Activities for Kids: Ringette

At the twenty-week ultrasound for our second child, it was revealed we were having another girl.  I was crushed; there would be no little boy for us.  In an effort to cheer me up, my husband would drop little gems on why two girls are awesome.  We wouldn’t need to buy new clothes.  They can share a room.  No hockey.

I know, you’re thinking, girls can play hockey.  Of course, they can, but how often do you ask parents of little girls if they play hockey?  Never.  See, no pressure.  My life with princesses would involve the pleasantly warm and conveniently scheduled activities of ballet and gymnastics, with the occasional art workshop.  And then I became a ringette mom…

If like me, the idea of early morning hockey practices exhausts you but you still would like your child to enjoy many of hockey’s benefits – skating prowess and teamwork – then perhaps you might be a ringette mom (or dad) too! 

Ringette (1)

As we’re centrally located, I signed my five-year old, Mikaela, up for the

City of Ottawa Ringette Association’s Bunnies Program

which operates October to March on Sundays from 5-6 pm at the Brewer Arena.  On the first night, I watched anxiously from the stands.  There was much falling, and eventually she was placed in a small group of girls who I affectionately referred to as the remedial skating class.  As she came off the ice that night, I braced myself for a disappointed little girl.  Instead, she proudly announced she was the best at getting up off the ice!   Within a few weeks, she “graduated” to join the rest of the girls and she’s delighted in her newfound skating ability; she repeatedly asks when the Canal will be open so we can go skating together.

If you might be interested in signing your child up for ringette, I encourage you to contact the appropriate association in your area.  Early registration often takes place in the spring with the final registrations being accepted in August / September:

•         Nepean Ringette Association Bunnies Program runs Friday from 6-7 pm at the Bell Arena.  Although ringette is often considered a girl sport, it is normal to see boys in the bunnies program and Nepean has several boys this year.

•         Gloucester-Cumberland Ringette Bunnies Program runs Saturdays 9-10 am at the Blackburn Arena (Junior Bunnies) or Sundays 4-5 pm at the Ray Friel Arena (Senior Bunnies).

•         West Ottawa Ringette Association Bunnies Program runs Saturdays at 8 am (Junior Bunnies) or 9 am (Senior Bunnies).

•         Metcalfe & District Ringette Association Bunnies Program runs Saturdays from 4:30-5:30 pm at the Osgoode Arena.

•         Les Moustiques de Ringette Gatineau jouent les samedis à 9h.

Kari is the mom of two girls, a 5 year old and a 1 year old.  She can be found frequenting free activities throughout the city in hopes it’ll tire them out enough to sleep through the night.

Flashback: The best skating is local skating

Another great post from early in 2011.  Do you have any local skating ponds or rinks you love?

by Thomas

When I was first presented with the question ‘where is your favorite place to skate in the city’, without any hesitation I said the Rideau Canal. We are so fortunate to live in a city that is home to the world’s longest skating rink! It is an amazing experience, taking in the scenery and sense of youthful excitement that you enjoy when skating end to end on this World Heritage site is second to none. But after a few more thoughts, the Canal is fantastic, but it’s not my favorite.

My true favorite spots to skate are the little ponds, creeks and rivers that each winter we transform into local skating surfaces. There is something very Canadian about heading to the water front and shoveling off a patch to skate or play hockey on. I am very fortunate to have a pond right behind our house, where the neighborhood children play pickup hockey and the young ones learn to skate, preparing themselves for the game next winter.

These local destinations are links to the past, to simpler times. To a time where people, maybe even you, spent full days playing with friends or by yourself. You remember the days when you’d rush to get out of bed, chug down a glass of orange juice and run out the door with your mother shouting behind you ‘Be back for dinner!’… but you’d be lucky to be home before dark. On your way home praying the whole way that your dad wouldn’t mind since you were playing hockey after all and still let you stay up for Hockey Night in Canada.

These little spots, hidden from the hustle and bustle that our lives have become, are beautiful and so much more meaningful then ‘just’ a skating rink. I love the ability to take my boys outside whenever I want and watch the joy and freedom they experience when they get their skates on; the smiles that shine out from the mask of my 3 year old when he is tip-toeing across the pond; the cheers of joy coming from my 5 year old when he scores a goal into an empty net; the pride that beams from my heart as I watch these two bundles of snowsuit glide across the ice. These local skating spots provide the next generation with the ability to get lost in the joys that your own childhood brought you.

The best part of all of this? You get to share in building these memories for your own children and in turn, are creating the events which will become their own cherished memories.

Thomas is the proud father to three sons; 5 & 3 year olds and his 5 month old. Looking to provide the father voice into the parenting blogging world, you can find his personal experiences at http://thomaslynn.wordpress.com/

Hockey: Senators Puck Drop

by Amy My kid likes hockey.

She’s not even two but she’s been well exposed. We’ve taken her to two Sens games so far, we watched the Olympics with her, I’ve taken her to the rink to watch her Daddy coach. She owns three jerseys (Sens, Team Canada and the Jets, if you’re wondering).

We were in Canadian Tire not that long ago and she pointed to a picture of a kid in goalie equipment and said ‘hockey!’ We were listening the Sens Hockeyville game on the car radio on the way home and she pointed and said ‘hockey.’ Any time she sees a Senators logo, she points and says ‘hockey.’

Her Daddy taught her to say Alfie – It was one of her first words.

So when we heard about the Senators Puck Drop, a season kick-off that included an open practice and the unveiling of their new heritage jersey, we decided it was a nice way to spend a Saturday morning.

When we drove into the parking lot and Maggie started yelling ‘Hockey! Hockey!’ and then ran through the parking lot yelling ‘Hockey! Hockey!’ we thought just maybe it was a good decision.

Outside Scotiabank Place, there was a tent set up with used equipment for sale. Inside, Sensations was open so people could look at the new jerseys. Upstairs on the second concourse there were activities for kids: accuracy shooting; face painting; an inflatable slide shaped like Spartacat and even a man making balloon animals.

There was no charge to get in, but the team was collecting donations for the Food Bank.

We went straight out to the first concourse and found some seats right behind the net and waited for the jersey unveiling and the open practice. There were quite a few people in attendance and Maggie had a good time just looking around at all the activity before the team came out on the ice. She did start getting a little impatient, we had to wait about half an hour from the time we arrived, but once the players came out and started skating around she was drawn right in.

The Senators don’t hold a lot of open practices, so it’s not something I’ve ever gotten to see either and I had a good time too, watching the drills and seeing the new players and my old favourites.

Before we left we stopped in the front entrance where they had camera and bright green cloth set up, so you could get a picture of your kids ‘in action.’ We got a pretty great one.

For future Ottawa Senators events, check their web site events listings here. I highley recommend the Sens Skills which will take place in mid to late February. Tickets are inexpensive, the players have a lot of fun with it and the ticket money goes to charity. It's a great time to get out and see the team in person if you can't afford tickets to a game.

Amy is mom to 20 month old Maggie and a 5 year old schnauzer named Henry. You can read her blog at amyboughner.ca where she writes about motherhood and anything else that’s on her mind. She also shares a blog with her husband at boughner.ca where they talk together about parenting a daughter.