September 15, 2013
Ringette Calgary Membership:
Re: Zone 1,2 & 3 League Play
Hello Everyone,
On behalf of the Ringette Calgary Board, it is my pleasure to welcome you all back to another Ringette season. I’d like to firstly and most importantly wish you all a fun, competitive and safe season.
The purpose of this letter is to make you all aware of some changes that are taking place this season. I want to briefly explain what they are and share with you why the Ringette Calgary Board supports them.
For the 2013/2014 season, Ringette Calgary has voted to take part in a new league that consists of teams from Zone 1 (Medicine Hat and Lethbridge), Zone 2 (Cochrane Strathmore, Airdrie etc.) and Zone 3 (Calgary). Although we have the ability to run our own league with just teams from Calgary, the Ringette Calgary Board feels strongly that we have a responsibility to help the southern part of the province build and grow their programs. They have seen significant declines over the past few seasons and the main reason is they simply do not have enough opportunities for competition. We also believe that there is benefit for our teams as well, as many of these communities field strong teams and provide tournament opportunities for Zone 3 teams to compete in.
Some highlights of the new league are:
· Calgary U12-U19 teams will be taking part.
· Teams will be required to travel once only for league play. The general rule of thumb is if travel time is 2 hours or more teams will play 2 games. If the travel time is equal to or less than 1 hour, teams will play only 1 game.
· Potential game locations in Zone 1 are Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Brooks, Bassano, Dutchess, Vulcan or Stavely.
· All Associations are required to provide performance bonds to ensure their teams compliance with league scheduling.
· Ringette Alberta will be scheduling Provincial Playdowns that will involve all interested teams in the Southern part of the province.
The Ringette Calgary Board recognizes that this is a major change and as with any change we are sure there will be some growing pains. We ask for your patience and understanding as our volunteers work through the many logistical issues that we are sure to face. Thank you and good luck this season.
Paul Geddes
Past President – Ringette Calgary