Sudbury Ringette Association is celebrating its 55th anniversary this season by rebranding its image with a new team name and logo called Sudbury Swift.
The new logo will be featured on new team jerseys and merchandise later on this season, which is now underway
Sudbury Ringette is complying with the health and safety directives established by Ringette Ontario, Public Health Sudbury and Districts and the City of Greater Sudbury in order to help ensure members and the general public remain safe.
The association has appointed a COVID-19 safety leader and participated in several planning and safety meetings with various organizations ahead of the new season.
Furthermore, Shelley (Kasunich) Ahmed has been appointed the association’s new president.
“Sudbury Ringette has been working non-stop with the Valley East Ringette Association and Walden Ringette Association to ensure that we get players on the ice safely,” said Ahmed, a former local ringette player, coach and manager. “We have had to think outside the box in order to create the 50-player leagues, to ensure we’re complying with all COVID-19 regulations from Ringette Ontario, Public Health Sudbury and Districts and the City of Greater Sudbury. Some of these Ringette-Ontario-mandated regulations include 48-hour mandatory attendance before an event, health attestations before every event that are logged and sent to our COVID-19 safety leader, and modified game play to ensure limited contact.”
Membership in the Sudbury Swift Ringette Association has remained strong despite the declaration of the pandemic. Most of their teams are at full capacity with only a few openings in the U16-U19 and open age groups.
Ringette, a Northern Ontario creation, has grown in numbers over the years, with three ringette associations in the Greater Sudbury area and multiple associations across the world.
“Ringette is a body-contact-free sport and focuses on skating as a priority,” said Ahmed. “This year, though, it will look a little different, with less competition and more skill development. It will still include games, and most of all fun.
“Parents are just happy to get their children back on the ice, to keep busy and to help with their mental and physical well-being.”
