Junior National Team Program

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to outline the criteria that shall be used to select the Junior national team for the 2022 World Ringette Championships.

Eligibility Criteria

At the time of selection, athletes seeking nomination to the team:

• Must be born between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2006.
• Must sign an Athlete Agreement as required by Ringette Canada.
• Must play in the National Ringette League, in the highest level of play for their age group or highest level available in the region they reside in. (unless exempt due to injury or other reason approved in writing by Ringette Canada’s High Performance Director).
• Must meet the minimum fitness standards established by Ringette Canada. (unless exempt due to injury or other reason approved in writing by Ringette Canada’s High Performance Director).
• Must not be serving a period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation or be under a provisional suspension following the assertion of an anti-doping rule violation by either the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport or any other Anti-Doping Organization;
• Must meet the following eligibility requirements as outlined in Ringette Canada’s National Team
• Program Policy (Section 8) which states:
  • a) Have been identified and invited by Ringette Canada to selection camps;
  • b) Be registered and in good standing with Ringette Canada, the provincial ringette association, and the local ringette association;
  • c) Be a citizen of Canada or have resided in Canada for at least one (1) year immediately preceding the event;
  • d) Pay any required fees;
  • e) Attend all selection camps as required; and
  • f) Be eligible to participate as per the rules of the applicable event

Selection Criteria

To be named to the Junior National Team Playing Roster or Travelling Roster an athlete must meet the criteria listed above as well as:

Physical Attributes, Skills & Tactical Assessment
Athlete selection shall be based on the information outlined in following source documents:
TRAIN TO WIN Essentials
Ringette Athlete Development Matrix (Train to Win Stage) (p.72-90)
Ringette Canada’s Athlete Evaluation Guidelines shall be used to assess and select our athletes throughout this process and will include but not be limited to:

• Physical Attributes: on- ice presence, ability to gain advantage on their opponent both offensively and defensively,, play strong body position and maintain control while battling 1v1.All athletes must demonstrate exceptional strength, stamina, endurance and the ability to effectively physically recover from high intensity work bouts.Athletes must demonstrate the consistent ability to skate and possess exceptional ring skill, forechecking and backchecking dominance while under pressure and competing at the international level.
• Skills & Tactical Assessment: ice awareness, ability to read the ice, decision-making ability while under pressure, adaptability, defensive, transitional and offensive skill, ability and responsibilities
• Character Attributes: As a program we strive for continuous improvement and are seeking athletes that not only have the ability to execute the game plan, but also come with a winning mindset, are solution focused, adaptable, gritty and resilient.All athletes must be ready, willing and able to adapt to all roles within the team (offensive, defensive, playing or non dressing roster positions) as assigned based on the greater need of the team. Ringette Canada is seeking a “Team First” attitude from each and every member of the playing and development squads..As role models and ambassadors for our sport and country, the Junior National Team shall be comprised of athletes that embody Ringette Canada's core values.We are seeking athletes that are innovative, collaborative, accountable, respectful and strive for excellence each and everyday, on and off the ice; in life.

Fitness Standards
Fitness standards shall be established by Ringette Canada through a collaborative process which includes Ringette Canada’s Strength and Conditioning Consultant and the Junior National Team coaching staff. Fitness standards shall be made available to athletes by March 1, 2022. Any changes in the fitness standards will be communicated to the athlete pool at least 6 weeks prior to implementation.
Athletes shall be required to meet the minimum fitness standards established to remain eligible for the Playing Roster.

Minimum Training Expectation
In addition to the time spent together during camp and through an active participation with their club teams, athletes are also expected to adhere to a training program (mental and physical) during the on and off-seasons.The program is prepared specifically for high performance ringette athletes and is reported to the Junior national team coaching staff. National Team Athletes can therefore expect to dedicate a minimum of 10-12-15 hrs per week training both on and off the ice.

Changes and Notification
Should any of the eligibility requirements enumerated above change between the time of publication of this document and the time of the event, all athletes in the selection pool will be promptly notified.

Positions Available
Playing Roster
The Junior National Team Playing Roster is the group of athletes that will dress, play and compete during the World Ringette Championship.The 2022 Playing Roster may include up to 20 athletes.The team composition based on positions shall be at the discretion of the Junior National Team Head Coach. An athlete on the Playing Roster shall attend all training camps, centralization and the World Ringette Championships as outlined in the selection process.

Travelling Roster
The Junior National Team Travelling Roster is the group of athletes that will travel to the World Ringette Championship.This shall be made up of the 20 Playing Roster athletes and 2 Development Roster athletes and will attend the WRC.A Development Roster athlete may only be added to the Playing Roster if an athlete is deemed unfit to play for medical reasons and therefore is removed from the Playing Roster.An athlete on the Travelling Roster shall attend all training camps, centralization and the
World Ringette Championships as outlined in the selection process.

Development Roster
The National Team Program Development Roster is a group of up to 8 athletes that are eligible and interested in the next program cycle.They may be invited to participate in training camps to continue their development and work towards obtaining a training roster position.Two athletes from this Roster shall be named to the Travelling Roster.

Exceptional Circumstances
As per Section 12 and 13 of the National Team Program Policy:
Athletes may be added to the team as authorized by the High Performance Director and the Ringette Canada Executive Director, upon their sole discretion, if an athlete(s) was unable to participate in mandatory events, competitions or evaluations due to illness, injury, other medical circumstance or personal, educational, or competitive commitments.
If unforeseen circumstances arise which do not allow for this selection process or its timelines to be implemented as planned, the High Performance Director reserves the right to identify an alternate process or alternate timelines. Should this occur, athletes will be notified of these changes in a timely manner.

Exemption Requests
Exemption requests are to be made to Ringette Canada’s High Performance Director.
All requests must be submitted in writing and shall be treated in no less than 7 business days.
Exemptions shall be treated on a case by case basis.

Appeals
Section 19 - National Team Program Policy
Any appeal against a decision can be made in accordance with the scope and application of Ringette Canada’s Appeal Policy.

Ringette Canada National Team Policy
Athletes participating in the selection process are expected to have read and understood Ringette Canada National Team Policy.
Any questions arising from their review of the policy should be directed to Ringette Canada’s High Performance Director(Frances@ringette.ca).

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to outline a fair and transparent process that shall be used by Ringette Canada to select the best athletes to represent Canada for the 2022 World Ringette Championships.

Selection Term

Subject to the athlete signing an athlete agreement to the Junior National Team Playing Roster, the term of team selection shall be from time of selection until April 30, 2023.

Self-Identification process
Athletes who wish to be part of the Junior National Team Program must complete the self-identification process.

One Self-Identification opportunity shall be offered.
December 20th, 2022

This process shall take place online via Ringette Canada’s website.

Communication - Junior National Team Pool Website
Ringette Canada has an internal website used to provide information, updates and store source documents. This is made available to athletes that are part of Playing,Travelling and Development Rosters.This site requires athletes to register to gain access to this protected website. Information in regards to this process is sent to all athletes that self-ID.

Junior National Team Program introductory session
Ringette Canada will offer two introductory sessions to provide information about the High Performance program as well as set expectations.

RC 101 - JNT Pool Athletes
To be completed by May 1, 2022

All Virtual sessions shall be recorded and made available to all participants via the Junior National Team Website.

Scouting Process
Ringette Canada High Performance Scouts shall be present during the 2021-22 NRL Season Hub Weekends.

Junior National Team coaches and National Team Program scouts shall attend the Ontario, Québec and Alberta Provincial Championships.

Junior National Team coaches and National Team Program scouts shall attend the 2022 Canadian Ringette Championships to scout all divisions.

Junior National Team staff may also complete their scouting process using game footage obtained from NRL season webcasts or their own recording of games throughout the season.

Team Selection Process
Updates in regards to dates and locations of these events shall be communicated to the Junior National Team Athlete Pool at least 6 weeks prior to a scheduled event.

Junior National Team Selection Camps

Selection Camp - May 19-23, 2022

This event will include up to 45 invited athletes.
Invitations for this camp will be sent to athletes no later than April 13th, 2022.Athletes must confirm their participation by April 17th, 2022.

Upon completion of the selection camp athletes will either be released, named to the Development Roster(up to 8), named to the Travelling Roster (2) or named to the Playing Roster (20).Athletes will be notified of their roster status prior to their departure from camp through in person meetings with members of the coaching staff.

Athlete participation fee: $1000

Training Process
** Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not yet able to confirm dates and locations for all of the following events. Updates in regards to locations of these events shall be communicated to all athletes at least 6 weeks prior to each event..

Training Camps
The 2022 Junior National Team Training plan shall include five training camps. These events shall take place over the course of 3 days in collaboration with the Senior National Team.

All events will include the Playing Roster,Travelling Roster and the Development Roster.

Training Camp 1 - June 24-26, 2022 - TBD
Training Camp 2 - July 29-31, 2022 (with La Relève)
Training Camp 3 - September 3-5, 2022 - TBD
Training Camp 4 - September 30 - October 2, 2022
Training Camp 5 - October 14-16, 2022

Athlete participation fee: $3000 for 5 Training camps

Centralization Camp
Centralization shall take place in Finland in the days leading up to the World Ringette Championships.

Travel to the World Ringette Championships: Departure from Canada October 26th or 27th, 2022.

Athlete participation fee: $1000

Team Announcement
As per Section 7 of Ringette Canada’s National Team Program Policy:
Ringette Canada will announce the selected team as soon as feasible but within seven (7) days of the final selection camp by posting the team list on Ringette Canada’s website and by contacting selected athletes directly.

World Ringette Championships
The World Ringette Championship will take place October 31 - November 6th, 2022 in Espoo Finland.

Full Calendar of event