East-West Confusion

Organizers of the annual East-West event want to set the record straight.

The West Ferris Ringette Association recently announced that they are planning to create an East-West style ringette event. In a press release sent out to the media officials with the local Ringette assoctiation stated that the NDA would not allow it.

“This idea came about after we asked the NDA if they would allow our high school players to have a period at East/West this past year but we were turned down. We thought we would prove the concept and try again in future years,” said event organizer Jeff Francom.

But according to East-West organizer Nat Brunette the East West Committee never received a letter about East-West including Ringette in 2006. Brunette adds that the NDA does not run the East-West game in the first place.

Brunette says the East West committee recognizes the popularity of Ringette in North Bay.

“The 2006 East West Committee is very aware of the numbers of students playing ringette as we had ourselves, surveyed in October 2006, each of the seven schools that participate in the East West game,” Brunette said in a letter to BayToday.ca.

“One of the reasons why ringette was not included in the 2006 East West game was that there were not adequate numbers of players from both of the Sturgeon Falls schools and FJM in Mattawa. As the mandate of East West is to include players from all of our member schools, the decision was made to not include ringette during the November.”

The first ever West Ferris Ringette School Challenge Cup will take place on Tuesday, February 6, 2007 at the Pete Palangio Arena starting at 5:00 p.m. and going until 8:15 p.m.