On April 25, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., young female athletes five years of age and up are invited to give ringette a try.

Sponsored by Ringette Manitoba and the Red River Rage (RRR) ringette club, the casual “get a feel for it” event will take place at Niverville’s CRRC. Attendees are encouraged to bring an ice helmet and winter gloves. Some spare helmets will be available for use and RRR volunteers will be on site to answer questions.

RRR is a regional club involving players from Niverville, St. Agathe, St. Pierre, Morris, St. Jean, St. Adolphe, and all rural areas in between. They compete in both the Eastman Ringette League (ERL) and Winnipeg Ringette League (WRL).

The club offers programming from R4U at the youngest level all the way to U19. During the 2025–26 season, seven teams proudly donned Rage jerseys.

“It’s a very fast-paced sport,” says Amanda Exner, ringette parent and volunteer with RRR. “It’s actually considered the fastest sport on ice. It keeps the players really engaged and builds endurance. It promotes teamwork and inclusion. Everyone gets involved in play time.”

Exner says that her eldest daughter started off in hockey, but she didn’t feel the same level of inclusivity that she now experiences in ringette. Ringette is a no-contact sport that caters primarily to girls. While the equipment and rules vary slightly from hockey, the same skillsets are developed.

At least in the southeast, ringette is gaining momentum in the ice sports world. This past season, the WRL had more than 50 teams signed up.

The RRR club had an exceptional season, with every team achieving playoff success. Their two U10 teams took first and second place respectively. U14 secured a third-place medal while U12, U16, and U19 all won gold.

The teams that registered for this year’s provincials saw similar successes, with U16 finishing as silver medallists.

For U19, this year marked a historic outcome, delivering a triple crown win: first place in the ERL playoffs, first in the WRL playoffs, and a gold medal at provincials.

“We have had a lot of successful seasons in terms of teams that have medalled,” Exner says. “But I think this might be the most gold medals we’ve received in one season in years.”

One of the benefits of playing on an RRR team, Exner says, is the choice a player has to keep it recreational or play at a more competitive and challenging level. Exner has daughters in both categories.

As teams mature, they often take opportunities to play beyond provincial borders.

“You will find that when you play ringette, you will do a bit of out-of-province travel, just to get exposure to different teams and different skill sets,” says Exner.

The season runs each year from September until March, powered by a collection of dedicated volunteers. Parents who love the sport often take roles as coaches, but the club also benefits from junior coaches who have gained so much and are ready to give back.

Watch for details of next season’s registration on the RRR Facebook and Instagram pages.