\u201cMy daughter loves this ringette program. She can\u2019t wait for it to start. For me, as a parent and an observer, it is good ringette with respect to pace, flow and ring movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
A ringette player said \u201cI have developed so much by playing in this program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is this a comment about the celebrated Canadian Ringette Championships or the Ontario Provincial Championships?<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
It is a comment about the \u201csummer shinny\u201d program.<\/p>\n
Is shinny really a program?<\/p>\n
Can young athletes develop without lot\u2019s of structure, money, coaching, and facilities?<\/p>\n
A former working colleague, Bill Heikkila<\/a>, received a Lifetime Achievement at the 55th annual Ottawa Sports Awards dinner (2008) for coaching in the sport of track and field. Bill is a former Olympian in the Javelin and had a long and respected career at Sport Canada.<\/p>\n Bill would say that training should challenge athletes to react and adapt in a flexible environment. Bill talked about athletes running through the forest, avoiding uneven terrain, trees and branches leading to agility, quickness and elusiveness \u2013 all essential to many team sports.<\/p>\n We live in an era where athletes train on software driven exercise equipment. We learn to expect the same training methods for our youth athletes.<\/p>\n But, what is the cost of learning how to play ringette?<\/p>\n Does the \u201cAthlete Development\u201d agenda require a re-mortgage of the family house?<\/p>\n So, how does \u201cSummer Shinny\u201d bring value to ringette players and why is it so popular with players? How can you explain the waiting list of players who want in?<\/p>\n Let\u2019s talk structure.<\/p>\n The \u201cgroup\u201d meets once per week over the summer. The \u201cequal\u201d teams are organized by one of the senior and respected players. Players wear either a white or dark jersey. There is no referee, no shot clock and no game sheets. There are two lines of skaters on each team. One goaltender supports each team and different goaltenders come each session. A goal scored is followed by a free pass from centre. There are no penalties \u2013 and no trouble.<\/p>\n Experienced ringette players know how to move the ring. And, the nature of shinny invites new players to \u201cget with the flow.\u201d New players learn and adapt to the culture of the \u201cprogram\u201d improving their level of play, their responsiveness, and their decision-making.<\/p>\n Ringette players who want development ought to try shinny – easy on the busy schedule, the pocketbook and athlete stress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cMy daughter loves this ringette program. She can\u2019t wait for it to start. For me, as a parent and an observer, it is good ringette with respect to pace, flow and ring movement.\u201d A ringette player said \u201cI have developed … Continue reading