Zone Division Ringette FAQ’s
These FAQ’s will be updated as questions are received.
Where do the U14 Zone Division players train and compete?
As per the U14 Zone Representative Division Guidelines, all U14 Zone Division teams will be zone based. Zones boundaries will likely include two to three Club Associations. The teams will practice and train within their zone to help limit travel across the regions.
The Club Associations within the zone will provide ice and cover the cost of officials proportional to the number of athletes from their Club Association that are participating on the U14 Zone team.
- For example, if 45% of players come from Club Association A and 55% from Club Association B, each Club Association would allocate ice for practices and games following these proportions.
The teams will be able to compete in exhibition games against the other Zone teams in their region as well as participate in a Provincial Competitive League which will require the teams to travel to a tournament or play weekend in each of the Leagues during the season.
The teams will also have the option to attend out of province competitions should they wish.
What is the cost of U14 Zone?
After evaluation and team formation, athletes who are selected to the U14 Zone team will be responsible for team fees that are in addition to Club Association registration fees. These fees will cover additional team expenses such as team apparel, additional ice, dryland training, tournament registrations and any other relevant team costs that are not covered by the standard registration fee charged by the Club Association. We estimate these fees to be roughly $1,200 per player.
The Club Associations within the zone will provide ice and cover the cost of officials proportional to the number of athletes from their Club Association that are participating on the U14 Zone team.
What kind of credentials will the coaches need?
Coaches will need to be CI Certified or higher to apply to the program.
Who governs the U14 Zone Division?
Ringette BC will be responsible for program oversight, creation of program guidelines and enforcement of policy. The Leagues will be responsible for player evaluations, organizing a Coach and Team Staff Selection Committee and general scheduling. Club Associations will secure ice and facilities and will work with the Leagues to ensure standardization of player evaluations.
Why are teams required to put down deposits?
Under the U14, U16 and U19 Zone guidelines, there is a requirement to compete against other Zone teams in the province through the season and to attend Provincial Championships with a goal of representing BC at the Western Canadian Championships.
Teams will be required to attend a minimum of one tournament in each league that hosts a U14 Competitive Zone team. Ringette BC will confirm which tournaments have been sanctioned to host Zone prior to season start to ensure that there are enough teams for the division to run.
The $5,000 deposit for each team at the U14, U16 and U19 Zone division is to ensure that the competition requirements of the program are met. It will be refunded back to the team once the team has fulfilled its competition requirements that include attending a minimum of one tournament in each of the leagues hosting a U14 Competitive Zone team, Provincial Championships and Western Canadian Ringette Championships (if applicable).
Zone Teams are watered down, which slows the pace of the ringette game. How will the speed of our athletes increase to the most competitive levels?
Athletes grow and develop at different rates. The athletes are now training with a consistent team and consistent coaches for an entire season. The athletes that are not as skilled will have the opportunity to improve and grow over the course of a season.
There is always some skill difference between players on all teams the objective of Zone is to broaden the athlete pool to increase the number of athletes that are able to participate at a competitive level.
Athletes that are seeking to become more competitive and have goals of competing at the Western Canadian Ringette Championship, Canadian Ringette Championships, Canada Winter Games and beyond will be eligible to enroll in to Excellence Ringette which will provide a daily training environment that is targeted at athletes in late Train to Train, Train to Compete and train to win stages of development. This program in addition to Zone will help to increase our competitive athlete pool.
Who is running the Excellence/CRC program?
Ringette BC will act as the License holder and the program will be headed by a Program Coordinator.
