Ringette Ontario Awards & Nominations
The Ringette Ontario Hall of Fame and Awards Recognition Program is designed to recognize outstanding performance and contribution by both volunteers and athletes in various disciplines within Ringette in Ontario.
The program is divided into several categories each having a particular impact on the specific area of interest.
Volunteers are vital to the vision of Ringette Ontario. Whether as a dedicated volunteer assisting with an event or fundraising activity, or a volunteer Coach; every hour of volunteer support makes our association and our sport a stronger, more vibrant, and effective organization. Our awards look to recognize outstanding volunteers who have contributed to the sport and their community.
As our 2022-2023 season has come to an end, it is now time to celebrate our outstanding award recipients. Congratulations goes out to:
Provincial Level:
Kathy Noxon - Hall of Fame Provincial Builder
Quote: "Volunteering for ringette has not only given me a chance to help with a terrific sport, but to meet some incredible people and to form some deep and lasting friendships. Many thanks to those who considered my contribution worthy of this honour. It has been a great experience and one that I hope many can enjoy in the future!"
Laura Hickling - Provincial Official of the Year
Quote: "Being selected to receive this award is an absolute honour. The ringette community has shaped me into the person that I am. So many hours spent at the arena skating, watching, and learning. There are so many incredible people who have been in my corner throughout this journey and I am thankful to every mentor and friend. I am excited to see what the future of officiating in Ontario looks like!”
Jace Cormier - Provincial Player of the Year
Quote: "I am so honoured to have been nominated and to have been selected to win this award. It’s absolutely surreal and highlights the growth I’ve had as a player this last season. My team and coaches really inspired me to grow and learn. I believe I am a different player now then I was even at the start of this past season and I’m so thankful for the support from my community that got me here. Ringette is an amazing sport and it’s reasons like this that remind me why I started playing."
Elly Simpson - Provincial Volunteer of the Year
Quote: "It has been said that volunteers don't always have the time, but they always have the heart. My heart has been in ringette as a volunteer with the LRA for over 20 years. I have been surrounded by an amazing team we call "Elly's Minions," and it is an honour to win this award and share it with all of them."
Olivia Weaver - Provincial Goalie of the Year
Quote: "I appreciate this award. Thanks to all the coaches that have worked with me the past couple of years. Also, for all of the support I have gotten from family, players, teams, coaches and parents. Finally, to my home association, Barrie, and the Sunderland team I helped out with this past season. My goal is to be on Team Canada and all of these people are trying to help me get there, which I am thankful for."
Tina Duguay - Provincial Coach of the Year
Quote: "I am humbled by winning this award. Ringette has been my passion for over 45 years and coaching is an honor and privilege. Supporting the athletes in this sport, mentoring and guiding them has been extremely rewarding! My successes are only a reflection of the amazing team that supports me. We have been on quite the journey for almost 5 years and our dedication, passion and drive have been the key to our success and confidence to venture into the AA pool! This will be the first time in over 15 years that Greater Sudbury hosts a AA team. I and my team look forward to the challenge! Let's go GSRA NORTH STARS!!!"
Amy Hanes - Special Contribution Award
Quote: "One of Amy's greatest life passions was for Ringette -- not just the sport itself, which she adored, but also for the dozens of wonderful and very close friendships that she developed with those involved in the sport, all across Canada. Amy had a long personal ringette history, first as a player but later as a referee and subsequently as an excellent and committed shot-clocker, a role in which she took enormous pride. She established and maintained a wonderful circle of friends with whom she communicated frequently by mail, email and Facebook messaging. Personal letters from Amy were sure to contain at least two of her origami cranes, symbolizing the deep affection she felt for all those friends. She delighted in meeting them in person whenever possible, at far-flung games and tournaments, where she was always enthusiastically ready to share one of her famous "big hugs!"
Regional Level:
Kieran Fancett - Regional Player of the Year
Quote: "I’m honoured to be chosen as regional player of the year. It means a lot to win this award. It is nice to be recognized for my hard work, dedication and passion, despite the many challenges I have faced. This award is also a nice closure to my last season of playing the sport I love. I couldn’t have done it without the people I was surrounded by. I would like to thank all of my coaches and teammates over the years from Owen Sound, Newmarket, and Ottawa (CORA) for making me the player and person I am today."
Mikaila Varghese - Regional Goalie of the Year
Quote: "Thank you so much for this award. It's such an honour to be recognized in this way. I want to thank everyone who helped me get here including my family and friends as well as my coaches and teammates from both Burlington and Mississauga. I couldn't have done it without you. I promise to continue working hard and pushing myself to be the best I can be. Thank you again for this incredible honour."
Kate Austin - Regional Coach of the Year
Quote: "I am incredibly honoured to receive the Regional Coach of the Year award. Coaching has become such a big part of my life and has been more rewarding than I ever thought possible. The development I've seen in these athletes over the past 5 seasons, both on and off the ice, and seeing them share their peaks and valleys has changed my life for the better. Forever grateful for the ringette community."
West Ferris - Regional Association of the Year
Quote: "Thank you for this award. As with most associations, the COVID-19 epidemic presented us with some significant challenges. Instead of letting it get us down, we used the time to reset and refocus our goals. In North Bay, ringette isn't just our passion; it's also our history. Thanks to our amazing executive, players, families and the community at large, we were able to emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever!"
Tim Simms - Regional Volunteer of the Year
Quote: "Given that there are many fine people working very hard to keep ringette alive, it's quite an honour to receive this award. As for my experience, my daughter started playing in 1993, and I joined her bench as an assistant in 1995, despite the fact that I could only vaguely skate. I have since been on a regional bench for every age group up to U16, and learned to skate in the process. I joined the board some time in the late 90's as equipment manager, worked my way up to being president for 5 years, and then ran our now defunct house league for about 12 years. I have continued to help with the Fun1/2 group, along with being on a regional bench most years Also, I started playing in the Pickering rec league a few years ago. I hope to do so again this fall.
