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

All FUN players in Whitby receive a jersey and the following programming with their registration fees:

Division	Day and Time	Games	Tournaments	Fees
FUN 1	Saturday - 1 hour Sunday - 1 hour Season begins after labour day in September and ends at March Break	Cross ice games Game play is within the FUN group during Sunday practice hour	FUN Fest hosted within Central (Oshawa, Whitby or Ajax-Pickering) at the end of the season
FUN 2	Saturday - 1 hour Sunday - 1 hour Season begins after labour day in September and ends at March break	Half ice games Game play is within the FUN group during Sunday practice hour During the 2nd half of the season, game play will include opportunities to play other Central teams which may involve travel to Oshawa, Ajax-Pickering, Sunderland and Muskoka.	FUN Fest hosted within Central (Oshawa, Whitby or Ajax-Pickering) at the end of the season May have opportunity to participate in the season-end regional tournament. Location TBD. An additional fee will apply to enter this tournament.
FUN 3 (U10) League Team	Tuesday - 1 hour 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 within the region (Oshawa, Ajax-Pickering, Sunderland, Muskoka) and outside the region (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.

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.