MEMORANDUM
To:
All Member of St. Albert Ringette Association
From:
Glen Dennis
President St. Albert Ringette Association
Subject:
U14 “AA” Ringette
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1.0
Introduction:
SARA has called a meeting of interested members to discuss the feasibility of
hosting a U-14 “AA” team for the 2012-2013 playing season. There will not be a
vote called as 30 days due notice has not been provided to our membership to
vote on a resolution. The purpose of the meeting is to evaluate the prospect of
hosting a “AA” team and identify a committee to advance the work required if our
membership chooses to explore the opportunities further.
2.0
Background:
During the Ringette Alberta AGM in Red Deer on May 5, 2012 a session was
held regarding the future state of the “AA” Ringette Program in Alberta. The
position presented was to increase the number of U-14 developmental
opportunities by increasing the number of teams from 5 to 8. The long term goal
is to create a north/south league consisting of 4 teams in each region. To
accomplish this Zone 5 Associations would have the opportunity to field 2 or
possibly 3 teams at that level.
The rationale for including the Zone 5 Associations is as follows:
U14 AA in Alberta today
All Alberta
 55 U14 teams
 5 of these teams (9.09% ) are U14AA
Zone 3:
 12.5% of U14 teams are AA
 12.3% of the athletes at U14 in Zone 3
Zone 4:
 16.67 % of teams are AA
 19.4% of the athletes at U14 in Zone 4
Zone 5:
 5.88% of U14 teams are AA
 7.3% of the athletes at U14 in Zone 5
Zone 6:
 20% of U14 teams are AA
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23.1% of the athletes at U14 in Zone 6
St. Albert Ringette Association was identified as having a sufficient number of
players and teams at the U-14 level to field one “AA” team. This topic sparked
debate both internally with our Association and also between our Association and
Zone 5 “AA” Club.
For the past two seasons Zone 5 has fielded one U-14 “AA” team which has
limited the opportunities within Zone 5 Associations which is reflected in only
7.3% of the athletes being exposed to the “AA” program and experience.
SARA has explored a means of working with Zone 5 in order to provide more
opportunities for the U14 athletes. On May 30, 2012 a meeting was hosted by
SARA and held in the Sobeys’ Room at Servus Credit Union Place. Several
solutions were explored which included:
 a possible north/south or east/west split of the Zone to create two teams;
 SARA working with Zone 5 and hosting a team;
 Locating an additional arena in the north portion of the Zone
Many obstacles were identified by Zone 5 that would prevent the success of a
team hosted by a local Association:
 No infrastructure for a club in St. Albert
 Could not sustain a program
 Upon return to the Zone the athletes may not be selected to the Zone
team
 Ice availability
 Would diminish the Zone 5 “AA” program
Upon the conclusion of the meeting information was requested from the
President of Zone 5 “AA” outlining the advantages of playing with Zone 5. The
information provided is attached to this memorandum.
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RAB policies and Procedures for team designation within Associations
Number of tween registrants for 2011/2012
Projection for 2012/2013
Percentage if a U14 team was formed as part of SARA
Committee struck for provincial AA review
3 options available
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Process followed and meeting held with Zone 5
Information presented
Opportunity to provide information as to what the Zone offers
Board decision to bring it to this forum and provide the member the ability
to become involved
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SARA Policy
AA Team requirements
Coordinator
Independent Evaluations
Team Selection Process
Funding
Ice Allocation for the SARA AA Team and as well the Zone 5 Club as
SARA will have players there as well
Outcomes:
No vote can be taken as this is not a duly called Special General Meeting
Interest in hosting a U14 team to provide more athletes the exposure to the level
of play
Committee to be formed and report back to the Board by July 3rd, 2012
Ice availability
Thank you for the opportunity to meet with members of your association and share
information about our organization. We value the relationship between our club and the
local associations as they provide athletes with the strong foundation of skills which
allows them to compete at the AA level.
Why should athletes strive to play at the AA level?
- Athletes are challenged to be the best they can be
-compete against the best athletes in the province and the country
-AA teams are guaranteed entry into provincial championships and most tournaments
-Team Canada, NRL, University and Canada Winter Games teams are now
predominately made up of AA players
-This is the only opportunity to play in the Canadian Ringette Championships. If
potential changes occur for Alberta Winter Games (open tryouts for all U16 players in
Zone 5), that will be the best chance to compete at that competition as well.
Why should athletes play for Zone 5 AA?
-Zone 5 AA has a reputation as one of the top AA clubs in Western Canada
-We are virtually guaranteed entry into tournaments in Western Canada and are
personally invited to Eastern Tournaments each year
-teams that draw from a large population base have more success at national
championships and produce a larger percentage of athletes that are selected to the top
level teams (National Ringette league, Team Canada, etc).
-The club organizes power skating, extra ice, off-ice conditioning, fundraisers, team
clothing and travel accommodations for tournaments. The coaches and managers of the
teams do not need to worry about these items.
- All AA teams in Alberta operate within their own association, distanced slightly from
the local community associations. This degree of separation allows each group to focus
on what they do best: providing athletes with the proper level of training and support they
need to achieve their goals.
AA Ringette is the highest level attainable in ringette. Playing at an elite level requires
sacrifices of time and money. Anyone that has achieved greatness in any sport (hockey,
gymnastics, ringette, baseball) has had to travel for practises and tournaments and pay
additional costs associated with increased training. It would be fantastic if all ringette
practises were close to home with friends, but that is just not a reality in Zone 5. Athletes
that want to play at the top level have to get out of their comfort zone and make some
sacrifices.
Like every other association in Alberta, Zone 5 AA has made some mistakes, some
decisions that turned out not as well as hoped. However, we have a strong foundation, a
clear vision and are moving forward. We have a comprehensive set of operational
guidelines that we are currently refining and clarifying and are confident we have a solid,
successful, sustainable future ahead of us.
We are working hard to minimize travel, encourage car-pooling, and keep costs
reasonable for all players. If anyone has any specific questions about ice times, travel,
costs, etc, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Training to Train Stage of Development
Early in stage: Females 12-13 years of age
Later in stage: Females 14-15 years of age
Most players will go through the growth spurt during this stage and it is very important to
be flexible with training programs to ensure appropriate challenges and to meet the needs
of players who are growing rapidly. Selection of athletes into tiered programs is also
important, so that players are placed on teams with other players who are of approximate
equal size and stage of development. Discretion should be applied to placement of
athletes who are early or late developers; this is particularly important in competitive
programs and may require overlapping age categories in competitive levels.
General Objectives
Description of the Stage
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To consolidate fundamental ringette skills in controlled and semi-controlled conditions
To develop and consolidate simple tactics
To further develop general physical fitness training and mental skills
To introduce and develop strategies (game plan)
To introduce and develop decision making skills in varied situations
To learn to cope with the challenges of competition and to strive to succeed and do
their best
Later in stage:
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To introduce position-specific skills
Guiding Principles
Community Programs
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Fun (socially motivated), balance between participation and competition
Ensure life-ling participation in sport
Limited tiering
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Skills are reinforce in real game situations
Competition Programs
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Fun (competitively motivated), maintain balance between participation and competition
Tiering begins
Coaches empower athletes and include them in the decision making process
Throughout this stage, athletes gradually become more autonomous on the ice
Click here for more on the Training to Train Stage.
Regarding U14AA
In the big picture, U14 is a step in the long term development of the athlete and therefore
the goal of a U14 program is to prepare the athlete for U16. The coaches at U14 are
responsible for ensuring the skills “tool box” of all their U14 athletes is as full as possible
before the athletes move into a U16 program.
At U14, athletes are given a choice between a community program and a competitive
program. Competitive programs, particularly in this stage, are certainly about ability but
also about desire. Keeping in mind that U14 is a preparatory step for U16 and the
introduction to competitive programs, the desire to participate in a competitive program
is a priority over the ability. No doubt, athletes should possess a baseline of skills in
order for it to be appropriate for them to participate in such a program, however,
opportunity should be provided to the broadest group of interested athletes as possible.
U14 AA in Alberta today
All Alberta
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55 U14 teams
5 of these teams (9.09% ) are U14AA
Zone 3:
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12.5% of U14 teams are AA
12.3% of the athletes at U14 in Zone 3
Zone 4:
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16.67 % of teams are AA
19.4% of the athletes at U14 in Zone 4
Zone 5:
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5.88% of U14 teams are AA
7.3% of the athletes at U14 in Zone 5
Zone 6:
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20% of U14 teams are AA
23.1% of the athletes at U14 in Zone 6
Ontario is often considered by many within Alberta, to be our province’s strongest
competition at the national level in later stages (U16AA, U19AA, CWG, NRL).
In Ontario:
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91 U14 teams
13 of these teams (14.29%) are U14AA
As stated earlier, U14 is the introduction to a competitive program and is a but one step in
the long term development of the athlete. In other words, if Alberta wishes to be
successful at Canada Winter Games, at the Canadian Ringette Championships in the
U19AA division and have strong, viable teams in the NRL, Alberta must, among other
things, establish the broadest base of skilled athletes at U14. U14AA can be a critical
step in this process provided that more athletes are given the opportunity to be exposed to
the benefits of the program.
Recommendation
Option 1: All zones strive to provide a competitive program option to between
15% and 18% of their athletes. In practical terms this means Zones 3 and Zones 5
would ice three U14 AA teams while Zones 4 and 6 remain at one team each for a
total of 8 U14AA teams. These 8 teams can be organized into a proper league
(not playing against U16 A teams).
Option 2: Ringette Alberta’s Board revise existing policy to eliminate zone AA
teams and local ringette associations ice their own AA teams.
Option 3: Ringette Alberta’s Board leave the existing policy unchanged but
ensure local associations understand they are not restricted from creating their
own AA teams whether their Zone does or does not choose to ice Zone AA teams.
Ringette Alberta’s preference is Option 1
Concerns:
“Not enough AA caliber players”
As stated, U14AA is the introduction to a competitive program and is more about
desire than ability. Certainly, a base of skills is required, but the programs should
be as inclusive as possible.
If it is true, that there are simply not enough players to make more teams, then
these zones, being the largest zones in the province, should be asking why.
“This will hurt our A and B teams”
Ringette clubs and the programs that are offered, belong to the players. The
players do not belong to the organizers of the sport, therefore, preventing athletes
from participating in a program that meets their needs is inappropriate.
Zone 3 and Zone 5 need to work together.
If all zones work together to operate from the same standard, there is no reason to
assume there would be a detrimental effect to competitive equity.
Ringette Alberta is aware that part of the resistance to change is that if one zone
this change, and the other zone does not, there is a concern that this change could
affect the competitive equity of the teams at A and B. With that in mind, Ringette
Alberta encourages the Zones to set the same timelines for growing the
opportunities at U14AA.
If the Zones choose not to synchronize the introduction of these changes, Ringette
Alberta does have the option of changing policy to make the change mandatory /
simultaneous. The preference is for the members to make this shift voluntarily.