U10
What is U10 Ringette?
U10 Ringette is the starting point for most of our players, and provides the foundation for future success in the sport. Players will learn and improve on:
- skating
- ringette skills (e.g. passing, shooting, stabbing)
- teamwork
- basic goalie instruction for all players
- Emphasis on active involvement, participation and FUN!
WHAT DOES U10 SEASON LOOK LIKE?
- Evaluation and team formation in September.
- Approx. 2 ice times per week will include a combination of practices and games, with the occasional additional practice or power skating session.
- U10 is divided into 3 tiers:
- Step 1: is an introduction to ringette, is played on half ice and scores are not kept. Step 1 is in-house and all games are played in St. Albert. Teams are registered with Ringette Alberta and are eligible to participate in tournaments or to arrange for exhibition games against teams from other associations.
- Step 2: is a progression of the step 1 game, is also played on half ice and scores are not kept. Step 2 is in-house and all games are played in St. Albert; however, towards the end of the season it will include a full ice component to help players transition for full ice play. Teams are registered with Ringette Alberta and are eligible to participate in tournaments or to arrange for exhibition games against teams from other associations.
- Step 3: is an introduction to full ice for players. Scores are kept at this level. Step 3 teams play in the Black Gold League against other teams from Northern Alberta. Step 3 teams are eligible and encouraged to participate in tournaments or to arrange for exhibition games against teams from other associations.
- Although subject to change, the current schedule is:
- Step 1: practices on Saturdays, with games on Sundays. Coaches on the ice during games for the first half of the season for step 1 teams.
- Step 2: practices on Mondays, with games on Saturdays. Half ice games, transitioning to full ice development during the second part of the season.
- Step 3: practice day tbd; games based on league game schedule. Full ice games with a focus on basic concepts, rules and flow of the game. Continue to play half ice or cross-ice games in practice sessions.
- Game format should be structured to maximize time on the ring for each player.
- Tournament participation permitted. Quantity approved by the Association (1 - 2 maximum with recommendation that one be at or close to home and one "fun trip" away)
- Season - Mid September to early March (approx. 25 weeks)
Evaluation Process
Ice Session 1 - UAA Testing: tentatively scheduled for September 11
SARA uses Universal Athlete Assessment (UAA) testing. These timed drills will measure the players skating proficiency in the areas of forward skating, backward skating, tight turns and pivots. What is UAA?
- All U10 players are required to attend the UAA session.
- Ice times will be posted on the SARA website under Tryouts/U10.
- The ice will be spray painted, players jerseys may come into contact. Wear appropriate clothing.
The UAA sessions are set up to make the players feel like they are having a fun skate. There will be junior ringette players on the ice helping out. At no point do we want the players to feel anxious about the evaluation process. As parents we can remind players to just have fun!
Ice Sessions 2-4: tentatively scheduled between September 18-22
- Three evaluation scrimmage sessions
- Initial Scrimmage - Player groupings are based on UAA results and level of experience.
- Subsequent Scrimmages - Player groupings are based on a combination of UAA results and evaluation scores from previous scrimmages.
Team Formation
- Teams are formed by U10 coordinators based on evaluation rankings from independent evaluators.
- U10 teams are split into 3 levels; step 1, 2 & 3.
- Please refer to pg 18 of the Parent Handbook for level descriptions.
Financial Commitment
The total financial commitment will vary among the U10 teams and age levels and increase by each step due to the difference in ice times and program requirements.
Additional team fees will be required upon team formation to cover the costs of tournaments, apparel, team functions, team photos etc. Teams should discuss a budget at the beginning of the season to determine additional funds required.
Teams can also choose to do their own fundraising such as bottle drives, corporate sponsors, etc.
Friend Request Policy
St. Albert Ringette Association will allow one reciprocal friend request per player for the U10 Step 1 and Step 2 divisions. The request must be made by emailing u10@stalbertringette.com. A friend request must be submitted by both players to be valid; any submissions that are not reciprocated will not be considered. Friend requests will be accepted prior to the first evaluation skate and any requests submitted after will not be considered.
Friend requests are dependent upon evaluation results and the ability to balance teams. Requests will be taken into consideration upon team formation; however no assurances can be made.
No other age divisions will accept friend requests.
Coaching requests will not be considered.
U10 DIVISION COORDINATOR
u10@stalbertringette.com
RIGHT SIZED NET FAQS
FAQs from Ringette Alberta
Did Ringette Alberta mandate all local associations use these nets?
No. Ringette Alberta offered to pay 50% of the cost of the nets for those associations wishing to use them. Using the right-sized nets this season is voluntary.
Will Ringette Alberta mandate this in the future?
Too early to tell. Together with our members, Ringette Alberta will assess the use of the right-sized nets before making that decision.
Why are some associations interested in using right-sized nets?
Ringette across the country has the perennial issue of an insufficient supply of goaltenders. There is a belief that more closely matching the size of the net to the size of the player will help.
Here are some of the reasons why right-sized nets are being given a chance:
- Increased chances of success for children who do try goaltending. More success means that children will be more likely to want to give the position a try and their parents to support their child’s decision. A net that is more closely matched to the child who is guarding it is likely to give that child a fighting chance of stopping a shot.
- A reduction in the potential for blow out games leads to more fun for everyone.
- An increase in the flow (and fun) of the game with fewer stoppages of play thanks to fewer goals.
There are many other sports that have introduced right-sized equipment and programming. Here are just a few:
- Soccer uses a modified field, a right-sized net and smaller soccer balls.
- Hockey has many examples of using smaller nets and a modified game.
- Team Handball uses smaller nets and smaller balls.
- Basketball varies the height of the net and uses a smaller ball.
- Volleyball varies the height of the net, uses “three ball†and other game modifications.
- Tennis uses modified balls, court and nets.
Why have some associations chosen not to use right-sized nets this season?
The offer from Ringette Alberta was made in the summer. Some associations had concern with coordinating with facility owners on storage, may not have had budget room or other logistical concerns.
Ideally, more notice would have been preferred but since using the right-sized nets is voluntary, no association was forced to make a decision that it wasn’t comfortable or prepared to make. In June 2015, there was a conversation involving many local ringette association representatives (not all) about the introduction of right-sized nets. Subsequent to that, a request was received by Ringette Alberta to fund the nets on the assumption that, if Ringette Alberta could help, many associations would choose to use the right-sized nets in the 2015-16 season.
So, Ringette Alberta left the decision up to the local associations, made the financial offer and provided information to all associations about the mechanics of how the nets would be used. Ringette Alberta felt it better to support the voluntary use of the nets rather than impede associations willing and / or able to give it a try.
Will Ringette Alberta offer to subsidize future right-sized net purchases?
Yes, this is something Ringette Alberta will likely try to include in its 2016-17 budget provided there is merit in doing so.
So what happens when there is a game between teams where one team’s association has chosen to use the right-sized nets but the other team’s association uses large nets?
In league games, the home team’s net sized should be used. For example, if Team A’s association has chosen to use the right-sized nets and Team A is the home team, the game between Team A and Team B will use the right-sized nets.
In tournaments, the tournament host will make the decision. The tournament listing on Ringette Alberta’s website will include whether or not right-sized nets will be used so teams know before applying to participate in the tournament. For exhibition games, the teams will agree.
What happens if right-sized nets are supposed to be used (as in the example above) but there are only large nets available?
Use the large nets for that game. Since both teams are using the same sized net, it is fair for both teams.
Which divisions / levels are the right-sized nets used?
- Active Start where readiness supports using any nets at all
- Fundaments - U10 Step 1
- Fundamentals - U10 Step 2
- Learning to Train early - U10 step 3
Isn’t there a concern with the Step 3s using the right-sized nets when many of them will have to use the large nets next season?
No matter when a game or equipment modification is phased out and new conditions phased in, there is a period of adaptation. Having the rights adapt successfully is certainly a concern but it may be less of a concern than some assume it may be.
Children at this age are relatively malleable compared to their older counterparts and adults. Because of where they are in their growth and development they are very capable of adapting quickly. The introduction of the shot clock at U12 is example of the rights being able to make a fairly seamless transition to from no shot clock at U10 to using the shot clock at U12.
There is a high probability that teams will experience large and small nets over the course of the season, therefore, when many players make the transition to U12 next season, they aren’t likely to be seeing the large nets for the first time.
If there is a major concern about the rights being able to adapt, the coaches are free to introduce the large nets in practice.
Most importantly, Ringette Alberta will be working with our member associations to determine if a switch for the Step 3 teams is appropriate at some point this season. If so, when this transition takes place will be made universally and everyone will be provided the same information.
How will Ringette Alberta determine if the use of the right-sized nets is beneficial?
There isn’t likely to be a 100% definitive indication of success or failure however there are some indications that may be useful to make this decision:
- total number of goals
- flow of the game
- willingness of children to try the position
- anecdotal feedback
- ?learnings from other sports
There are some hard numbers that may be collected however much of the decision will be made based on the conversations with appropriately qualified individuals from Ringette Alberta’s membership.
The following videos were provided by Ringette Alberta as part of the discussion around the right sized nets for U10.
