The West Ferris Ringette Association begins its 2004/2005 season with a full weekend of events at Pete Palangio Arena and West Ferris Arena to get the players back into the swing of things after their summer break.
On Saturday, a number of players of all ages will be playing in a daylong game at Pete Palangio Arena starting at 10 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m. to raise funds for the new hospital.
West Ferris Ringette and the Rotary Club of North Bay jointly sponsor this event.
At 11 a.m., there will be a celebrities vs players one-hour game as part of this extended game. Come out and see local celebrities playing ringette in support of the new hospital.
At 1 p.m. Saturday also at Pete Palangio Arena, there is a ‘Try Ringette for Free Session’, where people who have never played ringette get a chance to try it out at no cost with no obligation to join.
West Ferris Ringette pays for the ice and provides the equipment. All the players need are an approved hockey helmet and hockey skates and WFR provides the rest.
This is open to all ages. Please be sure to contact Jeff Francom at 495-1470 in order to reserve your equipment for this event.
There will also be a ringette goalie clinic at Pete Palangio Arena, open to ringette goalies of all ages. The cost of this clinic is only $15.
“We are very fortunate to have Tom Hedican running this clinic,” WFR president Jeff Francom said. “Tom is a professional goalie coach, who trains goalies at the highest level, including professionals who are playing in Europe.”
This clinic runs Saturday morning from 8:15 a.m. until 11:15 a.m. at Pete Palangio Arena. Contact Sue MacDonald at 752-2476 if you are interested in participating.
Also on Saturday and Sunday, Tim White will be running power skating clinics for all ages of ringette players. This is open to registered ringette players at a cost of $15. Please contact MacDonald at 752-2476 or Francom at 495-1470 if you are interested in participating in the power skating clinics. If you are enrolled in the goalie clinic, you are allowed to participate in the power skating at no extra charge.
Ringette registration takes place this weekend as well, from noon until 3 p.m. Saturday at Pete Palangio Arena as well as 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Sunday at West Ferris Arena.
“We still have a few sets of free equipment available for new registrants age 12 or younger. This equipment is loaned to new players for their first year in our association to try the game without incurring the cost of buying new equipment. Our thanks to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for making this possible,” Francom said.
Last but not least, there will be an equipment exchange/sale at the West Ferris Arena upstairs in the auditorium Sunday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. People looking for good used equipment at a very reasonable cost are invited to come in and see what's available.
The ringette season formally begins Sept. 18 with conditioning ice and Rep team tryouts. Regular season games start Oct. 3. If you have questions about ringette or are interested in playing, call Jeff or Chris Francom at 495-1470.