It's not just a Johnny Cash song.
The Airdrie Ringette Association's (ARA) semi-annual Ring of Fire tournament is returning to take over the city's three indoor arena facilities this weekend, with games taking place from Nov. 11 to 13.
Liz Kusler, a U19 coach with the ARA and the association's public relations rep, said the organization is excited to welcome teams from across Alberta for Airdrie's flagship minor ringette tournament.
“People can expect to see some really good ringette,” Kusler said. “We have some really good teams in Airdrie this year, with successful winning seasons so far. Our season started in October and a lot of our teams are doing really well so far. You can see some fast action. It’s such a great sport.”
Kusler said this year's Ring of Fire tournament will include 38 teams in nine divisions ranging from U12 to U19, including all 15 of the ARA's 'Sting' teams. All in, the tourney will feature over 500 players and 100 volunteers.
The Ring of Fire tournament is always held over the Remembrance Day long weekend at all three of the city's rinks – Genesis Place Recreation Centre, the Plainsmen Arena, and Ron Ebbesen Arena. Games kick off on the Friday morning and last until the medal rounds wrap up on the Sunday afternoon.
Due to the increasing popularity of the tournament, the ARA decided several years ago to split the tournament across two separate weekends – one in November for older age groups, and one in March for the younger teams (U12 and younger).
But this year, Kusler said the ARA opted to move the March tournament to December, to increase interest in participation. As well, she said the U12 age division was added to the November tournament instead.
While Airdrie is certainly known a hockey city, Kusler said the sport of ringette is continuing to grow and flourish here as well. She noted the ARA saw its highest-ever registration this season, and now boasts 217 athletes in total.
“As Airdrie grows, obviously there’s been exponential growth [in ringette],” she said.
She added that growth in popularity could be due to various factors, including word-of-mouth promotion, and families' willingness to sign their daughters up for a winter sport other than hockey.
“I think a lot of the recruitment we get is from girls saying how much fun they had playing ringette,” Kusler said. “When I do the come-try-it clinics, I get a lot of parents who say ‘Oh, [their friend] plays and loves it and I want that for my daughter.’ The female-only thing is quite attractive for these kids.”
For the ARA's most talented ringette players, Kusler noted the sport also provides opportunities to test themselves at a higher level of competition. The Airdrie association is the largest contributor of players to Zone 2 (Big Country) – a regional competitive ringette association with teams at the U14, U16, and U19 AA level.
“It’s wonderful inspiration to know it’s not just kids from bigger centres making these elite teams,” Kusler said. “We’re the biggest feeder for the Zone 2 AA program, which is a testament to the number of kids we have. The coaching has been great, and the association is incredibly supportive.
“We have a lot of supportive programs for the athletes and people are starting to realize there’s a lot of opportunity in terms of playing at a high level. It’s not obviously at the same level of hockey in terms of scholarship and things like that, but just to have your child play at an elite level is a possibility. It’s not that far out of reach.”
For schedules and other info on the Ring of Fire, visit airdrieringette.ca
