What is
Ringette?
What is Zone Play?
What is House League?
What division (age level) am I in?
What equipment do I need?
How do I register?
How much does it cost?
Do I have to work a
Bingo?
Are the rules the same as hockey?
FAQ Answers
What is Ringette?
Ringette is one of the fastest team sports on ice.
Invented in Canada, it is primarily played by girls and women on the same ice surface as
hockey. The rules of Ringette actually encourage and enforce
strong team play and cooperation. Check out the Ringette
Movie for a brief explanation and demo of the best sport on ice.
What is Zone Play?
Alberta is divided into 8 zones. The
Medicine Hat Ringette Association is part of Zone 1, which includes most of southern
Alberta and associations like Lethbridge, Brooks and Bassano. Most athletes in our
association will be a member of both a house league team and a zone team, zone teams play
other teams in our zone. Zone play does involve travel to other members associations in
our zone. When and where you travel too will vary year to year depending on what age
levels other association are supporting in a given year. All zone games are scheduled in
pairs, so if you travel to another center, you will be guaranteed two games scheduled back
to back with a short break between games.
What is House League?
All players in our association will be a
member of at least two teams, a Zone team and a House League team. House league teams
often combine more than one age level so that several teams can be formed and provide an
opportunity for local competition early in the season.
What division (age level) am I in?
Bunny - 7 and under
Novice - 9 and under
Petite - 11 and under
Tween - 13 and under
Junior - 15 and under
Belle - 18 and under
Deb - 23 and under
Intermediate - 21 and over
Masters - 30 and over
What equipment do I need?
Skaters are required to wear a CSA
approved helmet and RINGETTE mask (the mask pictured below is incorrect), internal mouth
guard, and shoulder pads are recommended, throat protector (BNQ certified),
"Jill" (groin protection), gloves, elbow pads, knee/shin pads, pants, skates and
Ringette stick are required. Used equipment is available at a number of local stores as
well as the MHRA equipment swap.
Goalies are required to wear a CSA approved helmet and mask, an internal
mouth guard is recommended, neck protector, chest protector, elbow pads, pants hockey
goalie gloves, pads and stick. The MHRA provides all specialized goalie equipment for all
teams.
For a current (as of September 4, 2008) listing of Mandatory and Optional equiptment for
Registered Players, view the Rules of
Ringette page.
How do I register?
How much does it cost?
The MHRA has some of the lowest fees of
any team sport in Medicine Hat. Our fees are heavily subsidized by fundraising activities
like Bingos, Casinos and one
of the most successful Ringette tournaments in western Canada. See our registration page for current fees.
Do I have to work a Bingo?
Yes. Depending on yearly registration numbers, most
families will be required to work two Bingos or one Casino. Bingos are a very import
fundraiser for the association, money generated by bingo's helps pay for ice time
throughout the season. See our Bingo & Casino page for
more information.
Are the rules the same as hockey?
Same as what? Ringette is a very unique sport that is
played on the same ice surface (with skates) and uses the same nets, but is very, very
different from hockey. Ringette rules, like mandatory passes over
both blue-lines, encourage strong team play and make it almost impossible for one or two
exceptional players to dominate a game at the expense of the lesser experienced athletes.
Intentional body contact is not allowed, skating, passing and shooting skills are highly
valued on the Ringette rink.
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