Excellence Ringette Program and Canadian Ringette Championships FAQ
Where will training camps be located?
Training camps will be located across BC, depending on the ratio of athletes from each region, as well as our access to facilities and resources.
What kind of credentials will the coaches need in order to apply to the program?
Coaches will need to be CI Certified or higher to apply to the program.
CRC Teams – With all the different coaches involved with these athletes, the coaching philosophies from each coach (Zone, Excellence and CRC Teams) will be conflicting causing confusion and frustration with the athletes
Excellence and CRC coaches are one in the same. All CRC team coaches will be part of Excellence Ringette Program and will work with athletes in the Excellence program and the CRC team athletes. The Excellence program is as much a coach development program as it is an athlete development program.
This experience is not unique to CRC athletes. This is the experience that all current U14 players have by double carding to AA and Zone or in the past U14A. Also, in a CWG or BCWG cycle coaches and athletes must work together to ensure that the players and coaches are developing in tandem. The Excellence Ringette Program coordinator is there to work with the coaches and the athletes to ensure that the coaches are respecting the athletes and that they have the chance to develop and understand the systems.
Does the Excellence Ringette program align with the Canadian Sport for Life LTD (LTAD) framework?
Yes! The Excellence Ringette Program follows the stages of the Canadian Sport for Life Long Term Development Framework. You can read more about the Canadian Sport for Life LTD framework here
The Excellence Ringette program starts at U16, where athletes are in the Late Train to Train, Train to Compete, and Train to Win stages of Development. In these stages, athletes begin to commit more time to one sport over another, if this is their sport of choice. Train to Train Athletes typically spend 66% of their time on their main sport, and 33% on a secondary sport. The Excellence Ringette program allows for this, due to the programming schedule occurring from July to April, with the early months having a lighter commitment. As athletes move into the Train to Compete and Train to Win stages, they typically commit more of their time to their sport of choice.
Which Team has priority over the other. Zone (games/practices/Tournaments) over Excellence/CRC (games/practices/Tournaments)?
Excellence/CRC will be the priority for any athlete that is rostered to the CRC team. In the event of a conflict the CRC team takes priority. If an athlete has returned from a competition or training weekend and needs a recovery phase before returning to Zone the athlete is able to request that break from their Zone team. The Program Coordinator for Excellence will assist with monitoring the athletes with the CRC coaches to ensure that athletes are not over training.
How is Excellence a High Performance Program if there are so many athletes involved?
The Excellence Ringette Program is a High Performance training program, aimed at athletes who are looking to advance along their ringette pathway to events and programs such as the Canadian Ringette Championships, Canada Winter Games, National Ringette League, and the National Team. Developing more athletes creates a wider based for high performance ringette in BC, increasing the number of athletes with the skills and abilities to be selected to teams at more competitive levels, and improves the quality of play across various levels.
How are coaches selected into the program?
All coaching and team staff for Excellence and CRC teams will be selected through a panel selection process.
Who is running the Excellence/CRC program?
Ringette BC will act as the License holder and the program will be headed by a program Coordinator.
Why would an athlete register in the Excellence Ringette Program?
An athlete would register in the Excellence Ringette Program if they have goals to participate in events or programs such as the Canadian Ringette Championships, Canada Winter Games, National Ringette League, or the National Team Program. Excellence Athletes are committed to improving themselves as athletes, both on and off the ice, and are ready to commit to a training program that will help them reach their goals.
Is BC losing AA?
Ringette BC is not getting rid of AA. Ringette BC is changing the current model of participation, training and development for athletes and teams that are going to CRC and WCRC. Team BC will be selected out of the athlete pool of Excellence athletes. If Athletes are interested in participating on Team BC they will need to enroll in Excellence in order to be eligible for selection. Team BC will be made up of athletes from across the province of BC.
Who picks the CRC team?
The coaching staff selected to each CRC team at U16 and U19 will select the athletes from the Excellence program for the CRC team.
How often will the CRC team train together?
Currently the team will have 5 team only events. But in addititon to that they will attend 4 excellence training camp weekends plus any tournaments they attend throughout the season.
The athletes belonging to the Excellence/CRC program won’t play games except for Tournaments. (double card to Zone?)
All Excellence and CRC athletes will participate fully in Zone except for Western Canadian ringette Championships as CRC rostered athletes are not eligible to participate. If there is a conflict the CRC team will take precedent.
What tests are included in the assessments, and how were the standards created?
Athletes will complete 9 on and off ice tests as part of the Excellence Ringette Program assessments. The Excellence Fitness Standards can be found here. The standards were created using data that has been compiled over the last 3-5 seasons at ringette assessments.
What divisions will be hosted in the Excellence Ringette Program?
Ringette BC will be looking to host both male and female programs, in U16, U19 and 18+.A minimum of 10 athletes is needed in any single division in order to form a training group. These 10 athletes can come from anywhere in the province. Example: 10 U16 females are needed to host a U16 Female division
Will Team BC athletes get the same level of training by playing on Zone in addition to Team BC?
Team BC athletes will participate in training programs as a team throughout the season. The model is similar to the 2019 and 2015 Canada Winter Games model. Athletes priority is Team BC but they will train and compete with their Zone team throughout the season. The athletes will attend training camps as a team and with the Excellence program throughout the season for training and practice. Coaches will communicate with their athletes throughout the season.
How do athletes become a part of the Excellence Ringette Program?
In order to join the Excellence Ringette Program, athletes must do the following
- Attend an Athlete Orientation
- Attend an In-person assessment, and meet the Fitness Standards
- Complete an Athlete Application
- Complete an Athlete Interview
Do I have to to the Team BC program?
Athletes can choose not to opt in to being selected for Team BC. These athletes, and those who are not selected to Team BC, will continue to be a part of the Excellence Ringette Program for the duration of the season, attend 4 training camps, and have access to resources and personnel. Athletes who are not ready to commit fully to one sport can still participate in the Excellence Ringette Program to continue to access High Performance training and resources, as this program consists of four (4) training camps from July to February. Athletes who opt in to being eligible for Team BC, are those who are ready to commit more of their time to ringette, but will still have time during the off season and lighter months to participate in a secondary sport.
How much does the Excellence Ringette Program cost?
The Excellence Ringette Program will cost approximately $1000 per athlete, for four (4) training camps, fitness programming, access to personnel and resources, on and off ice apparel, athlete accommodations and program administration fees.
The Team BC (Canadian Ringette Championships) Program will cost approximately $5000 per athlete, for an additional three (3) training camps, up to three (3) tournaments and the Canadian Ringette Championships (including all athlete travel and accommodations), individualized programming, Team BC uniform, and program administration fees.
Please note, with the current situation and COVID-19 restrictions, these budgets may be adjusted. For example, “sleepover camps” are not currently permitted, which would not allow us to provide accommodations for athletes. This would decrease the cost per athlete, and athletes would be responsible for their own accommodations for events. If we are unable to attend a tournament, or a training camp is unable to run, these costs will not be charged to athletes, and will be reflected in the overall budget.
As we receive more information about what the upcoming season may look like, we will adjust the program and budgets accordingly.
What is the expectation of athletes once they screen into the Excellence Ringette Program?
Once screened into the program, athletes will be expected to
- Attend all scheduled events and training camps
- If unable to attend, must complete an Athlete Absentee form 2 weeks prior to the event
- Uphold the Ringette BC and Excellence Ringette Program Values and Code of Conduct
- Commit to the training program, and complete all assigned tasks outside of training camps
- Adhere to the Excellence Ringette Program Dress Code for both on and off ice activities
Will there be a quota for the number of players from each region (LMRL, TORL, North)?
No. Athletes interested in the program can come from everywhere.
Will the CRC Teams go to out of town ‘AA’ Tournaments?
Yes. The CRC team will be able to attend AA tournaments throughout the season based on the season plan developed by the Team Staff.
What if I am not selected to Team BC for CRCs?
If you are not selected for Team BC, you continue to participate in the Excellence Ringette program. Some athletes may not be ready to be selected for Team BC, but are still tracking on a High Performance pathway for future seasons, and may be selected the following year. If they were screened out of Excellence if not selected to Team BC, these athletes would lose out on development and training opportunities to continue to improve and increase their chances of being ready the following season.
What are the player pathways in BC?
The Player Pathways in BC are context driven, and are composed of 3 paths; Club, Competitive, and Pursuit of Excellence. In this system, Zone ringette falls under the Competitive stream, and the Excellence Ringette Program and Team BC fall under Pursuit of Excellence. The separation into contexts was driven by the recommendations in the Ringette Canada Competition Review, and a desire to provide opportunities for athletes to participate in ringette in a context that fit with their individual goals, desired commitment, and desired calibre and better alignment with LTAD.
Do Zone teams participate in A or AA tournaments?
Zone U14 would align to the U14AA division because that is the division that the Zone teams would compete in at WCRC. U16 and U19 Zone teams will be competing against the same teams in the A division in out of province tournaments that they would be at the Western Canadian Ringette Championships.
