2025: Year in Review

2025 Year in Review

As we look back on 2025, "pride" is the word that comes to mind. From the energy of the crowds at the Provincial Championships Fan Night to the quiet moments of mentorship on the ice with our youngest players, it has been a great year at the Sault Ringette Club. Here is a look at the milestones of 2025:

Hosting the Provincial A Championships: For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Sault played host to the Provincial “A” Championships with Ringette Ontario. It was a massive undertaking that brought 42 teams, over 1,000 visitors to our city, generating an economic impact of over $1.5 million to our city. The energy was electric, especially during Fan Night, where the stands were packed, and noisemakers were a-plenty. One of our favorite highlights was seeing our "7th Skaters" take the opening lap for every Ice Hawks home game. We are incredibly grateful for the support from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and the City of Sault Ste. Marie Tourism Development Fund for making this event possible. It was a wonderful success and really helped put Ringette in the forefront of sports in Sault Ste. Marie.

Ice Hawks Rep Program: The 2024-2025 Ice Hawks season concluded on a high note in the spring of 2025, marked by incredible performances across all divisions. On home ice, our U14A team captured silver at the Provincial “A” Championships. Our U12A team also stood tall on the provincial stage, bringing home a hard-earned bronze from the U12 Championships. Our regional teams were equally dominant in North Bay, with the U10, U12B, and U14B teams each securing silver medals. While our U16 team didn't find the podium this time, they showed incredible grit and skill, holding their own in several tough, matchups.

Beyond their skill on the ice, our Ice Hawks players continue to show true leadership by volunteering their time to mentor our FUN1 and FUN2 up-and-coming players.

The 2025-2026 season is already off to a great start! Keep an eye out for the Ice Hawks as they travel to Waterloo, Guelph, Timmins, and Markham in the coming months.

Community Heart: Giving Back The SRC is more than just a sports club; we consider ourselves to be part of the Sault community. This year, our members stayed busy off the ice volunteering for the community events such as the Bon Soo Winter Carnival, Rotaryfest, and three separate Queen Street parties. We also took on local heroes in the Sault Firefighters Association Charity Hockey Tournament (playing ringette, of course!) and supported the YNCU Motivate to Skate Program by collecting skate donations. You could also find our players at the "Chuck a Puck" at Greyhound games or donating canned goods for local food banks. 

Our players continue to show us that they have as much heart as they do hustle.

Programming & Player Development: We are committed to fostering growth at every level of the game. This year, we were excited to launch a new partnership with Northern Elite Sports to deliver high-performance power skating sessions for our FUN3 and older age groups. Our foundational FUN program continues to thrive under the expert guidance of Ian Shannon, a long-time instructor and deeply valued coach within the Sault Ringette Club.

Beyond the regular season, our four-day summer camp at the NCC was a huge success, and our one-day dryland shooting clinic provided the perfect tune-up for the 2025-2026 season. We also reached a major milestone in our officiating program, with a record-breaking eight new officials earning their stripes this year!

Governance & Growth Behind the scenes, our Board of Directors has been working tirelessly to update our operating manuals and policies, while coordinating major events such as the Provincial Championships and the Snowflake Tournament.

We want to extend a big "Thank You" to our board members: Jody Simms, Melinda Stewart, and Christine Beland, who retired from their positions in 2025. Your years of dedication have shaped this club. Over the year, we welcomed new board members Karen Christensen and Charlotte Sinclair. We still have a few positions open! If you want to help shape the future of the sport, we’d love to have you.

Ringette Pride

We wrapped up our 2024-2025 season with two wonderful banquets, recognizing the hard work of all our athletes, and we will do the same for our players this season. Special congratulations go to Callaway Stewart, the recipient of the 2025 Bill Claringbold Award. This annual accolade honours a member of our community who exemplifies outstanding leadership and unwavering dedication to the sport of ringette.

As we move into 2026, the future of Sault Ringette has never looked brighter. Thank you to the parents, volunteers, sponsors, and, most importantly, the players who make this club a family.