Ringette to dominate local ice rinks

The West Ferris Ringette Association's 2006 Annual Agnes Jacks Invitational Ringette Tournament hits the ice in North Bay on Friday, November 3rd at both the Pete Palangio Arena and the West Ferris Arena. Players age 6 through 18 will be competing on 26 teams, 9 from North Bay and 17 from Valley East, Walden, Iroquois Falls, West Muskoka, Nepean and Upper Ottawa Valley. Admission to watch the games is free, so all members of the public are invited to see the excitement of ringette tournament play. Action begins Friday afternoon and ends Sunday afternoon. Schedules are posted at www.wfra.ca.

In addition to the tournament, the National Ringette League will be playing two of its regular season games in North Bay as part of the tournament festivities. Both games will feature the Richmond Hill Lightning playing against the Gloucester Devils, and will be played at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the West Ferris Arena on Saturday, November 4th.

Players wearing their ringette jerseys are allowed in for free, while all others must purchase a ticket for $5, which is good for both games. Tickets will be available at the door or during the weekend by going to the tournament check-in desk. Anyone wishing to meet the players can do so after each game, upstairs in the West Ferris Arena Auditorium, where they will meet with their fans and sign autographs.

The National Ringette League is in its 2nd full season of nation-wide competition. It is composed of a Western division, featuring teams from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, an Ontario division and a Quebec division. All of the players are amateurs, adults who love competing at the Elite level of their sport, and do so almost every weekend of the winter. Many of the players are also members of Canada's National team. Last year, the Cambridge Turbos defeated the Edmonton WAM! to win the first ever national title.