(November 17, 2021) - With the support of their teammates, Porn研究所 students and ringette athletes, Jenna Gilchrist (Sudbury, ON) and Katie Vandeloo (Richmond Hill, ON) led a conditioning camp for the . The camp was organized by Gilchrist in support of youth aged ten to sixteen. “We wanted to give back to our community and run something for ringette youth to jump back into the game. During COVID, these youth didn’t have the opportunity to play, so we ran a conditioning camp to get them back into the swing of things. We really wanted to make it a fun experience for these youth to remember why they play ringette; why they love ringette.”
Gilchrist is a recent graduate from the Biochemistry program at Laurentian. Her educational journey continues at Laurentian, as a first year M.Sc. Biology student. Vandeloo is a third year Sports Administration student at Laurentian.
The camp was well received by all attendees, according to Sudbury Ringette Association’s Treasurer, Troy McLaughlin. “Not only was it extremely generous to have these students give back their time, [but] I know there was a lot of excited anticipation among our younger players to be able to be taught and look up to these older Ringette players.” For Vandeloo, volunteering her time in support of this initiative was rewarding. “I really hope that this continues in future years. It was amazing. I didn’t want to miss a thing.”
The has expanded in recent years, and the team’s dedication to their sport is impressive. In their season’s 2019 / 2020 University Challenge Cup - a national tournament for University Ringette teams across Canada, Laurentian Ringette won bronze in their division. The preceding season, the team earned the Sportsmanship Award at their provincial championship tournament.
Both Gilchrist and Vandeloo have high hopes for Laurentian Ringette’s future and described enthusiastically the commitment of their team. “It’s amazing how dedicated our team is this year,” said Vandeloo. “Everybody shows up. It’s so great.”
The ’s next series of home games occur on Saturday, November 27th at Sudbury’s Countryside arena. They play Nipissing University at 10:15am, the Timmins Tornadoes at 4:15pm, and the Sault Ste. Marie Ice Hawks at 9:15pm. They hope to see you there!