Strathmore Minor Ringette gearing up for 2026-27 season

By Arianna Lee Times Contributor

As the 2026-27 ringette season gets underway, the Strathmore Minor Ringette Association is prepared for another fully registered season, with players eager to hit the ice and enjoy another year of community, sport and fun.

With registration numbers about even with last season, the association is seeing particular growth among its youngest players, with 19 children registered in its youngest program, called Active Start. 

“We’re very blessed to have two Active Start teams this year. Typically, we only have one,” said Kevin Krall, vice-president and director of coaching.

For older players, a new collaboration with Indus Ringette is helping bring players together from U12 to U19, allowing them to play with teammates at a similar skill level.

While the sport continues to grow and expand, the close-knit community remains a big part of the experience for players and families. Avery Engleson, who played ringette in Strathmore for years before continuing to the university level with the Dinos, said the sport has helped her build lasting friendships.

“I’ve pretty much met all my friends through ringette. It was great to have a community together and there’s still people I talk to almost daily,” she said. “It was just amazing to have such good friendships come out of it.”

Beyond friendships between players, the sense of community also extends to parents.

“Everybody’s here to help everybody out with rides to the rink if you’re busy or if a parent’s sick,” Krall said. “We’ve definitely made a great group of friends.”

The support from parents continues to play a key role in keeping the sport affordable for families. Krall said rising costs are one of the association’s biggest challenges, with parents helping through volunteering and fundraising.

“We rely a lot on our parents to volunteer for fundraisers and different things to try and keep costs low,” he said. “I think cost is a big issue. All of our expenses continue to go up.” 

Ice availability is another challenge for the association, with limited local ice forcing teams to practice in other communities.

“We definitely are practicing in other towns. So, then the travel costs associated with the escalating gas prices become more and more of an issue as well,” said Krall.

Beyond the challenges of keeping the program running, the goal remains to keep kids active, connected and having fun.

For Engleson, that connection to the community has made the rink feel like a place she can always return to.

“It’s somewhere that I always know I’ll have a place. Whenever I go to the rink in Strathmore, I always either know someone there or see someone I know,” she said. “It just brings back a lot of memories.”

For the association, keeping kids involved in sport and enjoying their time on the ice remains the priority for the season.

“We want these kids to go out there, have a great time and enjoy themselves and wanna come back and play again,” said Krall. “Keeping kids in sports where they can have an outlet for some exercise and camaraderie with their team is all we’re after.”