FUN Ringette: What is Ringette?

Ringette - Where Fun & Friendships Happen on Ice!

Building strong, fit & confident young athletes
Start as young as 4 years old
Learn to skate!
Non-contact sport with full protective equipment
A full hour filled with fast play
Maximum participation, a true team sport
Play recreationally or competitively
Travel! Play locally, provincially, nationally & even internationally
Any age & physical stage, from 5 - 95

FUNdamentals Ringette Program

There are three progressive age categories in Children’s Ringette - FUN1, FUN2, and U10 (FUN3).

FUN1 is for children who are new to ringette or skating, learning basic game structure, and still developing basic skills, this group plays cross-ice.

FUN2 is for children who are learning to lengthen their stride, ready to learn more rules of ringette, and have developed some basic skills, this group plays Mini Ringette.

U10 (FUN3) is for children who demonstrate that they have acquired the physical, cognitive, and social readiness for more challenging play, this group plays full-sized ringette.

Both FUNdamentals 1 & 2 divisions use small-sized nets and play adapted games of 3 on 3 and 4 on 4 respectively. Smaller spaces ensure more touches, interactions, shots on net, and passes. Teams are split into smaller squads to ensure the majority of players are participating at a time. With these adaptations in the FUNdamentals divisions, children can experience maximum participation, practice learned skills, and move through divisions based on skill and readiness.

For more information about Children's Ringette visit https://ringetteontario.com/childrens-ringette/.

FUN Ringette in Whitby

Learn to Skate with Whitby Ringette - FUN for Kids & Parents!

At Whitby Ringette, we believe in the 3 F's: Fitness, Friends, and Fun. Our Learn to Skate program is designed to introduce children aged 4-9 to the joys of skating and ringette in a supportive, fun, and active environment. We welcome all players, with 4-year-olds accepted on a trial basis.

Program Details:

Age Group: Players aged 4-9 (4-year-olds accepted on trial basis)
Cost: $TBD (Fees must be approved by board for 2025-2026)
Team Fee: $150 (covers tournaments, parties, name bars, professional power skating/ringette skills, goalie training, and other team activities)
Deposit: $100 (includes practice jersey and game jersey, returned at the end of the season)

Equipment Rental:

First Come, First Serve
$150 ($75 deposit - $75 rental fee)
Available Equipment for Rent:

Helmet with cage
Neck guard
Shoulder pads
Elbow pads
Skates
Girdle
Ringette pants
Shin pads
Gloves
Stick

Schedule and Season Length (Example of Last Year's Schedule - Subject to change based on ice schedule set in August):

Saturday: 9:15-10:15 AM - Iroquois - Power Skating and Ringette Skills
Sunday: 4:00-5:00 PM - Luther Vipond - Ringette Skills & Scrimmage

Games:

Games begin in December and will be held on Saturday or Sunday at local arenas. Our playing region is Ajax, Oshawa, Markham, Whitby and Sunderland.

Tournaments:

Ajax Tournament: Saturday, December 6, 2025 - Date to be confirmed (1-day Saturday event)
Whitby FUNFEST Tournament: - Saturday, January 3, 2026
FUN2 (Year-End Provincials): Date and location TBD
FUN1 (Year-End Bunnyfest): Date and location TBD

Year-End Party:

We’ll celebrate the season with a fun Year-End Party for players, parents, and volunteers. Parents versus Kids Game and Graduation Ceremony - Pizza Party
Sunday, March 8th at McKinney - Final Date to be confirmed

Fundraising and Sponsorship:

While fundraising and sponsorship are optional at this level, they can greatly enhance your participant's experience by helping to cover the costs of additional ice time, additional professional instruction, and new equipment. If you're interested in fundraising, we’re open to new ideas and initiatives.

We also welcome sponsorships! Here's how it works:

25% of the sponsorship fees collected will be returned to the participant who secured the sponsorship.
75% will be used to benefit all participants in the same calendar year through added ice time and professional instruction.

A Note on Volunteering:

Both kids and parents are integral to the success of our program. To foster a strong community, we rely on parent volunteers to help make the season a success. Everyone, whether on or off the ice, plays an important role. We encourage your involvement to help create a supportive and fun environment for our young skaters.

Here are some volunteer roles available:

Coaching: Head Coach, Assistant Coach
On-Ice Support
Team Managers
Social Committee
Trainer
Equipment Transportation

We look forward to a great season full of growth, laughter, and memories for your child and family. Thank you for being a part of our Whitby Ringette family!

Ringette family for a season of growth, laughter, and memories!

Division

Day and Time

Games

Tournaments

Fees

FUN 3 League Team

1 hour Tuesday or Wednesday (TBD)

Saturday or Sunday - 1 hour

Full ice games

Game play is on Saturday or Sunday and will be a combination of 10 home and 10 away games. Away games will require travel (Oshawa, Ajax-Pickering, Sunderland, Muskoka, Newmarket, Barrie depending on teams in league)

Opportunity to participate in away tournaments throughout the province. Participation is a team decision and will require additional fees.

Season-end regionals tournament. Location TBD. An additional fee will apply to enter this tournament.

TBD pending board approval.

Additional team fees will apply for extra ice, tournaments, practice jerseys.

Simplified Rules of Ringette

Ringette is played with a ring and a straight stick.

The ring is hollow and made of rubber. Sticks are not recycled hockey sticks. Companies produce sticks with tapered ends with steel, aluminum or plastic tips. Different styles, flex and weight are available.

Ringette is played 5 on 5 plus goalkeepers.

Teams are usually made up of 11 to 17 players; with six skaters on the ice at the same time (a goalie, two defense, a centre and two forwards).

The ring is passed at every blue line.

A player cannot carry the ring over a blue line in either direction. The ring must be passed over the blue line to another teammate. That teammate is permitted to skate ahead of the ring carrier and already be across the blue line before the ring crosses it.

Players never enter the goalkeeper’s crease.

If the ring lands in or on the crease, the only player who can touch it is the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper usually picks up the ring and throws it to a teammate. The goalie has five seconds to pass it out of her crease.

Players have 30 seconds to take a shot on net.

Teams have 30 seconds to take a shot on goal after they gain possession of the ring. If time runs out on the shot clock, a buzzer sounds and the other team is awarded the ring.

In the offensive zones the game is played 3 on 3.

You will notice the free play lines (small red line at the top of the circles) on the ice. From this line to the end boards, it’s a game of 3 on 3. Players can rotate in and out of the free play zones producing a lot of movement and creativity.

There is no intentional body contact.

Ringette promotes a no-contact policy when it comes to the physical aspect of its game. Penalties are given when a player, makes excessive body contact with another player, checks a player too high on the stick, trips, hits or interferes another player.

Ringette players wear protective equipment.

Players wear a neck guard, elbow, knee, and shin pads and equipment that will provide hip, and tailbone protection. Helmets with full-face mask are mandatory. The masks must have triangular or tight horizontal bars to prevent the stick from penetrating.

Looking for equipment? Mention Whitby Ringette at Legends Sports in Oshawa for a discount on your purchase. Our Facebook community is also active and members often have equipment for sale.