Athletes can choose not to opt in to being selected for Team BC. These athletes, and those who are not selected to Team BC, will continue to be a part of the Excellence Ringette Program for the duration of the season, attend 4 training camps, and have access to resources and personnel. Athletes who are not ready to commit fully to one sport can still participate in the Excellence Ringette Program to continue to access High Performance training and resources, as this program consists of four (4) training camps from July to February. Athletes who opt in to being eligible for Team BC, are those who are ready to commit more of their time to ringette but will still have time during the off season and lighter months to participate in a secondary sport.

Yes! The Excellence Ringette Program follows the stages of the Canadian Sport for Life Long Term Development Framework.  You can read more about the Canadian Sport for Life LTD framework here

The Excellence Ringette program starts at U16, where athletes are in the Late Train to Train, Train to Compete, and Train to Win stages of Development. In these stages, athletes begin to commit more time to one sport over another, if this is their sport of choice. Train to Train Athletes typically spend 66% of their time on their main sport, and 33% on a secondary sport. The Excellence Ringette program allows for this, due to the programming schedule occurring from July to April, with the early months having a lighter commitment. As athletes move into the Train to Compete and Train to Win stages, they typically commit more of their time to their sport of choice

In order to join the Excellence Ringette Program, athletes must do the following

1. Attend an Athlete Orientation
2. Attend an In-person assessment, and meet the Fitness Standards
3. Complete an Athlete Application
4. Complete an Athlete Interview

Training camps will be located across BC, depending on the ratio of athletes from each region, as well as our access to facilities and resources.

Excellence/CRC will be the priority for any athlete that is rostered to the CRC team. In the event of a conflict the CRC team takes priority. If an athlete has returned from a competition or training weekend and needs a recovery phase before returning to Zone the athlete is able to request that break from their Zone team. The Program Coordinator for Excellence will assist with monitoring the athletes with the CRC coaches to ensure that athletes are not over training.

An athlete would register in the Excellence Ringette Program if they have goals to participate in events or programs such as the Canadian Ringette Championships, Canada Winter Games, National Ringette League, or the National Team Program. Excellence Athletes are committed to improving themselves as athletes, both on and off the ice, and are ready to commit to a training program that will help them reach their goals.

Zone U14 would align to the U14AA division because that is the division that the Zone teams would compete in at WCRC. U16 and U19 Zone teams will be competing against the same teams in the A division in out of province tournaments that they would be at the Western Canadian Ringette Championships.

Currently the team will have 5 team only events. But in addititon to that they will attend 4 excellence training camp weekends plus any tournaments they attend throughout the season.

The coaching staff selected to each CRC team at U16 and U19 will select the athletes from the Excellence program for the CRC team.

Team BC athletes will participate in training programs as a team throughout the season. The model is similar to the 2019 and 2015 Canada Winter Games model. Athletes priority is Team BC but they will train and compete with their Zone team throughout the season. The athletes will attend training camps as a team and with the Excellence program throughout the season for training and practice. Coaches will communicate with their athletes throughout the season.

Yes. The CRC team will be able to attend AA tournaments throughout the season based on the season plan developed by the Team Staff.

No. Athletes interested in the program can come from everywhere.

The Excellence Ringette Program has undergone enhancements to increase the value offered to athletes, including the addition of meals, subject matter experts, expanded feedback, increased coach compensation, and 14+ hours of athlete contact time per camp. As a result, the program costs are as follows:

– Intake Cost: $500 per athlete
– Overall Program Cost: $2,000 per athlete

This cost includes all camps, Integrated Support Team (IST) integration, meals, and ice time. Please note that travel and accommodation expenses are not included.

We are committed to maintaining a cost-effective and accessible program while aligning with best practices across Canadian high-performance sport. Our focus on equity, quality, and transparency ensures that the 2025–2026 Excellence Ringette Program is designed to deliver measurable progress for every athlete while remaining inclusive, adaptable, and proudly provincial in scope. Few programs offer the same depth of support—encompassing on-ice, off-ice, and personal development—at this price point, all tied directly to positive athlete outcomes such as skill development, retention, mental health, and long-term performance.

Ringette BC is not getting rid of AA. Ringette BC is changing the current model of participation, training and development for athletes and teams that are going to CRC and WCRC. Team BC will be selected out of the athlete pool of Excellence athletes. If Athletes are interested in participating on Team BC they will need to enroll in Excellence in order to be eligible for selection. Team BC will be made up of athletes from across the province of BC.

The Player Pathways in BC are context driven, and are composed of 3 paths; Club, Competitive, and Pursuit of Excellence. In this system, Zone ringette falls under the Competitive stream, and the Excellence Ringette Program and Team BC fall under Pursuit of Excellence. The separation into contexts was driven by the recommendations in the Ringette Canada Competition Review, and a desire to provide opportunities for athletes to participate in ringette in a context that fit with their individual goals, desired commitment, and desired calibre and better alignment with LTAD.

Ringette BC will be looking to host both male and female programs, in U16, U19 and 18+.A minimum of 10 athletes is needed in any single division in order to form a training group. These 10 athletes can come from anywhere in the province.  Example: 10 U16 females are needed to host a U16 Female division.

Athletes will complete 9 on and off ice tests as part of the Excellence Ringette Program assessments. The Excellence Fitness Standards can be found here. The standards were created using data that has been compiled over the last 3-5 seasons at ringette assessments.

If you are not selected for Team BC, you continue to participate in the Excellence Ringette program. Some athletes may not be ready to be selected for Team BC, but are still tracking on a High Performance pathway for future seasons, and may be selected the following year. If they were screened out of Excellence if not selected to Team BC, these athletes would lose out on development and training opportunities to continue to improve and increase their chances of being ready the following season.

Once screened into the program, athletes will be expected to

• Attend all scheduled events and training camps
• If unable to attend, must complete an Athlete Absentee form 2 weeks prior to the event
• Uphold the Ringette BC and Excellence Ringette Program Values and Code of Conduct
• Commit to the training program, and complete all assigned tasks outside of training camps
• Adhere to the Excellence Ringette Program Dress Code for both on and off ice activities

Excellence and CRC coaches are one in the same. All CRC team coaches will be part of Excellence Ringette Program and will work with athletes in the Excellence program and the CRC team athletes. The Excellence program is as much a coach development program as it is an athlete development program.

This experience is not unique to CRC athletes. This is the experience that all current U14 players have by double carding to AA and Zone or in the past U14A. Also, in a CWG or BCWG cycle coaches and athletes must work together to ensure that the players and coaches are developing in tandem. The Excellence Ringette Program coordinator is there to work with the coaches and the athletes to ensure that the coaches are respecting the athletes and that they have the chance to develop and understand the systems.

All coaching and team staff for Excellence and CRC teams will be selected through a panel selection process.

Coaches will need to be CI Certified or higher to apply to the program.