Oxford -
The second season of ringette in Cumberland County wrapped up with a parents and kids game last week at the Oxford Arena.
The ringette season began in October and kids attended every Saturday morning and Wednesday night until last week.
Five-year old Kathleen Sproul was one of the kids brought to ringette by her mom Gillian.
"Kathleen is five and she never skated before and now she's a great skater," Sproul said.
Kathleen was given a lot of one-on-one instruction from the coaching staff.
"I'm surprised with how far she's come along," Sproul added.
Coach Murray Thompson said it was a good season and he loved coaching the 12 kids, who ranged in age from 3 to 15.
"We didn't have enough kids so they could play in their own age groups and that's why we had all the age groups playing together," Murray said.
Kathleen learned to skate by using the ringette stick to keep her from falling.
"I see the kids go out and improve every time they're on the ice," Thompson said. "It really helps their skating because ringette is very much a skating sport, even more so than hockey, and I see the kids go out and skate and it's a great experience for them."
The rules of ringette also encourage teamwork.
"The rules are such that you have to pass over both blue lines," Thompson said. "In hockey you can have a skilled player that carries the puck from one end to the other, whereas in ringette you have to pass it to a teammate. So that encourages teamwork."
One misconception about ringette is that it's a game for girls.
"We have a couple gentlemen out here and they've really excelled at it and it's really helped their skating," Thompson said.
Although Thompson said it can be a struggle to get kids out for ringette, he will be back next year coaching for his third year.
"I really enjoy it, it's a fun game," Thompson said. "But we keep pushing and hoping more people will come out"
Will Kathleen be back on the ice next year?
"Absolutely," her mom said. "I think next year she'll get more out of it."
