#WEARERINGETTE - HOPE’S STORY, YOU CAN DO IT ALL

The power of one’s story goes beyond what one may think. The connection one can make with a story could be why their story evolves and truly becomes their own story. The sport of ringette itself is a story. The action on the ice is a story, but in the end, it’s the humans & their connections that are genuinely a story in itself.

Ringette Ontario is invested in showcasing more than just what happens on the ice. We are here to put a human connection to our sport to showcase what our sport encompasses. In today’s #WeAreRingette story, we want to introduce you to a young & talented athlete. Ontario, we would like you to meet Hope.

As a young ringette athlete Hope is a great role model. Her journey shows that hard work & dedication can get you where you want to be. Hope said, “I LOVE sports! My life is sports; from school sports to ringette. I started playing ringette when I was 4. I have played house league, regional, provincial level, and AA, where I play now.” As you may or may not know, ringette alone can keep one busy, as in ‘I have ringette Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday’ kind of situation, and you may wonder how someone would even have time to do other stuff, but Hope seems to fit it all in.

“On the flip side, when I’m not on the ice, I love to read, babysit and work on my charity.” Wait, hold up, did she say charity? We think she did, so we asked her to tell us about this. Hope explained, “Back in grade 1, I started my charity to help young women and girls at the ‘Denise House’. Our mission was to deliver new/ gently used clothing, toys, accessories & non-perishable food items to the ‘Denise House’ during the wintertime.” To know we have young people within our ringette community who are making a difference in their communities is indeed something we are proud of. No matter your age, you can be more than just a player. You, too, can make a difference within your community.

If you are reading this, you are one of a few things. Either you are a member of our ringette community, you know Hope personally, or you came across our website & wanted to learn more about ringette & what it offers. Most of our players began playing at a young age, but the difference for most of our players is, ‘When did they know ringette was for them & what made them want to continue playing?’ If you’re someone like Hope, your answer may be, “I used to play many other sports, like hockey, lacrosse & basketball, but I knew ringette was for me because I kept returning to it. Every time I kept coming back to it after trying something new. It just came down to the fact that I liked ringette better. I liked it more when I aged up or moved into a new level of competition. It challenged me to get better with my skills.” It seems to be a sport that people keep as a part of their life because they found their groove, they found where they fit in, and they found something they truly love.

Does one’s love for something make it easier to balance life? This is a question to ask yourself. How do you balance life? Are you balancing being a student and an athlete? Are you balancing being a mom & an athlete or coach? Whatever it is, how are you balancing it all?

Hope described, “It has been crazy! There is always a lot going on, but I live for the crazy schedule. It’s a feeling that, at the end of the day, you can pat yourself on the back because you did well. No one is making you do both; you are the person who has control over what you do and don’t do. If these are things you enjoy doing, you make time for it. It comes down to being organized, knowing your limits, and working hard.”

Whether you’re working towards balancing your life’s events, making that team you have always wanted to make, or even reaching a milestone, your story will always involve goals or goal setting. We think it’s just part of our journey. So, if you had to think about some goals for yourself, whether ringette specific or not, what are your goals? Hope said, “If I had specific ringette goals, I would be working towards making the Jr. and Sr. National team(s) while continuing to work on my skills to make high-performance teams.”

If you have read up until this point, thank you. If you have read up until now and you have realized that maybe your story is similar to Hope’s, but the only thing is not being sure if you can continue on this path; playing ringette and doing life on top of it.  If this is you, think about this: “If ringette is something you love doing, it’s become a big source of your happiness, would giving it up help? Would giving something up you love that brings happiness into your life make your journey better or worse? Think about whether ringette is the source of your happiness or something else.” Hope has valid points to consider.

For Hope, ringette is her source of happiness. She told us, “Ringette has always been something I have come back to. If I have tried another sport, ringette was something I always came back to.” Of course we asked Hope, why ringette?’

“Ringette is something I have always come back to. It’s just something about the community. It’s something about the friendships I have made. It’s about the speed of the sport. Ringette always brings teamwork, dedication, fitness & friendship to a new level. It’s about knowing this sport makes you feel like you are a human; you are you, and not just a number on the ice or team. RINGETTE IS FAMILY!”

We leave you now with the question of ‘why ringette?’

Email your answer to cassie@ringetteontario.com.