About Us

Our Mission

Calgary AA Ringette is an outstanding high-level youth-sports program. Through competition and sportsmanship, our female athletes embrace an active lifestyle and good nutrition, learn great life lessons, and become part of a tight-knit team environment and AA ringette community.

Corporate Number and Mailing Address
 

Play, Compete, Achieve — Bringing together strong ringette athletes from across Calgary

Where do our amazing Calgary AA Ringette athletes come from? They join our program from our city’s three exceptional Ringette Calgary community associations: Bow View Ringette, South Calgary Ringette and North West Ringette. Starting in U14, these athletes are eligible to tryout for our program. Upon being selected to a Calgary AA Ringette team, they bring their proud community traditions with them as they get to know and learn to compete with girls from across Calgary.

This is the strength of our program: within our team culture, our athletes form new relationships and build bonds with other like-skilled players, while playing other AA teams from across the province and country. Calgary AA Ringette provides the opportunity, program tenets, and infrastructure for increased game exposure and skill development—leading them towards future levels of excellence playing with NRL Calgary RATH, National Team Canada Junior and Senior (Ringette Canada), and at the Canada Winter Games.

Whether our athletes remain in our program or return to their communities to play, we work in flux with our three ringette community associations, and are proud to represent Ringette Calgary as the largest AA Ringette association in Canada!
 

Our Program — Experience high-level team building, for success on and off the ice

Calgary AA is an higher level of ringette for female athletes. Open to players from the U14, U16 and U19 age divisions, our Tryouts are held late August/early September, and teams are drafted for the upcoming season. The AA season officially starts with Tryouts, and extends to participation in both Western and National Ringette Championships, through to mid-April.

Players are expected to:

• Be physically fit, and have a very competitive drive
• Commit to a high level of ringette play
• Participate in professional fitness and mental training with their team
• Learn and engage in proper nutrition
• Demonstrate sportsmanship in all AA-related interactions, on and off the ice

Season play for each age division consists of regularly-scheduled games within the Ringette Calgary league. As well, tournament participation (eight to ten a season) is an important part of our program—to help increase skill development and competitive exposure for teams. Our program does not participate in regular league playoffs; if needed, division playdowns are held to determine entry for AA Provincial Championships.

At each age level, different skills are emphasized for development. For U14’s, the focus is on individual and team skills, while striving to compete for Provincial and Western Championship titles. At the U16 and U19 levels, more emphasis is placed on team and game strategies, to compete for Provincial and National Championship titles.

For more Pre-Season information, including our Intro to AA Spring Skate, and Registration and Fall Tryout process, please visit the pages listed under our Pre-Season section above.
 

Strong Player Commitment — Hard work and team bonding can yield great rewards

• Family, school, sports (in that order); AA ringette is considered to be your first sports priority
• Usually four dedicated sessions per week:
  • Two practices, one game, and one dryland conditioning
  • Games are league play, as set out per age division
• Tournament play is an important focus of our program:
  • Approximately eight to ten tournaments per season
  • Each held for three or four days over a weekend (not including Westerns or Nationals, which are four to ten days)
• Team bonding, fundraising and community events

Apparel and Equipment Purchases — For the love of AA team wear

Players will need specific Calgary AA team apparel and equipment items, such as:

• Helmets (division-dependent), pants, hoodies and jackets
• Other items that may be outlined by team manager, such as warm-up, dryland or club apparel (some items may be covered through team fundraising)

Sportsmanship — Learning leadership in a team environment, and being stewards of our game

Sportsmanship is an important tenet of Calgary AA. Athletes, coaches and parents are asked to sign Code of Conduct pledges at the beginning of each season. They are encouraged and expected to support one another (within their own teams, and for sister teams) and to always demonstrate respect for game officials and opposing teams.

Junior coaches (from within our program) are a valued part of our coaching teams, and help teach leadership and skill development through mentoring.

As well, Calgary AA endorses the Friends First initiative, to promote a positive, supportive team culture that helps our athletes elevate their game, and explore their full potential within our community.
 

Community Strong — Giving back, showing support, growing values

Calgary AA Ringette appreciates and acknowledges our wider community—in ringette and in our neighbourhood. Teams often engage in supporting community initiatives, donating time or funds to show we care. And, our ringette family is interconnected and strong, supporting our own throughout the year, demonstrating that friendships outlast any competition.
 

On the Bench — Great teamwork starts at the top

Coaches in Calgary AA undergo an application and independent interview selection process, and have to complete all coaching and RIS certifications, as well as police checks. In accordance with Ringette Alberta policy, our female-on-the-bench must be a certified coach (not a manager or trainer). Junior Coaches from our U16 and U19 divisions help support coaching staff and players, where possible.
 

Dryland Training—Learning fitness off the ice

For Calgary AA, dryland training is an important off-ice component—to help contribute elements of physical fitness as part of on-ice development. The intent is to help young athletes learn proper training techniques and injury prevention, while gaining strength and conditioning in a fun, focused, supervised team environment. Usually scheduled once per week, players are expected to take ownership of their own additional off-ice training, to ensure readiness for this level of competition. Exercises learned at dryland are just some of what they can add to their personal routine.

Our program establishes contracts with specific dryland training organizations to optimize consistency among teams in each age division. Each team is allocated a set number of sessions with a specific vendor, starting soon after teams are formed. Care is taken in scheduling sessions around games or tournaments to allow sufficient athletic recovery time.

Parent Volunteer Commitment — It takes a community

In order to run a successful program, every family needs to help out. Through exceptional effort, support and friendship within our AA community, our athletes are able to participate in a well-organized setting that builds confidence and achievement, year after year.

Team and committee roles are varied and plentiful, allowing a wide-range of support opportunities, including:

• AA Committee and Executive Board positions, including areas such as equipment, ice allocation, bus and hotel for tournaments, casinos or Golden Ring help, team photos, website and social media, year-end banquet, etc.
• Team management and organizational roles: specific roles are set out during the first team meeting, please see our Volunteer role descriptions for more information

Our Committee — A dedicated (and fun) group of parents

Operation of the Calgary AA Ringette program is undertaken by the AA Committee, which follows outlined policies and procedures, and is accountable to Ringette Calgary. The Committee and Executive Board is made up of parent volunteers and is elected every year at the AGM, held shortly after team selection in the fall; terms for committee roles are typically from October to September.

The committee convenes approximately every one-two months; the executive board and specific positions continue through the off-season to facilitate operation and upcoming season items. Three members from each team are expected to attend regular meetings and volunteer for specific committee or executive board roles. Managers are also encouraged to attend (though not mandatory).

Please see our AA Committee page for more information on committee roles and responsibilities.
 

Financial Commitment and Fundraising — Your help makes it happen

Financial commitment, through fundraising or individual family support, is an integral part of the AA program. Funding is provided through registration fees and casino proceeds; however, these sources do not fully cover the costs involved to ice a team for a season.

Initial team cash calls are determined after teams are formed, and fundraising initiatives are undertaken by parents throughout the season to help meet team budget needs.

Team expenses can include:

• Ice allocation, tournament fees (including bus or car rentals), dryland sessions, and team-building camps (some costs may be covered by AA program)
• Additional team apparel

Player expenses can include:

• Team equipment and apparel (outlined under Apparel and Equipment Purchases)
• Five to seven tournaments, with associated travel expenses
• Cash calls or fundraising support

Fundraising initiatives can include:

• Bottle drives
• Silent auctions
• Grey Cup raffles
• Food or product orders
• Corporate sponsorships or giveaways

 
Thank you for your interest in Calgary AA!