Laurie Morton Ruppe Tournament takes over local arena

Posted on: Staff Writer

From edition: February 1 2023 Strathmore Times

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Strathmore Minor Ringette hosted their annual Laurie Morton Ruppe Memorial Ringette tournament Jan. 27-29. Over 550 athletes on 39 teams attended the annual event with games being played in Strathmore and Rockyford.

Strathmore’s annual Laurie Morton Ruppe tournament took place once again from Jan. 27-29, hosted primarily at the Family Centre Arena.

Teams from all supported ages within the local ringette association came out to participate in the event which honours the late Laurie Morton Ruppe, for whom it was named after.

Emma Moore, who plays for the Strathmore Ice U19B team, explained Ruppe was Vice President of the Strathmore Minor Ringette Association (SMRA) for two years, and was “Instrumental” in the sport. 

“Laurie had a true passion for the game and played on the women’s team for 10 years. She was always very competitive and displayed good sportsmanship both on and off the ice,” said Moore. “Her positive spirit and leadership found herself as the captain of that team for many seasons.”

Ruppe also coached her daughter Kim’s team that went on to win the gold medal at the Esso Golden Ring Tournament in Calgary.

The SMRA renamed their annual tournament in honour of Ruppe during the 2009-2010 season. 2023 marks the 13th year of the memorial tournament. 

This year’s event sported similar attendance to last year, with 39 teams competing, comprised of a total 550 athletes. 

“Basically, it is pretty simple. Whoever wins the most games in the pool will move on to the final for gold and silver, and there are around four teams at every division,” said Moore. “This tournament is in the second half of our season, so it is a little closer to the end but we won’t be done our season, for most teams, until March.”

Moore added it is an event to simply allow athletes to come out and compete in the sport of ringette and enjoy the challenge of competition. 

For Moore, who has been prolifically active on and off the ice within the Strathmore community, this will be the last year of competition for her, as well as many of her teammates who will be aging out, leaving town to pursue post-secondary education, or both.

“It’s always just something very exciting to look forward to, it’s our home tournament, it is always fun to have all your friends and family coming to watch you,” she said. “There is so much team building and getting to know the people who you are playing with even more than you already do. It is incredible to see how you work together and see the sportsmanship from all the other teams as well.”