• In collaboration with Ontario Ringette, the Markham-Stouffville Ringette Association (MSRA) is gearing up to host the 2024 U12 Provincial Championships starting tomorrow, March 28.
  • This year’s Provincial Championships will be the largest U12 ringette gathering ever worldwide.
  • The event will welcome 55 teams and over 1,000 participants to the Markham-Stouffville region, including players, coaches, referees, and volunteers.
  • The Markham-Stouffville U12 Bears will be playing games at the Stouffville Clippers Arena and Angus Glen Community Centre Arena in Markham. Their schedule can be found here.
  • It is the 40th anniversary of the MSRA, and the sport is celebrating its 60th anniversary since being founded in North Bay, Ontario.

 

Taking place in the Stouffville Clippers Arena, Angus Glen Community Centre Arena, and Thornhill Community Centre, the round-robin tournament will feature games played from Thursday, March 28 to Saturday, March 30. Finals and a resulting medal ceremony will then be held on Sunday, March 31, at Angus Glen.

The Opening Ceremony will take place at 5:45 p.m. tomorrow in the Centennial Community Centre Arena at 8600 McCowan Road in Markham. It will include an Athlete Parade, performances, and entertainment for athletes, along with welcome addresses from Stouffville Mayor Iain Lovatt, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, MSRA President Gerald Lamoureaux, and a representative from Ringette Ontario.

“We have prepared a great event for you,” Gerald Lamoureux, President of the Markham-Stouffville Ringette Association, said in a letter to participants. “If you are hungry, there will be food available. We will offer a variety of raffle items for you to win, games for the athletes to play while off the ice, and our first-ever 50/50 Online Raffle. We expect the prize to be huge.”

This year’s championship is themed “Past, Present, and Future.” As part of celebrating ringette heritage, the Clippers Arena is displaying a commemoration of players from the sport’s 60-year history.

Lamoureux also highlighted the sport’s growth in his letter, noting that the game is now played on five continents. “Ringette is being played at the Ontario Winter Games, the Canada Winter Games, and the Finland Winter Games, and we have annual National Championships and the World Championships every two years,” he noted.

“On behalf of Members of Council and the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, it is my genuine pleasure to warmly welcome participants of the Ontario Ringette U12 Championship, hosted by the Markham Stouffville Ringette Association,” Stouffville Mayor Iain Lovatt stated in his own welcome letter. “What an honour it is to be co-hosting the largest gathering of athletes in this age-group in the world.”

More information regarding the event, raffles, and 50/50 can be found on the Markham-Stouffville Ringette Association’s website, as well as their Welcome Package.

Cover image courtesy of the Markham Stouffville Ringette Association