The Sault’s Chelsea Clingen is looking forward to the Sault Ringette Club hosting the 2025 Ringette Ontario Provincial A Championships from March 13 to 16.
The sport has been a big part of her life.
“I've been playing for 26 years and coaching for 15. This year is full circle for me because 20 years ago we had provincials here and my dad, Dave Clingen, was coaching my sister and I," Clingen told SooToday.
"Now my six-year-old niece is playing in the Sault Ringette Club and I get to coach her.”
The 2025 Ringette Ontario Provincial A Championships will bring together female athletes from more than 40 teams across Ontario, ranging from the U14 category to 18 and over.
While Clingen will be coaching girls from the U14 category at the Provincial A Championships, she will also be playing for a Sudbury team in the 18 and over division.
“I started playing ringette when I was seven. I played hockey for two years but my dad saw ringette at the old McMeeken Centre and he just loved the skill, the teamwork and the fast pace of it.
"He put my sister in it, she loved it, and then I transferred over from hockey and I’ve loved it ever since. I’ve never looked back,” Clingen said.
She said ringette brings her a sense of physical and mental freedom and she continues to cherish friendships she made with fellow ringette players at the age of seven.
While there are some obvious similarities between ringette and hockey, there are also several differences.
Ringette sticks are straight with a special tip. Ringette involves a six-inch rubber ring instead of a puck. There are no face-offs. Any stoppage in play results in a free pass to restart the game. Players can't carry the ring over a blue line. They must pass the ring over a blue line to a teammate.
“It's is not as easy as some people think that it might be. It takes skill because you have to receive and stab the ring and have that control, whereas in hockey you can just put your blade down and get the puck.
"Ringette is skill-based and inclusive. Teamwork is a huge aspect of it. It's a full-team game,” said Clingen, who usually plays centre.
It is primarily a female sport.
“That's what I think I love about it so much. It gives girls an opportunity in sport,” Clingen said.
She has played on medal-winning teams and hopes Sault teams will earn their share of glory at the Provincial A Championships.
Twelve-year-old Sarah Sonoc and 13-year-old Erika Bernardo will be competing for the Sault Ringette Club’s Sault Ice Hawks in the championships.
“When I tried ringette I really liked it so I haven’t stopped playing. I really like skating, making passes to my teammates and breaking through the other team's defence.
"I like the feel of it. One of the best things about it is that we never get down on each other even if a game's not going our way. We stay really positive,” Sonoc said.
Both Sonoc and Bernardo are forwards and have already been on medal-winning teams in competitions.
“I’ve been playing for a few years. I just got on the ice and I loved it. I like the teamwork. It's a very safe environment for people to be in. It's just very fun in general and it makes me happy.
"Just getting on the ice makes you feel free,” Bernardo said.
The Sault Ringette Club has over 300 players and is growing, player/coach Clingen said.
The 2025 Ringette Ontario Provincial A Championships games will be played at the Northern Community Centre, the John Rhodes Community Centre and Rankin Arena.
“This tournament is huge because it’s the first time that we’ve hosted the A provincials in over 20 years in this city. We're bringing in A level players from across the province.
"There are 44 teams coming in and probably close to 800 players. The economic impact of this will be over $1.5 million for our city. It's filling our hotels and filling our restaurants. It's a fantastic tournament,” said Alana Kenopic, City of Sault Ste. Marie travel and tourism manager.
Kenopic also serves as the Sault Ringette Club’s marketing director and her daughter is a ringette player in the club’s U14 division.
For more information on the Sault Ringette Club, check out its website.
For more information on the 2025 Ringette Ontario Provincial A Championships visit Ringette Ontario.