August 2026 Newsletter

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Welcome Back, MDRA Families!

We hope everyone is enjoying the last few days of summer and getting excited for the return of Ringette!

With the 2026-2027 season just around the corner, there is lots happening at MDRA. From regional sortouts to skills development, goalie clinics, volunteer opportunities, and important dates and coaching deadlines, we wanted to provide families with a quick overview of what is coming up.

Please take a few minutes to review the information below and keep an eye on the MDRA website, social media and your email for additional updates as we finalize the season schedule.

U16B Goalie Needed: MDRA is currently looking for a full-time goalie to join our U16B team for the 2026-2027 season. If you know a U16-aged athlete who may be interested in playing with MDRA, please encourage them to reach out to our Registrar for more information.

In This Newsletter

1. 2026-2027 Season Registration
2. Start of Season & Practice Schedules
3. Skills Development & Power Skating with Allie Figley
4. Goalie Clinics with Olivia & Ari
5. Regional Sortouts
6. TeamGenius
7. Sort-Out Volunteers Needed
8. Bench Staff Volunteer Opportunities
9. Coach & Bench Staff Certification Deadlines
10. Other Volunteer Opportunities
11. MDRA Buy, Sell & Trade Facebook Group
12. Important Dates for the 2026-2027 Season
13. Stay Connected with MDRA

1. 2026-2027 Season Registration

Registration for the 2026-2027 season is now closed.

2. Start of Season and Practice Schedules

Once sortouts have been completed (after September 13, 2026), teams will be scheduled to have two practices before NCRRL league games officially begin on Saturday, September 26, 2026.

While the league season officially kicks off that weekend, teams will likely not have games on September 26 itself. League schedules will be shared once they become available.

Recurring Practice Times

To provide consistency for some of our divisions, FUN1, FUN2, and U19B will have recurring practice days, times, and locations throughout the season.

FUN1

• Every Saturday
• 3:00 PM
• Osgoode Arena
• Beginning Saturday, September 19

FUN2

• Every Saturday
• 4:00 PM
• Osgoode Arena
• Beginning Saturday, September 19

U19B

• Every Wednesday
• 8:00 PM
• Osgoode Arena
• Beginning Wednesday, September 9 

This consistent schedule is intended to help our U19 athletes plan around work, school, and other commitments.

Practice Schedule for All Other Divisions

All other MDRA teams will have their practices scheduled on a rotating basis throughout the season using our available ice times. Teams will cycle through our regular practice ice at:

• Monday evenings at Bernard Grandmaître Arena (replacement ice for Metcalfe Arena)
• Wednesday evenings at Osgoode Arena and Fred Barrett Arena
• Saturday ice at Osgoode Arena and Fred Barrett Arena
• Sunday ice at Osgoode Arena, Fred Barrett Arena and Chesterville Arena

Practice schedules will be shared with families as teams are finalized and ice schedules are confirmed. While teams will not necessarily practice at the same time or location every week, we will work to create a balanced schedule across all divisions throughout the season.

3. Skills Development & Power Skating with Allie Figley

MDRA is once again excited to offer additional Skills Development and Power Skating sessions with Allie Figley (Marcotte) for our FUN3, U12, and U14+ regional athletes.

Allie brings more than 20 years of playing experience at the provincial, national, and international levels, including experience with the National Ringette League and Team Canada.

Each session combines skating development with ring-specific skill work, including skating efficiency, edgework, agility, speed, acceleration, ring control, passing, shooting, decision-making, and small-area game situations.

Registration

The Fall Package is currently open for registration through RAMP (under Camps and Clinics).

• Fall Package: 5 sessions - $125
• Winter Package: 4 sessions - $100
• Winter registration opens at the end of September 2026
• Fall registration is initially available exclusively to MDRA-registered athletes until August 28, 2026
• Sessions are held at Fred Barrett Arena - East

View the Full Schedule & Registration Information

4. Goalie Clinics with Olivia & Ari

MDRA is excited to once again offer specialized Goalie Clinics throughout the 2026-2027 season!

Following the success of last season's clinics, Olivia and Ari will be returning to lead our goalie development sessions. These clinics will provide focused instruction to help athletes develop their technical skills, positioning, movement, and confidence in the net.

There will be 12 sessions throughout the season, with six sessions offered during each half of the season.

Registration & Cost

Both packages are currently open for registration through RAMP (under Camps and Clinics).

Goalie Clinics are available by package only:

• Fall Package: 6 sessions - $150
• Winter Package: 6 sessions - $150

View the Full Schedule & Registration Information

We are thrilled to have Olivia and Ari back working with our goalies this season and look forward to another great year of goalie development!

5. Regional Sortouts

Regional sortouts will take place from September 2-13, 2026 for our FUN3, U12, U14, and U19 divisions.

Please note that MDRA will not be holding U16 sortouts this season. Based on our current registration numbers and projections, we have enough athletes to form one regional U16B team.

For the full sortout schedule, session information, and other important details, please refer to our article on the MDRA website.

View the 2026-2027 Regional Sort-Out Schedule & Information

Sort-Out Registration

All athletes in FUN3, U12, U14, and U19 must complete their division's sortout registration form, even if they do not plan to attend the sortouts.

These forms will allow MDRA to collect the information needed to prepare for evaluations and finalize team placement.

Please complete the appropriate registration form for your athlete's division:

• FUN3 Sortout Registration - Due September 5, 2026
• U12 Sortout Registration - Due September 5, 2026
• U14 Sortout Registration - Complete by September 10, 2026
• U19 Sortout Registration - Complete by August 31, 2026

Important Sortout Information

Athletes who do not participate in their division's sortout will be placed on the lower-level team in their division.

We strongly encourage all athletes who wish to be considered for a higher-level regional team to attend their scheduled sortout sessions.

Jerseys

All athletes attending sortouts will need to have a set of blue and yellow practice jerseys with numbers on the front and back. These jerseys will be used to identify athletes during sortout evaluations.

If your athlete doesn’t already have a set, you can purchase one for $55 via RAMP under “Camps and Clinics”. Purchased jerseys will be distributed at the first sortout session for each division.

If you do not wish to purchase a set of jerseys, MDRA will have pinnies available to borrow. Borrowed pinnies must be returned after each sortout session.

Regional Team Formation

Based on current registration numbers and projections, MDRA anticipates forming the following regional teams for the 2026-2027 season:

• FUN1: One team
• FUN2: Two balanced teams
• FUN3: Four teams
• Two Stage-2 teams
• Two Stage-1 teams
• U12: A, B and C teams
• U14: B and C teams
• U16: One U16B team
• U19: Two balanced U19B teams

Please note that these are projected team offerings based on current registration numbers and may be adjusted as the sort-out and team formation process progresses.

6. TeamGenius

This season, MDRA will be introducing TeamGenius to help streamline our regional evaluations and athlete tracking (this will also be introduced for our competitive tryouts next season). 

Team Genius will be used not only for September evaluations, but also as an ongoing athlete-development tool. This will allow MDRA to:

• Reduce errors and user input during evaluations
• Streamline the evaluation process
• Maintain consistent player assessment information
• Conduct mid-season and year-long athlete evaluations
• Track player development over time
• Build athlete profiles throughout an athlete's MDRA career

7. Sort-out Volunteers Needed

Regional sortouts take a lot of volunteers to run smoothly, and we're looking for MDRA members to help out!

We need volunteers to support both the on-ice and off-ice portions of our regional sortouts. There are a variety of roles available, including:

• Change Room Supervisors / Den Moms
• Trainers
• On-Ice Coaches and Assistants
• Door Operators
• Shot Clock Operators
• Timekeepers

U16 and U19 athletes, as well as high school students, are encouraged to get involved! Students can receive volunteer hours for their time, and helping with the on-ice portions of sortouts is a great opportunity for athletes interested in becoming Junior Coaches to gain experience and start developing their coaching and leadership skills before the season begins.

No previous evaluation or coaching experience is required for many of the available roles, and instructions and support will be provided to ensure volunteers know what they need to do. Conflicts of interest are only in place for roles where you are on the bench or on the ice.

If you're available to help with one or more sortout sessions, we'd love to have you involved!

Sign Up to Volunteer for Regional Sortouts

8. Bench Staff Volunteer Opportunities

MDRA is still accepting applications for bench staff volunteer positions for the 2026-2027 season!

Volunteers are an essential part of creating a positive, safe, and development-focused experience for our athletes. Whether you are an experienced coach, a returning volunteer, or someone interested in taking on a new challenge, we encourage you to get involved.

New Bench Staff Application Process

For the 2026-2027 season, MDRA has introduced a new bench staff application process.

All bench staff volunteers will complete the appropriate application for their role before being assigned to a team. This allows MDRA to verify certifications, required training, and volunteer screening requirements in advance while maintaining a centralized list of qualified volunteers.

This process also allows Head Coaches to select their bench staff from a list of interested and eligible applicants.

MDRA will reimburse eligible training and certification costs associated with volunteer roles.

Applications Currently Open For:

• Head Coach (APPLICATIONS DUE AUGUST 31, 2026)
• Assistant Coach
• Junior Coach (Ages 14-17)
• Team Manager
• Team Trainer
• On-Ice Assistant (18+)
• Change Room Supervisor / Den Mom

Full position descriptions, eligibility requirements, certification requirements, and application forms are available on our website.

View All Bench Staff Descriptions & Applications

Questions?

Please contact our Vice-President of Coaching, with any questions about bench staff opportunities.

9. Coach & Bench Staff Certification Deadlines

A reminder to all coaches and bench staff that there are several important certification deadlines throughout the season.

Deadline	Requirement
September 15, 2026	All AA/A bench staff requirements, except CI Evaluation
October 31, 2026	All FUN, U12, B & C bench staff requirements
January 1, 2027	Maintenance of Certification cycle starts/ends
January 31, 2027	CI Certification, except for those who took the CI clinic during the current season

Bench staff are responsible for ensuring that their required certifications, training, and screening are completed by the applicable deadlines.

View Full Coaching & Bench Staff Requirements

If you are missing some certifications, we will work with Ringette Ontario to ensure all our coaches receive the training required to do their duties.

10. Other Volunteer Opportunities

MDRA is a volunteer-run organization, and there are many ways to get involved beyond team bench staff.

We are currently looking for volunteers to support areas including:

• Social Committee Members
• FUNdamentals Coordinator
• Division Convenors
• FUN1/2 Convenor
• FUN3 Convenor
• U12 Convenor
• U16 Convenor

Board of Directors Opportunities

The MDRA Board is made up of 9-12 members who work together to support all aspects of the association.

Current open portfolio areas include:

• Technical/Communications Director
• Director of Regional Programs
• Director at Large

Directors are elected at the AGM, with specific roles assigned at the first Board meeting based on interests and skills.

To serve as a Director, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Not have been declared incapable by a court in Ontario
• Not be bankrupt
• Meet applicable Ringette Ontario requirements

New Volunteers Welcome

No prior volunteer experience is required. MDRA has a strong support system, with current and past volunteers available to provide guidance and mentorship throughout the season.

If you love Ringette, enjoy working with others, and want to help our association thrive, we encourage you to get involved!

Complete the MDRA Volunteer Member Application

Questions can be directed to president@mdra.ca or any member of the MDRA Board.

11. MDRA Buy, Sell and Trade Facebook Group

Looking to clear out some of your athlete's old Ringette equipment or find something new-to-you?

MDRA has a Buy, Sell & Trade Facebook Group where MDRA families can buy, sell, and trade Ringette equipment and other items.

It’s a great place to:

• Sell equipment your athlete has outgrown
• Find new or gently used equipment
• Trade equipment with other MDRA families
• Help other athletes find what they need for the season

Whether you're cleaning out the equipment bag or looking for a more affordable option for the upcoming season, be sure to check out the group!

Join the MDRA Buy, Sell & Trade Facebook Group

12. Important Dates for the 2026-2027 Season

As we head into the 2026-2027 season, we wanted to share some important dates for families to keep in mind. From the start of the NCRRL season and local tournaments to MDRA events and major Ringette competitions, there will be lots happening throughout the year!

Please note that additional away tournament opportunities are listed on the MDRA website under the Events tab. Teams and families can refer to the website throughout the season for additional tournament and event information.

September

• September 26, 2026: NCRRL regular season begins

November

• November 8: MDRA All Day Classic (Further details coming soon!)
• November 19-22: Nepean Ringette Tournament
• November 27-29: Arnprior Ringette Tournament

December

• December 4-6: Kingston Ringette Tournament

January

• January 28-31: GCRA's 50th Anniversary Tournament

February

• February 5-7: West Ottawa Ringette Tournament
• Saturday, February 13 at 6:15 PM (Fred Barrett Arena): National Ringette League (NRL) Showcase Game
• February 27-March 14: 2027 Canada Winter Games in Québec City, Québec
  • Ringette teams from across Canada will compete, including some MDRA alumni!

March

• March 18-21: Ringette Ontario Provincial Championships for U14A and U16A, hosted in Ajax-Pickering
• March 28-April 3: 2027 Canadian Ringette Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • Ringette teams from across Canada will compete, including some MDRA alumni!

April

• April 2-4: NCRRL Championship Weekend (all regional teams to attend)

*Please note U12 provincials will NOT be held this year, all U12 teams will compete in the NCRRL Championship Weekend.

13. Stay Connected with MDRA

As we get closer to the start of the season, there will be lots of information coming your way.

Please make sure you are checking:

• MDRA Facebook and Instagram
• MDRA email communications
• The MDRA website
• Your team communications once teams are formed (via the RAMP app)

 

We Can't Wait to See You Back at the Rink!

Thank you to all of our players, families, coaches, volunteers, officials, and supporters for helping make MDRA such a great Ringette community.

We are looking forward to getting everyone back on the ice and kicking off the 2026-2027 season!

See you at the rink!

MDRA Board of Directors