Competitive Programinformation / Expectations

Competitive ProgramInformation / Expectations

The West Ottawa Ringette Association competitive teams provide competition for those players who want to play ringette at a higher level and are willing to make the commitment.

The purpose of this document is to provide information to players and parents/guardians regarding team expectations, commitments and cost before deciding to try out and play at the competitive level.

Competitive players are expected to make ringette their primary activity during the season. Players are expected to attend all team activities including practices, league games, tournaments, play-offs, provincials, off-ice training sessions, fund raising opportunities and all other organized team events.

The occasional absence due to illness, injury or family event is unavoidable, but competitive players are expected to make ringette their extracurricular priority for the duration of the ringette season.

Competitive players are expected to attend Provincial Championships, Canadian Ringette Championships or Eastern Canadian Championships if their team qualifies.

For the upcoming season the West Ottawa Ringette Association intends to host the following competitive teams:

U12 Petite Provincial (two teams)
U14 Tween A and AA
U16 Junior A and AA
U19 Belle A

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U12 Petite provincial

Teams and Tryouts

For the upcoming season the West Ottawa Ringette Association expects to be able to set two U12 Petite Provincial teams – Blue and Red.
Tryouts for U12 Petite Provincial teams will be held in September. Watch the website for details, schedules and locations.
The teams will be selected using the top players from the tryouts. The Blue team will be selected using the strongest players from the tryout. The Red team will be selected from the strongest players remaining in the tryouts after the Blue team has been selected.

U12 Petite Provincial Information and Expectations

All U12 Petite Provincial players must participate in the mandatory 20 weekWest Ottawa sponsored powerskating program. It will include two skater evaluations during the season.
U12 Petite Provincial teams play in the National Capital Region Ringette League (NCRRL)
U12 Petite Provincial teams must participate in at least one out of region tournament and one local tournament but most choose to enter more.
U12 Petite Provincial teams will also compete in the U12 Provincial Event typically held at the beginning of April.
Beyond the normal game and practice per week, the U12 Petite Provincial teams also participate in powerskating, will purchase extra ice sessions as well as hold other dry land sessions designed to develop conditioning and strategy. This means that players may be involved in ringette activities three to five times per week.
If a competitive player falls below 80% attendance in any of the team activity areas of dryland, practices, powerskating and/or games, that player may be removed from the team by the West Ottawa Ringette Association Executive*.

U12 Petite Provincial Financial Commitment

With competitive teams there is a greater financial commitment.
The costs of teamwear, tournaments, Provincials, extra ice, powerskating and dryland training all add up. It means families can expect to pay anywhere from $1000 - $3000 per player above and beyond registration fees depending on the amount of fundraising the team does. This includes such costs as hotel rooms, gas, meals etc.
Please see the Appendix for more details on what to expect in terms of financial commitment.

* Coaches may apply discipline as deemed appropriate. For example: If a player falls below 80% she will miss 10 minutes of the next game. If it happens again she will miss the next game but must attend. The 3rd time she will be removed from the team.

U14 Tween A, u16 Junior a and u19 belle a

U14 Tween A, U16 Junior A and U19 Belle ATryouts

Tryouts for U19 Belle A will be held in September. Watch the website for details, schedules and locations.
Tryouts for U14 Tween A and U16 Junior A will be done in April and early May. These will follow the tryouts for U14 Tween AA and U16 Junior AA. Please watch the website for the schedule and location.
At the first West Ottawa tryout you attend, the fee to participate will be collected. For West Ottawa this fee is a one-time cost of $50 no matter how many tryout sessions you participate in.
Players will be notified by email if they have been chosen for the team. Ideally West Ottawa prefers to have coaches set before the end of tryouts. The competitive coordinator will meet with parents and players remaining in the tryout to announce the coach when it is known. In the instance the coach cannot be selected before the final tryout, players who are selected will be sent an email announcing the coach and offering a position on the team. The player has 24 hours to acknowledge they accept the offer.
Players who have been chosen for the team will be required to sign a competitive player contract. For an example of the contract please see the Appendix of this document.
Players not selected for the U14 Tween A or U16 Junior A tryouts will be asked to attend sort outs for U14 Tween B/C and U16 Junior B in September.

U14 Tween A and U16 Junior A Tryout Process

If you intend to try out for U14 Tween A or U16 Junior A please go to the Eastern Region website to indicate you are trying out.

Go to and complete the form indicating where you will be trying out. You need to do this even if you are a West Ottawa player trying out only in West Ottawa. In addition to West Ottawa you also indicate in what other associations you will be trying out as an Out of Association player.

When you register for tryouts with West Ottawa the Association is notified and will follow up with further instructions and information. This includes the following:

a link to our West Ottawa Competitive Program document (this document) which contains all the information related to our competitive program
For West Ottawa players - a link to our Registration page as West Ottawa players MUST register with West Ottawa before participating in any tryout session.
For Out of Association players - a reminder of the need to secure a signed Player Tryout/Release Form from their home association before attending our tryout.

Watch the website for the schedule and location for tryouts.

U14 Tween A, U16 Junior A and U19 Belle A Information and Expectations

All U14 Tween A and U16 JuniorA players must participate in the mandatory West Ottawa sponsored 20 week powerskating/dryland program which alternates weekly between powerskating and dryland training.
U19 Belle A players ,may participate in weekly dryland training
The Tween A team plays in the National Capital Region Ringette League (NCRRL)
The Junior and Belle A teams compete in the LRQ (Quebec league) against teams from Quebec and the National Capital Region. Teams should expect to make 2 or 3 trips to Montreal and/or Quebec City to play double header games against the Quebec teams
All A teamsmust participate in at least one out of region tournament and one local tournament. Most choose to enter 2 out of region tournaments and 2 local tournaments ormore. Tournament games are used to accumulate points towards qualifying for the A Provincial Championships. The top 14 teams in the Province go.

All Ateams attempt to qualify for and are expected to participate in the A Provincial Championshipswhich are typically held during March break.
U16 Junior and U19 Belle A teams may also have the potential to attend the Eastern Canadian Ringette Championships. A West Ottawa team who wins Provincials in their age division is expected to attend the Eastern Championship to represent Team Ontario. This is a 6 day event usually held in mid April.
Beyond the normal game and practice per week, the A teams will participate in powerskating, will purchase extra ice sessions as well as hold other dry land sessions designed to develop conditioning and strategy. This means that players may be involved in ringette activities three to five times per week.
If a competitive player falls below 80% attendance in any of the team activity areas of dryland, practices, powerskating and/or games, that player may be removed from the team by the West Ottawa Ringette Association Executive*.

U14 Tween A, U16 Junior A and U19 Belle A Financial Commitment

With competitive teams there is a greater financial commitment.
The costs of teamwear, tournaments, Provincials, extra ice, powerskating and dryland training all add up. It means families can expect to pay anywhere from $1000 - $3000 per player above and beyond registration fees depending on the amount of fundraising the team does. This includes such costs as hotel rooms, gas, meals etc.
If the team attends the Eastern Canadian Ringette Championships then the financial commitment can increase dramatically by $2000 - $3000 per player due to increased travel and accommodation costs.
Please see the Appendix for more details on what to expect in terms of financial commitment.

U14 Tween AA and u16 Junior aA

Tryouts

Tryouts for U14 Tween AA and U16 Junior AA teams will be held in April – please watch the website for the schedule.
Parents are expected to check the website for the tryout schedule and location. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact our competitive coordinator at
At the first West Ottawa tryout you attend, the fee to participate will be collected. For West Ottawa this fee is a one-time cost of $50 no matter how many tryout sessions you participate in.
The teams will be selected and announced in April at the completion of tryouts.
Players will be notified by email if they have been chosen for the team. Ideally West Ottawa prefers to have coaches set before the end of tryouts. The competitive coordinator will meet with parents and players remaining in the tryout to announce the coach when it is known. In the instance the coach cannot be selected before the final tryout, players who are selected will be sent an email announcing the coach and offering a position on the team. The player has 24 hours to acknowledge they accept the offer.
Players who have been chosen for the team will be required to sign a competitive player contract. For an example of the contract please see the Appendix of this document.
Players not selected for an AA team may attend U14 Tween A and U16 Junior A tryouts which will follow the AA tryouts and begin in late April – please watch the website for the schedule.

U14 Tween AA and U16 Junior AA Tryout Process

If you intend to try out for U14 Tween AA or U16 Junior AA please go to the Eastern Region website to indicate you are trying out.

When you register for tryouts with West Ottawa the Association is notified and will follow up with further instructions and information. This includes the following:

a link to our West Ottawa Competitive Information document (this document) which contains all the information related to our competitive program
For West Ottawa players - a link to our Registration page as West Ottawa players MUST register with West Ottawa before participating in any tryout session.
For Out of Association players - a reminder of the need to secure a signed Player Tryout/Release Form from their home association before attending our tryout.

Watch the website for the schedule and location for tryouts.

U14 Tween AA and U16 Junior AA Information and Expectations

All AA players must participate in the mandatory West Ottawa sponsored 20 week powerskating/dryland program which alternates weekly between powerskating and dryland training.

The AAteams compete in the LERQ (Quebec elite league) against teams from Quebec and the National Capital Region. Teams should expect to make 2 or 3 trips to Montreal or Quebec City to play double header games against the Quebec teams.
The AA teamsmust participate in a minimum of 4 tournaments, at least 2 of which must be outside of region in two different regions. Additional tournaments may be entered.

The AA teams will compete in the AA Provincial Championships which are usually held early March. At this time the dates and location has not been announced.

The U14 Tween AA team may also have the potential to attend the Eastern Canadian Ringette Championships. A West Ottawa U14 Tween AA team who wins Provincials must attend the Eastern Canadian Championships to represent Team Ontario. This is a 6 day event usually held mid April.
The U16 Junior AA team may also have the potential to attend the Canadian Ringette Championships. A West Ottawa U16 Junior AA team who wins Provincials must attend Canadian Ringette Championships to represent Team Ontario. This is a 6 day event usually held the end of March.
Beyond the normal game and practice per week, the AA teams participate in powerskating, will purchase extra ice sessions as well as hold other dry land sessions designed to develop conditioning and strategy. This means that players may be involved in ringette activities three to five times per week.
If a competitive player falls below 80% attendance in any of the team activity areas of dryland, practices, powerskating and/or games, that player may be removed from the team by the West Ottawa Ringette Association Executive*.

U14 Tween AA and U16 Junior AA Financial Commitment

With competitive teams there is a greater financial commitment.
The costs of teamwear, tournaments, Provincials, extra ice, powerskating and dryland training all add up. It means families can expect to pay anywhere from $1000 - $3000 per player above and beyond registration fees depending on the amount of fundraising the team does. This includes such costs as hotel rooms, gas, meals etc.
If the team attends the Eastern Canadian Ringette Championships (U14 Tween AA) or the Canadian Ringette Championships (U16 Junior AA) then the financial commitment can increase dramatically by $2000 - $6000 per player due to increased travel and accommodation costs.
Please see the Appendix for more details on what to expect in terms of financial commitment.

Out of association

If you are attending a tryout as an Out of Association player you must present a completed and signed “M-F-7 Player Tryout/Release Form” before being allowed to participate in the tryout. This form needs to be signed by your association president or delegate and may be found on the Ontario Ringette Association website at

Any West Ottawa player trying out in another association needs a completed form signed by the West Ottawa President or delegate. Please contact to get a form signed.

Note that you will also need to pay the tryout fees in each association you try out for as an Out of Association player.

Questions or help ?

If you have any questions about the West Ottawa Ringette Association competitive program please contact our Competitive Coordinator at .

Appendix

Competitive Player Assessment Guidelines

COMPETITIVE PLAYER ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES

GENERAL

The purpose of this document is to provide information to players and parents regarding West Ottawa’s team selection process. The guidelines outlined in this document include the principles of equal opportunity and objectivity in selecting players. Please note that these are guidelines only and minor adjustments to the selection process may be made on a case-by-case basis with the agreement of the Competitive Coordinator, Coach and Executive of the Association.

The selection process occurs to ensure that players play on a team with players of similar age and playing ability. In order to do this, ringette associations hold assessments or tryouts that are used to formulate teams by rating a player’s abilities.

Any player registered with West Ottawa, or registered with another association and able to present a properly completed player tryout release form at the time of the first tryout session, can attend the tryout sessions. The tryout schedule is posted on the West Ottawa website at

The first round of tryouts is used to identify players for the top competitive level within that age group. All players who tried out will be given instruction as to when and where to go for the next tryout session if necessary.

There are considerations both players and parents should be aware of before attending the tryouts. The following information may help you decide which level of competition you feel your daughter should play at.

Reasonable Expectations

As an association, we encourage players to play at the highest level they are comfortable with and capable of playing, however, they have to approach the competitive team tryouts with realistic goals in mind. As a rule of thumb, a realistic goal would be to move up one skill level in the second year of that age group, or maintain the same skill level when moving up to a higher age group. This is just a guideline as everyone develops at different rates and there are several factors that can come into play. Certain age groups can be very deep with skilled players and/or the number of players in the age group and both may play a role in keeping your daughter at a lower skill level than you may have anticipated.