%% #1The ringette goal crease is the blue crease, the largest crease outlined on the ice.  Other than the goalie, neither team is allowed to enter the goal crease, not even with their stick!  If the ring lands in or on the goal crease, the only player who can touch it is the goalie. %% #1In Ringette, the deep offensive and defensive zones extend from behind the goal net to the Free Play Line - the thin red line at the top of the face off circles. Within these deep offensive and defensive zones, each team is allowed only three skaters while at full strength%% #1Ringette was invented in 1963 by Sam Jackes in North Bay Ontario and Ringette is currently being played internationally in Finland, Germany, Sweden, Australia, France, New Zealand, Russia and the United States. %% #1The 1st ringette World Championships where held in 1990 in Gloucester.%% #1Ringette has more than 2000 teams and 25,000 players across Canada.%% #1Ringette provides many employment and volunteer opportunities such as referee, summer camp counselor, coach or assistant coach.%% #1Ringette is a lifetime sport, there are currently over 700 players enrolled in the master division (over 30 years old) in Canada.%% #1The Ontario Ringette Association offers two $1000 scholarships annually to any member called the Jackie Lajeunesse Scholarship.%% #1Ringette players in Canada can aspire to participate in the Canada Winter Games, provincial, national and World Championships.%% #1The are 8 Canadian Universities that participated in the 2007 University challenge cup. They where: Alberta, Calgary, Manitoba, Carleton, Ottawa, Waterloo/Trent, Laurentian, New Brunswick%% #1In April 2007, the Canadian Championship will be held in Halifax.  We are hopeful that some West Ottawa players get the chance to compete!%% #1Maximum length of the stick is from the ice up to the height of the underarm while on skates.  Most competitive players have sticks that are much shorter that the maximum length in order to provide strength in carrying the ring, to lower their center of gravity providing stability and to develop a powerful wrist shot.  Keep the sticks short! %% #1A player cannot carry the ring over a blue line in either direction. The ring must be passed over the blue line to another teammate. The requirement to pass the ring over the blue line eliminates the situation where one player can carry the ring from one end to the other. It is one of the keys to ringette being such a “Team Game” and to developing such fast skaters.%% #1There is no icing in Ringette, but there is a two line Pass.  The feet have nothing to do with it and there is no Center Ice Red Line in Ringette. When the ring crosses both blue lines, untouched, no player from the team that put it there can touch the ring till one of their opponents does first or unless the referee waives it off.%% #1For younger players, and most recreational leagues of all ages, games fall into two 15 minute periods to allow them to be played in the 50 minute ice block commonly used by most arenas. AA competitive provincial games for players 14 years of age and over are two twenty minute periods.%% #1The game begins much like soccer with the visiting team being awarded a Free Pass in the Centre Ice Free Pass Circle. %% #1Canada has won 4 of the 7 World Championships; Finland has won the other 3.