The St. Albert Ringette Association finished off a historic season as their U12 and U10 Step 3 teams claimed the Black Gold League titles, and association teams won a total of six medals (four gold and two silver) in an unprecedented display of dominance.
In both the U12B and U10 Step 3 divisions, association teams met in the championship games, guaranteeing St. Albert players either gold or silver hardware.
"It was kind of an exceptional year because we had [six] teams with medals in the league championships," said Angela Dorval, the U12A coach. "It just never happened in the history of the association."
Dorval said the victories demonstrate the growth of ringette in St. Albert, especially in the U10 and U12 age groups, and the talent of these young players shows they have bright futures within the sport.
“We just feel like winning doesn’t mean everything, but when you get to win the championships, it really shows others that they can do that as well,” Dorval said.
The league championship is the biggest medal these two age groups can achieve. The U12A team coach said ringette is a predominately female sport and hopes this success will help keep the athletes in the game, as most girls do not stay in the sport past age 14.
"We're trying to keep more girls in the game and keep those positive influences," Dorval said. "When we have really strong associations and players have lots of friends on the team and they feel like they’re a part of something, then I think it keeps them playing for longer and keeps them into those positive activities.”
Dorval said the players were successful because of the St. Albert Ringette Association's support and guidance. The coaches have invested their time and energy in making skills development more available to their players and having them focus on skating skills like power skating. Dorval said gaining more ice time and access to good coaching and coaching courses "creates better teams all around."
“I think it’s a factor of having a lot of really great coaches and players, but a really strong focus on player development,” Dorval said.
The U12A coach hopes the senior players from this age group move up to the U14 division, as in that age group they could possibly go to provincials and even nationals. She hopes these athletes will see how far they can go with the sport, such as recognizing the opportunities to play in university and adult leagues, and trying out for the WAM National Ringette League team.
“Seeing the older teams winning and playing kind of inspires another generation of players to come along [and play ringette],” Dorval said.
Dorval expressed how proud the St. Albert Ringette Association and their 30 coaches are of the 78 players on these teams. League banners with the players' and coaches' signatures will be hung at Servus Place Mark Messier arena in the summer, showcasing them for other players to see.
“[These teams] think it’s a really big thing to win the league,” Dorval said. “So, I think it’s pretty cool for them to be able to experience that and see that when you put in the hard work, then you can achieve big things.”
