C.M., Ambassador
c
ontinuing the work of her late husband, Mrs. Jacks held
the esteemed title of “Ringette Grand Dame” for the role
she has played out of the goodness of her heart for, shall we say, the thousands of
daughters she never had (mother of 3 sons). Agnes attended countless Ringette™
functions and events not only in Ontario, but also across Canada and the World, reminding
all of us about the history of Ringette™, its purposes and philosophies.
In 2002 Agnes Jacks was inducted as a member of the Order of Canada. Mrs. Jacks was
recognized for her outstanding efforts on behalf of the sport of Ringette™ in Canada and
internationally.
2
REMEMBERING AGNES JACKS C.M.
A Member of the Order of Canada, Agnes Jacks was the widow of Sam Jacks, who
invented the sport of Ringette™ in 1963 in North Bay, Ontario. While the sport lost Mr.
Jacks’ guiding hand through his untimely passing in 1975, the Ringette™ community
continued to benefit greatly from Agnes’ dedicated and enthusiastic promotion of the sport
both within Canada and around the world.
Over the years, Agnes proved herself to be truly dedicated, not only to the sport but also to
the people in Ringette™. She faithfully attended numerous Ringette™ tournaments and
championship events and never failed to provide just the right word of enthusiasm or
congratulations to players, coaches, officials and spectators. The Ringette™ community
appropriately laid claim to Agnes as their very own goodwill ambassador.
“At every opportunity, Agnes told us that we were ‘all her girls’ and we knew she truly meant
that. Every Ringette™ athlete, coach, referee, parent, volunteer and fan, truly was like
family to her and if you were in that family, you felt Agnes’ love and support,” said long-time
Ringette™ athlete Laura Warner. “When she told us to ‘stay out of the penalty box’ we
honestly felt a touch more inspired to play Ringette™ in the true spirit of the game. Agnes
knew that Ringette™ was a unique sport that offered something invaluable to women. It is a
game of unparalleled speed, finesse, and perhaps most importantly, passion. Agnes
understood that and did more than anyone I’ve ever met to further infect us all with the love
of the game.”
In 1998, Agnes Jacks proudly lent her name to a scholarship to recognize Ringette™
players, coaches and officials who demonstrate strong academic performance and a
commitment to the sport of Ringette™. The scholarships are awarded annually during the
closing ceremonies of the Canadian Ringette™ Championships.
Sadly, the Ringette™ community lost their goodwill ambassador on April 1, 2005, when
Agnes Jacks passed away in her hometown of North Bay, Ontario. The Agnes Jacks
Scholarship Awards continue to live on and while recipients continue to achieve academic
excellence and commitment to the sport, they also honour her memory and carry forward
her dedication and love of Ringette™.
In the years prior to her passing, Agnes had worked very hard lobbying various levels of
government to put up signs in North Bay to recognize the town as the birthplace of
Ringette™. On December 18th, 2005, the vision of Agnes and Sam Jacks was realized
when the signs became a reality.
Agnes will be dearly missed and never replaced, but she will always be remembered.
“Those of us who were lucky enough to meet Agnes and be touched by her wonderful soul
will now take on the responsibility of ensuring that her message and her spirit are carried on
in the way they deserve to be,” added Warner.
More information on Ringette Canada and its programs can be obtained at www.ringette.ca
3
E
stablished in 1969, the Ontario Ringette Association is a
non-profit amateur sport organization for individuals who
wish to partake in a winter team sport primarily, but not limited
to, females. The 12,000 registered participants come from six
(6) regions within the province.
The Ontario Ringette Association (ORA) is comprised solely of
the membership of the 75 Local Associations throughout Ontario. Local Associations are
Registered Members of the ORA and vote on matters pertaining to the ORA at specified
meetings or forums (AGM). A Board of Directors is elected by the membership to manage
the affairs of the ORA. Standing Committees have been established to administer and
review the policies and programs of the ORA and to recommend pertinent changes as
necessary. All Standing Committees are responsible to the Board of Directors.
The ORA office is responsible to the Board of Directors, performing administrative and
financial management functions for the Board and Membership. These functions include
accounting and bookkeeping and maintaining and updating a variety of records pertaining to
registration, clinics, camps, championships and other programs for Ringette™ in Ontario.
Decisions and direction given by the office are based entirely on policies and procedures
already in place. Board of Directors approval is required in order to deal with matters that
do not fall within established policies.
MISSION STATEMENT
RINGETTE™ FOR LIFE!
The Ontario Ringette Association pledges its effort to promote fun,
fitness and friendship in a safe play environment and is dedicated to
quality performance and fair play opportunity for all ages.
4
5
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Friday, June 12, 2015
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Early Registration
8:00 - 11:00 p.m.
President’s Reception
Saturday, June 13, 2015
8:00 - 8:45 a.m.
Breakfast
9:00 a.m.
Welcome and Introductions
9:15 – 10:30 a.m.
Round Table Discussion
10:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Health Break
10:45 – 12:00 p.m.
Round Table Discussion
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
1:30 – 2:00 p.m.
AGM Registration
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
AGM Meeting
3:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Health Break
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Open Forum
6:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Cocktail (Cash Bar)
6:30 p.m.
Volunteer Recognition Awards Dinner
Sunday, June 14, 2015
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8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast and Socialize
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Board of Directors Meeting
ONTARIO RINGETTE ASSOCIATION
207 – 3 Concorde Gate, Toronto, Ontario M3C 3N7
Telephone 416-426-7204 * Fax 416-426-7359
AGENDA – ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
1.
Formal Opening – Verification of Quorum
2.
Adoption of Agenda
2.1
3.
Adoption of the Minutes of the 2014 Annual General Meeting of the Corporation
3.1
4.
MOTION AGM-15-03 THAT: The published Reports of the Board of Directors be
accepted.
Reports from the Regional Directors and Standing Committees
5.1
6.
MOTION AGM-15-02 THAT: The Minutes of the 2014 Annual General Meeting of the
Corporation be accepted.
Reports from the Board of Directors
 President
 Vice-President Administration
 Vice-President Technical
 Vice-President Finance
 Athlete Director
4.1
5.
MOTION AGM-15-01 THAT: The Agenda be adopted.
MOTION AGM-15-04 THAT: The Reports of the Regional Directors and Standing
Committee Chairs as published be accepted.
Financial Report
 Audited Statement
 Budget for 2015/2016
 Appointment of Auditors
6.1
MOTION AGM-15-05 THAT: The Audited Financial Statement of the Ontario Ringette
Association for the year ending March 31, 2015 be accepted.
7
MOTION AGM-15-06 THAT: Lynne Remigio, Chartered Accountant be appointed
Auditor of the Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2016.
7.
8.
9.
Elections – Melinda Suchard, Nominations and Committee Chair
7.1
MOTION AGM-15-07 THAT: Two (2) of _________________,
____________________ and _________________ be accepted as Director-At-Large
for the 2015 - 2017 seasons, with one (1) being Director-At-Large for the 2015-2016
season effective June 13th, 2015.
7.2
MOTION AGM-15-08 THAT: ____________________ be accepted as Athlete
Director for the 2015-2017 seasons effective June 13th, 2015.
7.3
MOTION AGM-15-09 THAT: The ballots be destroyed.
Recess – Directors Caucus For The Purpose of Election of Officers
Reconvene – Presentation of 2015-2016 Board of Directors
No submissions received.
10.
New Business – from the Membership
11.
Adjournment
11.1
8
MOTION AGM-14-10 THAT: The 2015 Annual General Meeting be adjourned.
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE
ONTARIO RINGETTE ASSOCIATION INC.
Oshawa Quality and Conference Center, Oshawa, Ontario
May 31st, 2014
Commencing at 2:00 PM Herein after cited as AGM-14
1.
Roll Call
President
Vice President Communication
Vice President Finance
Central Region Director
Eastern Region Director
Northeast Region Director
Southern Region Director
Western Region Director
Athlete Representative
Keith Kaiser
Byron Johnson
Nick Sirenko
Jamie Showers
Kathy Noxon
Susan Weiskopf
Robert Crandall
Peter Westelaken
Kim Noxon
Absent
Vice President Administration
Vice President Technical
Northwest Region Director
Jo-Ann Wilson
Mike Chaudet
Vacant
Staff in Attendance
Executive Director
Technical Director
Administrative Coordinator
Mike Beaton
Karla Xavier
Vacant
1. Verification of Quorum
Roll call was taken.
Associations Present – 33
carrying
Regional Directors Present – 5
carrying
Total vote present
Simple majority
84 votes
42 votes
126 votes
64 votes
The President outlined the business meeting procedures and voting procedures.
- Scrutinizers: Brian Shaunessy, Grace Kelly
- Review of Voting Procedures.
9
2.
Adoption of Agenda
Motion AGM-14-01
“That the agenda be adopted.”
Moved by
Western Region
3.
, seconded by
Sudbury
Carried
Amendments and adoption of previous AGM Meeting Minutes
Motion AGM-14-02
“That the minutes of the 2013 Annual General Meeting of the Corporation be
accepted.”
Moved by
Sault Ste. Marie
, seconded by
North East Region
Carried
4.
Reports from the Board of Directors
Motion AGM-14-03
“That the published reports of the Board of Directors be accepted”.
Moved by
Central Region
, seconded by
Ajax
5.
Carried
Reports from the Regional Directors and Standing Committees
Motion AGM-14-04
“That the reports of the Regional Directors and Standing Committee Chairs as
published be accepted”.
Moved by
Waterloo
, seconded by
Guelph
Carried
Burlington Apposed
6.
Financial Report
Nick Sirenko, VP Finance, presented the budget for the 2014-2015 season.
Motion AGM-14-05
“That the Audited Financial Statements and the report of the auditors of the
Ontario Ringette Association for the year ending March 31, 2014 be accepted”.
Moved by
Ottawa
, seconded by
Kingston
Carried
Motion AGM-14-06
“That Lynne Remigio, Chartered Accountant be appointed
Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2015”.
Moved by
Chatham
, seconded by
West Ferris
Auditor
of
the
Carried
Motion AGM-14-07
“That all regulations enacted by Directors and Officers of the Corporation since the
last Annual General Meeting of the members as recorded in the minutes of the
Directors or Members on the records of the Corporation, excluding Motion D4-13-11
(guarantee maximum four (4) games in a sanctioned event) to be approved and
ratified.”
Moved by North East Region
, seconded by Western Region
Carried
10
Motion AGM-14-08
“That motion AGM-14-07 be amended to exclude motions D4-13-22 (boys in U12) and
D4-13-23 (U12 implementation plan)”
Moved by Timmins
seconded by Richmond Hill
Defeated
Recorded vote:
In Favour = 39
Timmins – 3
Western Region – 19
Chatham – Kent - 2
Elora Fergus – 2
Guelph – 3
London – 4
St. Marys – 2
Waterloo – 4
7.
Opposed = 87
Central Region – 3
Ajax – 2
Oshawa – 2
Pickering – 2
Whitby – 2
Eastern Region – 9
Arnprior/McNab – 1
Ottawa – 4
Gloucester – Cumberland – 5
Kingston – 2
Metcalfe – 2
Nepean – 4
West Ottawa – 4
Northeast Region – 1
Sault Ste. Marie – 2
Valley East – 2
Walden – 2
West Ferris – 3
Southern Region – 12
Ayr – 1
Burlington – 2
Caledonia – 3
Cambridge – 3
Etobicoke – 2
Markham – 2
Mississauga – 3
Newmarket – 2
Niagara Falls – 2
Richmond Hill – 3
Constitutional Changes
Motion AGM-14-09
“The revised Ontario Ringette Association By-Laws be accepted as presented”.
Moved by
North East Region
, seconded by
Western Region
Carried
8.
Meeting was turned over to Melinda Suchard, Nominations Committee Chair
Motion AGM-14-10
“ That Janet Logan, Byron Johnson and Kim Noxon be accepted as Director-AtLarge for the 2014-2016 seasons, effective May 31st, 2014.
Moved by
Mississauga
, seconded by
Niagara Falls
Carried
11
Motion AGM-14-11
“That the ballots be destroyed.”
Moved by Kingston
seconded by Guelph
Carried
9.
Installation of the Regional Directors
Motion AGM-14-12
“That Jamie Showers (Central Region), Kathy Noxon (Eastern Region), Sue
Weiskophf (Northeast Region), Rob Crandall (Southern Region), and Peter
Westelaken (Western Region) be installed as members of the Board of
Directors for 2014-2015:.
Moved by
10.
Elora-Fergus
, seconded by
Sudbury
Carried
Recess – Directors Caucus for the Purpose of the Election of Directors
The Meeting took a break while Melinda Suchard, Nominations Committee Chair,
convened a Caucus Meeting of the Executive to establish the Executive Committee
positions. The meeting was called to order
11.
Reconvene – Presentation of the 2014-2015 Board of Directors.
The roll call was repeated, it was established a quorum was present
Melinda Suchard Nominations Chair presented the Executive committee:
President Keith Kaiser
Vice President – Administration Janet Logan
Vice President – Finance Nick Sirenko
Vice President – Technical Kim Noxon
Vice President – Communications Byron Johnson
12.
New Business – from the Membership
President explained that under current bylaws the ORA Board takes into advisement these
motions and will consider them during the board meeting on June 1 st.
Motion AGM-14-13
“That The ORA reverse course on its plan to extend co-ed ringette to the U12
Provincial level.”.
Moved by
Waterloo
, seconded by
Burlington
Carried
12
Recorded vote:
In Favour = 104
Central Region – 3
Ajax – 2
Oshawa – 2
Pickering 2
Whitby – 2
Arnprior/McNab – 1
City of Ottawa – 4
Gloucester – Cumberland – 5
West Ottawa – 4
Nepean – 4
In Favour Continued
Opposed = 22
Eastern Region – 9
Kingston – 2
Metcalfe – 2
Sault St. Marie – 2
Sudbury – 2
Valley East – 2
West Ferris - 3
Northeast Region – 1
Timmins – 3
Walden – 2
Southern Region – 14
Ayr – 1
Burlington – 2
Cambridge – 3
Markham 2
Hamilton – 2
Mississauga – 3
Newmarket – 2
Niagara Falls 0 2
Richmond Hill – 3
Caledonia – 3
Western Region – 19
Chatham – Kent – 2
Elora – Fergus – 2
Guelph – 3
London – 2
St. Marys – 2
Waterloo - 4
Motion AGM-14-14
"That Section 8.1 of the Games and Tournaments rules be amended as follows:
Where procedure violations occur, they should be communicated to the Regional
or Provincial association convener, or to the regional G&T convener, who will
counsel/warn the offending party/association and also notify both the appropriate
Regional Committee and the association executive. An association will be fined if
there is an out-of-pocket cost which results from the infraction, which is then
repaid through the fine. Otherwise, rules violations will result in a warning. A fine
will result if, after a warning, a subsequent procedural violation is brought to the
attention of the Convener and/or Regional Committee and/or there is a history of
violations by an association from year to year”.
Moved by Waterloo
seconded by Sault Ste. Marie
Carried
13
Motion AGM-14-15
“That the Provincial/University Open A (18+) teams cannot earn points towards their
provincial ranking in tournament games against teams registered at University/Open
B (18+) teams”
Motion withdrawn.
13.
Adjournment
Motion AGM-14-16
“That the 2014 Annual General Meeting be adjourned”.
Moved by
Cambridge
Adjourned at 6:12 p.m.
14
Carried
U19A Jacks Provincial Gold Medal Winners and
Eastern Canadian Gold Medalists
Team Ontario (Exeter-Seaforth)
15
18+ A Jacks Gold Medal Winners and Eastern Canadian
Championships Gold Medalist
Team Ontario (Toronto Adult)
16
U16A Jacks Provincial Gold Medal Winners and Eastern
Canadian Championships Silver Medalists
Team Ontario (Timmins)
17
U19AA Jacks Provincial Gold Medal Winners and Canadian
Ringette Championship Participants
Team Ontario (Guelph)
18
Ontario Ringette Association
Management Team
2014-2015
19
Executive
President  Keith Kaiser
Vice-President Administration  Janet Logan
Vice-President Technical  Kim Noxon
Vice-President Finance  Nick Sirenko
Vice-President Communications  Vacant
Athlete Director  Megan MacDonald
Regional Chairs
Central  Jamie Showers
Eastern  Kathy Noxon
Northeastern  Susan Weiskopf
Northwestern  Vacant
Southern  Robert Crandall
Western  Peter Westelaken
Standing Committee Chairs
Adult Development  Lori Pasanen
Coaching Development  Kathy McCaw
Elite Development  Mary Kaiser
Games and Tournaments  Yvan Belanger
Membership Services  Kelly Sitland
Officiating Development  Karen Meek
Rules Development  Rob Evans
Sport Development  Daniel Wood - Saloman
Office Staff
Executive Director  Mike Beaton
Technical Director  Karla Xavier
Administrative Coordinator  Rose Snagg
20
Executive Committee Reports
21
President
Four Years and 9 days ago, at the June 4, 2011 AGM, the members of Ontario Ringette
elected me as a Member at Large to the Ontario Ringette Board of Directors. While I had
served on the board previously it had been a few years since my involvement at this level.
At the subsequent caucus meeting the Board itself entrusted me with the position of
President.
Since that AGM it has been a four year experience full of ups and downs but always
pointing forward and always striving to make our sport better for our players.
I have been blessed with a hardworking caring Board of Directors who have worked as a
team when it counts and created challenges when the situation demanded. While there
have been changes the goals have remained constant and the support active.
From that first Board meeting Sunday June 5, 2011 only two members and one regional
director have changed thus the solidity of the team has been there to allow us to make
effective and progressive improvement for Ringette.
A review of the minutes over my two terms have led to the astonishing fact that the Board
has held 24 official meetings (not counting conference calls, executive meetings and
finance committee meetings). During the chairing of these meetings we dealt with a total of
806 motions, a few tabled and sent back for revision and some defeated. The rest helped
us accomplish progress. The board listened.
During this time we met and dealt with challenges, we brought matters to the membership
that have helped the sport and also matters which were rejected. Most notably was the
encouragement of the board to consider provincial level boys up to U12. Twice this came
forward and twice the membership rejected consideration.
As a board we have a long list of accomplishments. Through the committee process we
helped the sport an our members celebrate our 50 th anniversary starting with the World U19
Championships in London and ending at the World Championships in West Ferris
birthplace of Ringette.
In the equipment area we have made Ringette Pants mandatory at the Provincials adding a
visual symmetry to our sport and adding to its identity. On the safety side we have now
mandated and put in place enforcement methods for Shoulder Pads throughout the
complete minor system.
On the playing side we have, standardized the on ice rules for U8, added a third level
Provincial Event for U12’s, expanded the opportunities and the participants’ at all provincial
levels and responded to the need for a high end 18+ with creation of the Jacks Division for
this age bracket. During these changes we have also implemented compliance with the
CS4L and LTAD philosophies. Among other advances slowly the “U” age definitions are
replacing the traditional age group names. Included in the adoption of these sport
development structures we have given members the tools of Skills Matrix expectation and
training plus online skill videos to use as teaching and standardization tools.
22
While maintaining a firm control on player movement we have understood the needs and
expanded the closest association concept to included “current” association.
With the support of the full board a complete revision has been accomplished on the
policies involving discipline, complaint and appeals. Along with bringing fairness and sports
law standards to these functions we have also understood need and implemented
expedited policies for those situations where time is of essence. While these are
confrontational situations the creations of policies that allow fair and appealable decisions
will allow for reasonable solutions.
At the board table we instituted many minor changes to make our actions efficient, and
knowledgeable. We brought in a staff person to be the official recorder. Previous one of the
duties of the VP Communications was to take the minutes. This in effect removed one of 5
members at large from the decision process as taking minutes and participating in the
discussion is next to impossible. In addition it then added tremendously to the time
commitment to compile and circulate the meeting records in a timely and accurate mode.
We moved the actual motions to be dealt with to the agenda itself speeding up the
efficiency and improving the flow of the meetings. For the most part this simple modification
has led to one day board meetings. This was a lot of paper shuffling that is now presented
in the proper action format. Also as an efficiency step we have started catering lunch during
the board meeting rather than everyone fending for themselves and the inherit problems
with establishing a firm resumption of business process.
By far our largest accomplishment as a Board and as a team with our professional staff is in
our constitution, bylaws and regulations. With Canada and Ontario both implementing new
and significantly changed rules governing non-profit institutions Ontario Ringette had to
redo our complete structure. To accomplish this we brought in our legal consultant and
worked with the board detailing all that needed to be done. The board working in this team
atmosphere was able to translate our needs to the new regulations. Our staff was able to
document the process and convert the project to working documents presented back to the
board and reconsidered into a complete constitution and set of bylaws. This has then gone
back to the staff and in particular our Executive Director and now exists on the web as
reformatted and smooth flowing operating guides and manuals. Following on these process
subsequent guidelines have gone through revision and implementation including policies on
Social Media, Fair Play, Anti-Doping, Financial and Signing Officer, Standing Committee,
Nominations Chair, and changes to the definition of members and the proxy and voting
process at the AGM. A full two years have been expended with this AGM being the
accumulation of all the changes into the first Annual General Meeting conducted fully under
the new rules. All of this was accomplished without impacting the day to day operation of
Ringette. Great job everyone.
Not all of my term of office has been all work with no play. In the past four years I have had
the pleasure of attending a World Championship. I enjoyed Canadian championships in
Burnaby BC, Fredericton NB, Regina Sask. and Woods Buffalo Park AB. During these
CRC’s I had the privilege to cheer on 17 Ontario Teams to 5 medals in the U16 and U19
divisions. Ontario hosted the 2014 Eastern Championships and I was fortunate to attend the
23
2015 Eastern’s in Moncton NB. In the AAA program I have watched all Challenge Cup
games and all Ontario Winter Games. In total I was able to represent ORA at 10 Provincial
Championships AA, A and U12 plus participate in the opening ceremonies. Finally I was
able to attend one OAIC and four Regional Championships. I also get to see as many
games as I can squeeze in for my granddaughter.
Finally, as a board we are passing on to Ringette and to the 2015/16 Board of Directors and
our membership a legacy. A reserve has been created to establish a Sport Growth and
Promotion fund. Through a balance budget this year and a fee increase for next year the
Board of Directors will have a seed fund to grow the sport.
A very personal thank you for four exciting and wonderful years to be a part of the sport we
all love. Ringette has been and will continue to be a large part of my life and the life of our
Family. With the support and partnership of Mary and the cooperation and teamwork of the
Ringette Community we have seen the transformation of sweat suits and coloured sticks to
beauty on ice. I cannot wait to see the speed and grace that the U12’s showed in Oshawa
this year in 6 years when they compete in the CRC’s at the U19 level. Each year it just gets
better and better.
See you in an arena
Keith Kaiser
ORA, President
Vice-President Administration
AGM reports can be tough to write some years and this is one of those years. I have made
a number of starts but I get a few lines in and I hit delete. This AGM we will see a number
of changes to the Board of Directors…not a bad thing but it is sad to be saying goodbye to a
number of friends. We don’t always agree on every issue but we are always working to
make Ringette better for every participant.
This season I oversaw four committees, they were Games and Tournaments, Officiating
Development, Elite Development and Adult Development. Thank you to Yvan Belanger,
Karen Meek, Mary Kaiser and Lori Pasanen for the work done by yourselves and your
committees throughout the year. Your dedication to the sport is truly incredible.
I would also like to take this opportunity to extend a special thank you to Yvan, who has
chaired the G&T Committee for the past 5 years. Yvan, you have worked tirelessly and
many times thanklessly to make the sport of Ringette better and for that we all owe you a
great deal of appreciation.
There is a thread that has occurred as I write this report and that is the time and energy put
forth by a group of very dedicated volunteers. This sport thrives because of our volunteer
base, whether at the Local Association, Regional or Provincial level. We need to remember
that and realize that as we are expecting others to do their part so must we do ours.
Thank you also to Karla, Rose and Mike in the ORA office for helping to keep all of us
volunteers on task.
24
In closing a final thank you to Keith Kaiser, I am truly grateful for your help and insight.
Respectfully Submitted,
Janet Logan
Vice President Technical
As Vice-President Technical, I work closely with Coaching, Membership Services, Rules
Development and Sport Development. This was not a year for the Rules Development
Committee which is active every other year. Coaching, Membership Services and Sport
Development were very busy throughout the season.
Coaching is kept busy verifying that all bench staff members are properly qualified and that
coaching courses happen as required.
A very successful training session was held the
last weekend in May for all Coaching Facilitators across the Province. These facilitators
were trained according to the new guidelines described by the Coaching Association of
Canada following the NCCP guidelines. The Learning Facilitators received core training
and content specific training for both the Learning Facilitator and Coach Evaluation streams.
Experienced Learning Facilitators are considered “trained” and have yet to be evaluated to
be certified. New Learning Facilitators are considered to be “in training” until they have the
opportunity to co-facilitate the CSI or CI courses.
Membership Services continues to work to insure that all players are properly registered
and that the necessary paperwork is completed. The volunteer recognition awards are an
area where the committee requires input from the membership. There are lots of volunteers
very deserving of recognition and everyone is encouraged to submit names for the awards.
Sport Development has a lot of policies and procedures that have been in place long
enough that time was spent this year evaluating how successful these were and if they
should remain as they are or be modified for moving forward. Player development, the best
way to enhance player development and growth of the sport continue to be the primary
concern. The fourth annual Leadership Camp was held the second last weekend in May.
The camp has grown from twenty five participants in the first year to sixty four this year.
Many campers have attended for multiple years moving from being delegates to apprentices
to skill builders who are the group leaders. It is a great experience.
I would like to thank all of the Committee Members for their dedication and work that they
put into helping to make the sport of Ringette a wonderful experience for the athletes. I
would especially like to take this opportunity to thank Kathy McCaw, Chair of Coaching and
Kelly Sitland, Chair of Membership Services. Both of these ladies will be stepping down
from their positions this year after many years of outstanding service, not only as Committee
Chairs, but as Committee Members and a multitude of other volunteer positions within the
sport. It has been a pleasure to work with both and I wish you all the best!
Kim Noxon
25
Athlete Director
At this AGM, my term as Athlete Director for the ORA Board will come to an end. This past
year has been a great experience. As Athlete Director, I was automatically a part of the
Sport Development Standing Committee. It has been great to see how this group was able
to solve problems and work together to continue to develop the game, while at the same
time taking into account what is best for the players involved in this amazing sport.
I am pleased to say that we have the largest enrollment for the leadership camp to date with
55 participants signed up for this year’s camp. Kim Noxon has been a tremendous support.
Without her this camp would not be the great leadership opportunity it is today.
One of the main projects I looked to develop during my term as Athlete Director was to find
a way that members of the Ringette community (especially players) would be able to
interact more directly. I wanted to bridge the gap between associations, boards and ages.
The result is a Facebook page, that will have posts on athlete wellness, nutrition, training
and mental toughness. It will hopefully go live later on this year under the new Athlete
Director.
As Athlete Director, I had the honor of chairing the Jackie Lajeunesse Scholarship
committee. I was blown away by the submissions this year. As a student myself I know how
hard it is to manage your time effectively. Each of the applicants was outstanding in her
academic studies, while also presenting impressive Ringette resumes. It is amazing to see
the influence our sport has on the lives of our athletes - from teaching teamwork, time
management and commitment, to enhancing mental toughness and physical well-being. We
have incredible athletes and people in this sport, and I was lucky enough to have a small
taste on how special they really are. Their dedication to this sport is wonderful to see.
This is an amazing sport and I am happy to be part of it. I cannot wait to see what this new
board will do to grow the sport that we all love.
Megan MacDonald
26
U14AA Jacks Provincial Gold Medal Winners and
Eastern Canadian Championships Participants
Team Ontario (London)
27
U14AA Jacks Provincial Bronze Medalist and Eastern Canadian
Championships Bronze Medal Winners
Richmond Hill
28
Regional Director Reports
29
Central Region
No report
Eastern Region
Another action packed year in Eastern Region!
We regret to say good bye to Shelley Stairs as the Officiating Coordinator for the Region.
Shelley has done a wonderful job during her time in the position. Not only is Shelley great
in her role, but as well, whatever task she undertakes is always done with a huge smile.
One of Shelley’s undertakings was an officiating development program. She worked on this
with Rob Hanson and it is very beneficial to the officials in our Region. We look forward to
having Rob Hanson join the Eastern Region Board as the Officiating Coordinator. Rob has
had lots of experience in every aspect of officiating in our region including on ice, off ice,
officiating development, RIC for GCRA and for NCRRL.
The upcoming season will see new presidents in Arnprior, Metcalfe, Upper Ottawa Valley
and West Ottawa.
I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of Eastern Region to say a special thank you
to the Standing Committee Chairs who won’t be returning. Kathy, Kelly and Yvan – it has
been a pleasure to work with you and as a region, we truly appreciate all of the time and
effort that you have invested into making this great sport even better!
Thanks to Nepean, City of Ottawa, Arnprior, Gloucester-Cumberland, Kingston, West
Ottawa and GAARA for hosting awesome tournaments, yet again! The League
Championship Day hosted in Arnprior was a highlight for many of the local athletes and the
year-end Bunny Party hosted by Metcalfe was an excellent end to the season for these
young athletes. Special thanks to the volunteers and for their many hours of work that are
required to make these events happen.
The City of Ottawa Ringette Association is gearing up to host the 2016 U12 Petite Provincial
Event.
30
The AAA team has been selected and they are busy planning for the upcoming Challenge
Cups. Many thanks to all who were involved in the selection process.
Several Eastern Region teams came home with medals from various tournaments, including
the 2015 Provincial Events. Of equal importance, many teams earned the Sportsmanship
Award in their division.
Moving forward, particular attention will be paid to growing the sport – with an emphasis on
retention as well as recruitment, development of goalies and improving communication at all
levels.
As always, it has been a privilege to work with the amazing volunteers in Eastern Region for
another season and it is my most sincere hope that everyone finds some time to relax with
family and friends over the summer!
Kathy Noxon
Regional Director
Eastern Region Ringette Association
Northeast Region
The Northeast Region is very pleased to welcome attendees to the 2015 ORA AGM in the
Greater Sudbury area. It is a great time of year to see nature blossom into greenery all
around us.
The 2014-15 season saw some innovative development in our region that will greatly assist
with elite development within our geographically-challenged region. Player numbers and
travel distances of anywhere from 2 to 5 hours to our 4 major centres typically make icing
anything higher than A level teams a challenge. Allowing A-AA two-team agreement
exceptions made it possible for U14AA and U16AA development in the past season. This
has assisted greatly in the prospects for our upcoming AAA program, where the goal is to
be competitive with other region teams. Many thanks to the ORA board for allowing this
development to occur.
31
Special thanks to Laura Caldwell, Bruce Graham and Luc Delarosbil for working together to
make the programs successful.
The Timmins U16A team travelled to the Eastern Championships to represent our region
and brought home silver. Way to go Timmins!! Timmins is very excited to host the A
provincial championships next spring and share their travel adventures with all other teams
in the province!
Associations in the Northeast are working hard to build their membership and increase
participation at the grass roots level – special recognition of these efforts go to Timmins and
Sault Ste Marie who have excellent recruiting and retention programs that they are sharing
with other associations in the region. They are showing very clearly that girl’s hockey does
not dominate ice team sports in their cities.
The Northeast has a full board of volunteers for the upcoming season, including incoming
president, Terry Ablett. Terry and his wife, Marilyn, have been involved in the West Ferris
association for a number of years, supporting the growth of the sport and enjoying the sport
with their daughters Megan and Erin, who have also been playing for years.
Susan Weiskopf
Outgoing NER President
Southern Region
Highlights of the year
 We had eleven invitational tournaments plus our Regional Championships this year.
502 teams attended with 7,530 players and 2,510 bench staff.
32

Newmarket hosted the Provincial A’s this year – the first time in a long time in
Southern.

We held two L1 officiating clinics (45 participants) and three level 2/3 clinics (21
participants) this year. Four officials upgraded to/in level 3 and eight upgraded to/in
level 2. We struggled to fill all the spots in the CORL officiating schedule though.

Four players from Southern were selected from last year’s AAA program to be
members of Team Ontario during the 2014-15 season. They participated in
Challenge Cups in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec and earned a silver medal at the
Canada Winter Games in Prince George, BC.
Some of the Team Ontario players were active contributors in Southern Region, helping at
various club team practices and speaking to groups of players or parents. This shares
expertise and helps to provide younger players with role models and promotes interest in
elite Ringette.

The Richmond Hill U14AA won a bronze medal at the AA Provincials and earned a
chance to participate in the Eastern Canadian Ringette Championships where they
also won bronze and were the highest finishing Ontario team. A gold medal at the
event was claimed by the Toronto 18+ A team with a dominant performance.

Our coaching clinics were well filled. CSI had 40 participants, CI-1 had 42 and CI-2
had 77. A total of 17 evaluations were also done.

Our membership was stable to slightly negative this year for a total of 144 TRFs
(down one from last year). We had 104 releases within the region, 4 to outside the
region and 1 incoming release. There were 20 two-team contracts. Our members
held a total of seven Come Try Ringette events this year.
My sincerest thanks go to everyone who worked so hard at all the different jobs to make this
year a success for the 2,000 Ringette players in Southern Region. It was more than worth
it for all of us.
Rob Crandall
Southern Regional Director
Northwest Region
Vacant
33
Western Region
Six years ago I was elected to be the Chair of Western Region. Lucky for me my name was
the only one on the ballet that night.  I am proud to say that I wanted to fill the position
rather than being that someone who steps up to fill the position simply because no one else
wanted to.
Prior to filling the Directors position I had spent a number of years as President of the
Western Ontario Ringette League and as President of the St. Marys Ringette Association.
Prior to that I was an energetic parent and coach learning the sport form the grass roots
level in arenas all across Ontario. I got to the point where I wanted to learn more about the
administrative aspects of the sport. The position of Chair of Western Region gave me that
opportunity. As Chair of a Region you automatically become a member of the ORA Board
and it is at the Board level where the majority of the sport administrative decisions are
discussed and made. I can say without hesitation that it was one of the best decisions I
have made. I’ve learned so much more about our sport. There have been decisions made at
the ORA level over the past 6 years that I am sure have made our onlookers scratch their
heads and wonder “what the hell ???” but in retrospect there have been a number of
decisions we have helped make that have improved our sport.
After 6 years or three terms as your Chair it is time for me to step down and let a sharper
mind with new perspectives fill the role. For those of you who believe that you’ve seen the
last of me I can safely say you are wrong. I am not done paying it forward. The sport has
been very good to me and my family and I am still in debt to it.
It has been an honour to work so closely with all of you and for that I thank you deeply. I
want to thank all of you for the support you gave me over the years. It was very much
appreciated.
Now from a Western Region perspective:
I am very proud to say that the 2014-2015 season for Western Region was very successful.
Our Regional teams were well balanced resulting in an awesome Regional Tournament.
Our A and AA teams also represented us well and their respective Provincial events. And
our upcoming AAA team is looking very promising. And once again I can proudly say that
we did not have a single Tribunal concerning player movement this year. Yayyyyyyy! I
attribute that to the transparency of our A/AA Tryout and Selection Process that is governed
by our Western Ontario Ringette League.
Thank you very much, enjoy the ORA AGM and have a safe and enjoyable summer.
Peter Westelaken
Director, Western Region
34
Program Chairs Reports
35
Adult Development
2014-15 has been a great, but challenging season. Adult play has grown in the province.
I would like to think that it is all the work of the ADP committee and take the credit, but I
know all the associations that have 18+ Belles moving up and still want to play, are
supporting the 18+ age groups. This is GREAT!
We have also seen a growth in the Developmental (formally Recreational) group. These
are new recreational players who have never played Ringette or have played some ice sport
and are learning Ringette. Moms of bunny/novice players and grandmothers who want
some physical activity. This group of women opens up future growth in the minor ranks by
bringing in more daughters and granddaughters to play the sport.
Playing Ringette whether in tournaments, league games or scrimmage, the more the
merrier, is what all players sign up to do.
ADP knows that there are issues, (cost,
schedule and, travel to name a few)
and we are working towards solutions.
Our own
Ontario Adult Invitational Cup (OAIC) in Niagara Falls was a huge success.
The
tournament is growing and ADP wants to develop it into a Provincial event. Dates for 2016
would be April 8-10 or April 1 – 3. We need a host. Please contact me for information.
Remember this is an adult only event.
The ADP Committee, your regional coordinators, want to continue growing the sport in the
adult divisions. We ask you: What can we do to help and support your development? Give
us your ideas, concerns, criticisms, good or bad. We need that input to keep moving
forward. We also need volunteers to help in your associations coordinate this influx of
players. Any association with 18+ teams should have an Adult Coordinator on their board
to help with the differences in adult play.
Read the Adult section in the ORA manual for updates and changes. Every association
should be aware of the skill divisions, affiliate player rules, TRF adjustment and substitution
rules, as they apply to adult play.
Thank you to all the regional coordinators for their job well done this year: Nanci Laroche Eastern, Christine Spence - North Eastern,
Amanda Good - Central, and Johnny
Uildersma – Southern.
Please get to know them and work with them for our next
season. We need co-coordinators for North Western and Western and would appreciate
anyone from those regions stepping up.
Have a great summer and hope to see you all on the ice next season.
Lori Pasanen
Chair ADP
36
Coaching Development
A big thank you to the Coaching Development Committee – John Mezenberg (Western),
Gerald Lamoureux (Southern), Bruce Graham (Northeast), Don Grant (Eastern), and Grove
Bennett (Central) – for all their hard work this past year.
The Regional Coaching Coordinators had a busy fall as usual organizing the many
Community Sport Initiation (CSI) and Competition Introduction (CI) clinics that we offer
across the province. Over 400 coaches attended training this past season. Ringette
Canada continues to work to revise and enhance the Ringette-specific portions of the
coaching clinics to make them as relevant as possible to our coaches.
Many thanks as well to our Master Learning Facilitators and Learning Facilitators for the
time they dedicate to training our coaches. We are excited that nearly all of our 25 Learning
Facilitators from across the province are being brought together for a training weekend at
the end of May in Toronto. This training will help ensure that all Learning Facilitators are
fully up to date on the latest clinic materials and help ensure that there is consistent clinic
delivery across the province.
Thank you also to the ORA Technical Director for taking on a more significant role with
respect to the checking of coaching qualifications. Centralizing this very time consuming
activity will help alleviate the administrative burden at the regional level; however, it must be
stressed that the responsibility for ensuring coaches are properly trained rests with the
associations and with the coaches themselves.
We are fortunate the ORA Executive Director was successful again this year in securing
Quest 4 Gold funding to offset the cost of all the CI Evaluations performed this season as
well as subsidize the cost of CI training for female coaches in the amount of $21.25 per
coach. These funds have been sent to the Regions for dissemination to the relevant
associations.
To all bench staff and other team volunteers - thank you for your hard work and dedication
and for instilling in our athletes a lifelong love of Ringette!
Have a wonderful summer!
Kathy McCaw
Chair, ORA Coaching Development Committee
37
Elite Development
The 2014-15 season began with try-outs for Team Ontario. The all players were chosen
from the AAA teams. The coaches of Team Ontario were present at each Challenge Cup,
scouting the players and then assessing them with the scouting reports used to help pick
the players for Team Ontario Try-outs. The final result was 18 super players having the
experience of a lifetime. The team participated in Challenge Cups in Manitoba, Ontario and
Quebec. This was an excellent training opportunity. Off the team and coaching staff went,
flying to Prince George, British Columbia. This team had their own cheering section as
parents also went. As the games progressed to the Championship round, Ontario won the
Silver Medal. This was an excellent accomplishment for these talented players from
Ontario. Regions benefit, Associations benefit and Teams benefit from the experience
these players have had this season.
Congratulation to the Coaching staff:
Colleen Hagan –- Head Coach
Carrie Lugg -- Assistant Coach
Jennifer Hartley – Coach in Training
Lindsay Wheelens -- Mentor Coach
Stephanie Laurin -- Manager.
A job well done by all!!!
While the Team Ontario players were busy recuperating from the Canada Winter Games,
their home teams were anxiously anticipating their return as they prepared for the Provincial
AA Championships held in London. There was excellent Ringette all weekend and many
spectators were amazed at the speed of the game. Ontario would have two excellent
representative at the U19 division and one excellent representative at the U16 division at
Nationals in Fort Murray, Alberta and the U14AA first and second place team along with the
U18+ attended the Eastern Canadian Championships in Moncton, New Brunswick. Quite
an adventure for all the teams involved.
London was an excellent host and the event ran very smoothly. In 2016 London will host
the Nationals. A great opportunity for Ontario to see Ringette from the other Provinces.
The Ontario Ringette Provincial A Championships was held in Newmarket.
The
tournament was held in different arenas to give the parents, fans and players a chance to
see the area. Excitement was in all arenas every day from morning 'til night. Excellent
Ringette and great speed were always present. The U16 and U19 winners would travel to
Moncton, New Brunswick for the Eastern Canadian Championships. The teams played
very intense Ringette throughout the four days. All Associations should be very proud of
their teams' accomplishments.
Nationals were exciting to all who attended, players, coaches, officials, parents and
supporters. Each team played their hearts out in every day. Close games made for
Nationals are a very exhausting week for the players, coaching staff, officials, parents and
38
fans. Pride in our Ontario Teams was very evident each time the teams went on the ice or
entered an arena. Congratulations all representing Ontario so well.
The Elite Committee of Christi Lindensmith, Steven Welch, Laura Caldwell, John Voss and
Paula Richardson have had a busy 2014-1015 season. The upcoming season will present
new challenges to this committee with Challenge Cups and the Ontario Winter Games.
Thank you to the committee for all your help this past season.
Mary Kaiser,
Elite Chair
Membership Services
In Ontario, we have a total of 9,347 players playing the fastest game on ice. This is a
decrease of 260 players since last year. Regionally, there has been a decrease in players
in each Region over the past 10 years. The decrease in the number of bunnies playing is
an area we have to address. The only area which is increasing yearly in our Province is
18+.
I am moving on from my present position as the Chair of Membership Services. I have
been a part of Membership Services for almost 10 years and have enjoyed it immensely. I
would like to thank all of the MS Regional Coordinators for their dedicated work for Ringette.
I congratulate the Committee for improving the administration of Ringette in Ontario. The
positive changes in registration and documentation have made our registrars jobs less
difficult and allowed for better tracking of players, team and injuries. All this was
accomplished while ensuring that all the rules are adhered to in order to make Ringette in
Ontario fair for all.
Several key areas which I think Membership Services will continue to address are growth of
the sport and recognition of our volunteers and players successes. I think the Membership
Services Committee can assist in the growth of the sport by concentrating on retention of
the present players and growth at the U8 level. Membership Services could focus on
interviewing participating players and also those who have left the sport to assess what
makes our sport appealing to players and what positive changes could be made to
encourage families to choose Ringette as their sport. As the 18 + division is the only place
where we see real growth occurring I think we could use our survey software with players in
this division to assess what has kept this age group playing and what has attracted the new
players. It would also be interesting to find out why these players are still playing and have
increased numbers joining yet they do not register their own children at the same rate. The
shortage of goaltenders is also an issue that Membership Services would like to help
address as it has an effect on all areas of our sport.
This committee will continue to strive for greater participation in the Volunteer Recognition
Program by our membership. We have requested that a simpler nomination form be
available for submittal online. I wish to thank Jo-Ann Wilson for her dedication to the awards
section of our program. I hope that she will continue to try to improve participation and
39
recognition of volunteers and players in our sport.
In closing, thank you for the assistance of the Regional MS Coordinators, the Technical
Director, Karla, the Executive Director, Mike Beaton and Rose, the Admin at ORA. I look
forward to continued involvement in the game of Ringette.
Kelly Sitland
Officiating Development
Another successful season is in the books for the Ontario Officiating Development Program.
Although, it wasn’t as busy as last season, there were still lots of development opportunities
for our striving officials.
PROVINCIAL OFFICIATING DEVELOPMENT – POD PROGRAM
In the fall, we started the POD program with 10 participants. Ideally, we prefer to
have two officials from each region, but sometimes we allow for a couple of extras if one
region isn’t able to fill their quota. This is a two year program and it is hoped that by the end
of the second season, we will have been successful in upgrading these officials to a 3C
ranking. If the officials are developing quicker, they have the opportunity to upgrade and
graduate from the program early, in January of that season. This year, we had two officials
graduate, leaving the focus on the remaining eight.
These officials are required to attend two mandatory tournaments per season and
officiate a minimum of 50 games. This year, we tried a different approach; we had the
second year participants attend the Oshawa tournament where they were exposed to
primarily “A” level of play. There were several evaluators in place, so that each participant
was able to receive lots of formal and informal feedback. The first year officials then
attended the Pickering tournament where they would see more “B” level of play with some
introduction to “A”. Again, numerous evaluators were on hand to help out with feedback
and development.
For the second mandatory tournament, we allow each participant the flexibility of
attending either Richmond Hill or Ajax. At these tournaments, they do individual sessions
with the POD Manager. During these sessions, they go over their goals for the season to
see if they were able to attain them and discuss the items that they need to continue
working on in order to maintain a sufficient course of development. Once again, there are
numerous evaluators present to assist in this process.
The committee receives a very detailed report from the POD Manager twice per
season. At this time, we have two more officials ready to upgrade to a 3C ranking and one
who will leave the program with a 2B. This allows five openings for new officials to be
recruited for next season.
40
COMMUNITY EVALUATOR CLINIC – NOVEMBER
Ideally, we rotate between Regional and Community Evaluator clinics each season.
However, it was determined that we didn’t have enough people ready to take the regional
level of clinic, so we offered another community level. We had eight participants registered
for the clinic, unfortunately, two dropped out on short notice due to personal issues. I’m
very pleased to say that, as a result of this clinic, we have six new evaluators that have
been very active this past season.
LEVEL 4 CLINIC – DECEMBER
Ringette Canada hosted a Level 4 Clinic in Ontario in December. It was an
extremely detail-oriented clinic demanding a lot of participation and interaction from the
officials attending. Ontario had 15 participants in attendance. Of the 15, 9 were
automatically upgraded to a level 4 ranking upon the successful completion of the
classroom component, as they had, each, already achieved their required on-ice
evaluations for that level.
CANADA WINTER GAMES – FEBRUARY
The CWG’s were held in Prince George, BC. These games take place once every
four years and you must be a Level 5 Official in order to be selected. It makes me very
proud to say that 7 of the 8 officials selected from the nationwide pool, were from Ontario.
Ontario officials covered 3 out of 4 positions for the semi-finals, as well as being
represented by one official in the Bronze game and two officials in the Gold medal game.
PROVINCIAL “AA” – LONDON
We had 27 officials and 6 supervisors in attendance for the Provincial “AA”s. We
were a very “green” crew with many new faces in our lineup. I used this opportunity to mix
our veteran officials with our less experienced officials and was able to push both groupings
beyond their comfort zones. Although, this isn’t always ideal, things ran smoothly and I was
happy with the overall performance of our crew.
PROVINCIAL “A” – NEWMARKET
The Provincial “A” event is always more of a challenge than “AA”s. This year we had
34 officials and 7 supervisors in attendance. Ideally, we should have had 38 officials at this
event. Having 38 officials, would allow each of them to skate 3 games per day in a
condensed schedule. It also allows leeway for any injury, illness or unforeseen
circumstances. Of the 34 officials that we had in attendance, 17 of them were either first or
second year officials. This makes it very challenging for scheduling, again pushing all
officials beyond their, and my, comfort zone.
41
CANADIAN RINGETTE CHAMPIONSHIPS – MARCH
We saw 10 officials and 1 supervisor travel to Fort McMurray, AB for the Canadian
Ringette Championships. Of the 10 selected, two of the Ontario officials were new to this
event. Although, Ontario still had the largest representation of officials, our numbers were
down from previous years. This can be attributed to injury, pregnancy and officials not
having enough vacation time to take a week off for CWG’s followed by CRC are four weeks
later. Even though we were smaller in number, we still managed to be selected for some
big assignments. Ontario had four officials skate semi-finals, four officials skate Gold medal
games, two skate Bronze medal games and one on a consolation championship. It is
clear, that our province is still developing elite level officials on the National stage.
U12 PROVINCIAL EVENT – APRIL
The U12 Event was once again hosted by Oshawa. We had 15 officials and 5
supervisors in attendance. Although, this is a much smaller venue than our other Provincial
Events, we treat it with the same respect. The officials receive informal feedback after each
game and are expected to follow the same expectations as the larger Provincial events. As
this is perceived as an introduction to Provincials to our U12 players, we also use it as a
stepping stone and natural progression for our up and coming officials. The selection of
officials for this event is primarily offered to our POD officials, then filled with either
graduated POD’s that haven’t yet made it to Provincials, or finally, to younger officials at the
discretion of their Regional Coordinators. This event takes place during University and
College exams, thus making it difficult to target our younger, developing officials, including
those within the POD program.
EASTERN CANADIAN RINGETTE CHAMPIONSHIPS – APRIL
Traveling to Moncton, NB for the Eastern Canadian Ringette Championships was
four of our promising officials. These four had a great weekend both on and off the ice and
were treated to some Eastern hospitality that was second to none. All of them found
themselves assigned to a Gold medal game while three of them were also selected for
semi-final games.
EVALUATORS AND EVALUATIONS
We still remain determined to have off-ice supervisors attend as many tournaments
as possible throughout the season. In the past, we have targeted a lot of the “A” and “AA”
tournaments. Continuing that, we also focused on our “B” and “A” tournaments this past
season. This way, we were able to utilize more of our Regional and Community Evaluators
and have a wider selection of officials evaluated.
Pat Turcotte continues as our Evaluations Manager. He is in charge of tracking all of
the evaluations and upgrades that take place within the Province. This season, we
performed 475 formal evaluations. This doesn’t include the 50 informal evaluations that
were completed with the POD officials. Last season, we completed 411 formal evaluations
42
and 48 informal POD evaluations. Our numbers are also rising in upgrades. Last season
we had 35 officials upgraded compared to this year where we saw 78 upgrades.
In closing, our main focus still remains on development and progression of our
officials at all levels. This is evidenced in our early graduation of POD participants, our
record number of evaluations and upgrades, as well as reflected in our assignments at
National events.
We are doing the job that our title indicates, we just need time and opportunity to develop
adequately.
Karen Meek,
Officiating Development Chair
Sport Development
The Sport Development Committee has had a busy year. We have met three times this
year, twice at the SCMs and one teleconference.
One of our first challenges was getting use to the smaller committee size. After that we had
to set our focus for the upcoming year.
This year we reviewed the how the skills matrix was working out and some of the
challenges face by associations in its implementation. Further we looked at how the Fair
Ice Policy was being implemented and the procedures with how it was being monitored.
We also took a look at how we can grow our sport in Ontario. This is a work in progress
and we hope to develop a short term and long term plan for growth.
We would like to thank the Board, Staff and Associations for their support this year and we
look forward to continuing our work next year.
Daniel Wood-Salomon
Sport Development Chair
Games and Tournaments
No report.
43
Staff Reports
44
Executive Director
Last year at this time I reported on an organizational review conducted by the Ministry of
Culture, Tourism and Sport on Sport Alliance Ontario. Things were going to be different
moving forward and we were waiting to see what direction SAO operations and services
would take and how we would be affected. Nobody was prepared for the decision made by
the MTCS upon review of the new business and strategic plan created by SAO.
At the end of March this year the Ministry informed the SAO that effective June 30, it would
cease funding to SAO to deliver certain programs including the Ontario Games Program,
The Ontario Sports Awards Program, Team Ontario and the Team Ontario Development
Grant. In addition, the ministry would no longer fund the SAO for the business of “facility and
client services” which provides sport and recreation tenants, one of which is the Ontario
Ringette Association.
SAO reaction was swift. The Board of Directors resigned, the organization declared
bankruptcy and officially closed on April 10, 2015.
Sport Alliance Ontario had been around since 1970 in one form or another, with various
names (Ontario Sports & Recreation Centre) in five different locations. During the early ‘70s
I did a student placement in the building at 559 Jarvis Street for the Ontario Hockey
Federation. There were only six resident sports at the time.
The Ontario Ringette Association, along with thirty eight other provincial sports
organizations and six national sports organizations were tenants of the Sport Alliance of
Ontario. We received a number of facility and client services/ programs through the SAO
including: lease, parking, meeting and conferences, benefits, printing and mail services.
What direct impact does this have on the ORA and its future?
The Ministry will take back in-house the Games Programs, Awards and Team Ontario. The
Sports Awards are cancelled for 2015 and will be revived next year with a different focus.
No announcements regarding the next Ontario Winter Games host have been made.
Former SAO staffs have been offered interim contracts to continue working on the Games
Program.
The immediate impact is that we find ourselves along with the other 44 tenants without a
lease and the other benefits listed previously. The immediate concern was to ensure we
would have access to our office and communications systems. The former tenants have
formed a group to work collectively not only with the landlord but with the MTCS.
It is through the MTCS where we will feel the impact on our organization.
First off the rent subsidy we received through SAO has ended. Once new leases are worked
out with the landlord, MTCS has promised bridge funding for rent in 2015-2016 only.
The second area affects our base funding. We apply every three years for annual funding.
Last year we received notice that base funding was being extended for a fourth year while
the MTCS reviews its programs and services. SAO’s demise was the result of these
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reviews.
Whenever the Ministry says it is reviewing its programs and their focus expect changes to
the current funding model. Current Ministry priorities for sport focus on capacity, excellence
and Pan/Para Pan Am Games. We have been told that all current funds, including the SAO
budget will stay within the sport sector. We will have to wait for next year to see what the
new priorities are, however it would be best to make contingency plans if the result is
reduced base funding.
The Ontario Ringette Association management team has also been very busy, not only
administering our sport but looking to the future. The Corporation Bylaws were updated last
AGM. Policies and procedures are regularly being reviewed and revised. The Program
Committees regularly update their sections of the Operating Manual.
This year will see many new faces on the Board of Directors. One of their challenges along
with learning the roles and responsibilities within the organization is to review and update
these responsibilities.
While the Sports Administration section has been cleaned up, duplicate information
removed, similar policies lumped together, and much of the content has not changed. We
are no longer working with the decades old Constitution and Bylaws, however many Board
job descriptions and responsibilities including the annual business plan have not been
updated for 20 years.
I would be remiss not to mention all those who work tirelessly and for the most part
unrecognized at the provincial, regional and most importantly, the local level. We are and
continue to be a sport that relies almost exclusively on volunteers and their passion, skills
and dedication.
Thank you for being a part of and contributing to our great sport.
Mike C. Beaton
ORA, Executive Director
Technical Director
Congratulations to all coaches, players, officials and volunteers for the completion of yet
another successful season of Ringette.
A special thank you goes out to all committee members who took time out of their lives to
make Ringette so successful this season. Without your time and effort we would not be able
to run such great events all season long for the players.
As usual it has been a busy season with three Provincial Events, Regional Events, the
Canadian Ringette Championships and the Eastern Canadian Championships. Some
thrilling Ringette has taken place this season and Ontario was incredibly successful
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capturing Gold in the U19AA Division and Silver in the U16AA Division at the CRC’s hosted
in Fort McMurray, Alberta and capturing Gold in the U19A and 18+ divisions as well as
Silver in U16A and Bronze in the U14AA divisions at the Eastern Canadian Championships
hosted in Moncton, New Brunswick.
Congratulations to all the teams that represented their associations and the province so
well. Ontario continues to be a very competitive and exciting place to play Ringette.
Ringette for Life!
Karla Xavier
ORA, Technical Director
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U19AA Canadian Ringette Championships
Gold Medal Winners
Nepean
48
2015 Championship Results
49
U12 PROVINCIAL EVENT
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Sportsmanship
Bennett
Cockburn
Richmond Hill
Guelph - C
Nepean - H
Waterloo - N
Forest
Markham
Gough
Sault Ste. Marie
Whitby - G
Jacks
Lajeunesse
McCarthy
Burlington
Waterloo - P
London
Nepean - F
GCRA - Alt
Metcalfe
Chatham
Kitchener
UOV &
Oshawa - L
Oshawa
West Ottawa - Y
Ottawa - B
Oshawa - L
Ottawa - L
Ottawa - K
Cambridge
PROVINCIAL “A”
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Gold
Silver
Bronze
Sportsmanship
U14 Jacks
U16 Jacks
U19 Jacks
18+ McCarthy
Forest
Timmins
Exeter-Seaforth
GAARA
GCRA
Forest
Mississauga
Cambridge
St. Catherines
Clarence Rockland
Elora Fergus
Hamilton
London
West Ferris
Timmins
GAARA
U14 McCarthy
Waterloo
Sault Ste. Marie
Nepean
Whitby
U16 McCarthy
U19 McCarthy
Kitchener
Guelph
Mississauga
Richmond Hill
Ajax
Forest
GCRA
Newmarket
18+
Lajeunesse
Mississauga
Durham Region
Nutri-Lawn Panthers
Kingston
PROVINCIAL “AA”
U14 Jacks
U16 McCarthy
U16 Jacks
U19 Jacks
Gold
London
Whitby
London
Guelph
Silver
Ottawa
West Ottawa
Waterloo
Pickering
Bronze
Richmond Hill
Mitchell
Guelph
Waterloo
Sportsmanship
Kitchener
Cambridge
London
GCRA
18+ Jacks
Toronto Adult
Jordan
Waterloo D
Toronto Adult
EASTERN CANADIAN
CHAMPIONSHIPS
U14 AA
Gold
New Brunswick
U16 A
Nova Scotia
Team Ontario
Exeter-Seaforth
18+ A
Ontario – Toronto Adult
U14AA 4th Place: Team Ontario (London)
U19 A
Silver
New Brunswick 2
Team Ontario Timmins
Bronze
Richmond Hill
PEI
New Brunswick
Quebec
Nova Scotia
PEI
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Gold
U16
Manitoba
U19
Team Ontario Nepean
NRL
Cambridge
U19AA 5th Place: Team Ontario 1
CANADIAN RINGETTE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Silver
Bronze
Team Ontario London
Alberta
Alberta 1
Alberta 3
Richmond Hill
Edmonton (Alberta)
th
NRL 6 Place: Ottawa Ice
NRL 7th Place: Waterloo
NRL 8th Place: Gloucester-Cumberland
CANADA WINTER GAMES
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Gold
Silver
Bronze
Manitoba
Ontario
New Brunswick
Ontario Ringette Association
Annual General Meeting
Sudbury, Ontario
June 12th – June 14th, 2015
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