MONCTON – Players at the Canadian Eastern Ringette Championship say competing in the tournament improves their playing skills.
The Championship features hundreds of players and dozens of teams from Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes.
Annie Gautreau plays on a New Brunswick team and said some teams push her to play harder.
“I just love that it’s a competitive sport and it’s a team sport and all the girls can get together and have fun,” she said.
“It’s really tough so we just keep pushing and pushing so our talent keeps growing every year.”
Samuelle Cormier also plays for New Brunswick and said she likes making new friends through ringette-related events.
“Everyone’s really close at ringette so people are really friendly so you make friends a lot easier,” she said.
In New Brunswick, tournament organizers say the sport has been growing in popularity.
Greg Landry, the championship’s chair, said numbers have more than doubled since the late 1980’s.
“In 1989, there were 600 players in the province of New Brunswick and this year there was 1,350,” he said.
Parents who came to watch their daughters play said the game teaches more than playing skills.
“I love team sports because you win and lose as a team and you learn how to work together. You learn how to fight through adversity,” she said, adding the sport is also fun to watch.
“It’s a fast game and I think the passing’s fabulous,” she said. “I have a son who plays hockey too so I like both sports but in ringette, you have to pass so you rely on a team.”
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