A staple of Oshawa’s sporting community for 50 years

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

It was a big weekend for Oshawa’s Storm Ringette, which celebrated being a part of the city’s sporting community for the past half century.

Kicking it off with an alumni game on Nov. 3 at the Legends Centre, the game was followed by an entire weekend of ringette as the league hosted its annual tournament, which draws a multitude of teams and players to Oshawa from across Ontario and Quebec.

Founded in 1966, a short two years after the sport of ringette was invented in North Bay, the Storm Ringette Association has been thriving with a consistent group of dedicated players who are passionate about the sport.

“We’re always subject to ups and downs in our registration, but we’re on an upswing and we’ve got an engaged group and a super parent group, so it’s fun, which makes the job a lot easier,” says Greg Finlay, the league’s current president who recently took over the post from Colin Deans, the main driving force behind the anniversary celebrations.

“It’s our way of giving back to the people who have gave us so many years of enjoyment,” Finlay says of the celebrations.

Currently, the league consists of approximately 180 players in a series of different age divisions, and Finlay says the interest in the sport continues to be there. They are continually working to draw more young people to the sport.

“We’re trying to go back to grassroots and we’ve been really plowing away at getting the younger kids into the association,” Finlay says. And the results are starting to show, as the under 12 age groups are “flourishing” according to Finlay.

And while the organization may fly under the radar compared to other more popular ice sports, Finlay credits a great working relationship with the City of Oshawa as playing a role in the league’s lasting success.

“We’ve been able to grow based on the fact that they respect us as much as we respect them and we’re not a large ice user, but we’re consistent,” he says.

For more information the Storm Ringette Assocaition, visit www.oshawaringette.ca