SPORTS

At this development age, they play half ice games as they adjust to the sport and continue to strengthen their skating skills.

It was this jump to FUN2 that sealed the deal for my daughter, and we became Ringette family. She went from learning to skate to a full-fledged ringette addict in weeks. And for the first time in her nine-year existence, she found a sport the absolutely fell in love with and that is largely in part to how it was introduced and the caring and kindness shown by the instructors. Not every family will stay with the Paris Ringette Association after Learn to Skate (although they certainly invite you to!), but the little learners will skate away with some basic skating skills, opening doors to an array of new potential winter hobbies!

Like every year, the Paris Ringette Association is starting its 2024/2025 season off with an introduction to the sport. They are hosting a Learn to Play event on Saturday, September 7th at 11 am at the Brant Sports Complex. This session is open to all ages. Existing PRA families are encouraged to bring a friend to see what it’s all about. This is your opportunity to bring the kids and let them explore the sport All you need to bring is your skates, a helmet and gloves!

Following the one-hour Learn to Play event, the association is hosting a Learn to Referee session for anyone 12 + years, who loves the game and wants to become involved with the PRA this upcoming season. You can stay after the clinic to watch a scrimmage game and witness firsthand why people say ringette is the fastest game on ice!

You might ask, what if my child falls in love with the sport after a few learn to skate sessions? What do I need and how do I get it? The Paris Ringette Association has that covered through their amazing equipment loan program, so you don’t have to rush out to buy all the equipment until you’re positive your child is ready to commit. You simply provide a $50 deposit and in return you get a bag full of the essential equipment. When the season is over and you return the bag, you get your money back, it’s that easy. All you have to worry about is a pair of skates and a helmet.

Now, what makes ringette a great sport? First and foremost (and again I speak from experience), there’s a great team culture that teaches kids how to play together and support one another. From that team environment, new friendships and bonds are forged. Experiencing that camaraderie is both incredibly inclusive and exciting at the same time While at first glance the game looks similar to hockey, there really are different rules; the biggest one is you must pass the ring over the blue lines, which always enables team effort, so all players participate in plays. But don’t let me explain the technical details. Come out on September 7th to find out more!

If you can’t make it out but are interested in teaching your child to skate, take that first step and sign them up for the Learn to Skate sessions. The eight-week long program runs throughout the fall on Saturday mornings at the Brant Sports Complex in Paris

You can find more information about the Paris Ringette Association and its programs online here.