U12 Information for Parents

U12 Regional vs. U12A (Introduction to Competitive Ringette)

There are some important distinctions as players move to U12 from Fun3.  In the Fun2/3 the players are learning the fundamentals of ringette and teams are configured to be relatively balanced, based on ability.  Starting in U12 and in all age divisions thereafter, the players will be tiered, based on their abilities and desired level of play, into Regional or Competitive Ringette.  Regional Ringette will have a very familiar feel to Fun3.  This level is play is geared towards recreational play and having fun.  Regional teams will typically have one practice a week on half-ice.  Regional teams play 20 regular season games, a minimum of two tournaments (London in November, and the U12 Year-End Championships-- in Markham, in April).  They may choose to do other tournaments and activities as deemed appropriate by the coach.  For 2025-2026 London will be hosting one U12A team and two U12 Regional teams.  The Regional teams will be coached by Laura Shaw and Mariah Barras.

U12A or Introduction to Competitive Ringette requires a greater commitment of time, money, and effort.  This level of play is geared towards players who love the game, but also want to push themselves to become higher level athletes, as opposed to the recreational level of play found in Regional Ringette.  We still aim to have fun, but will have a significant focus on building strength, endurance, and strategic thinking on the ice. 

What the U12A Schedule will look like:

-typically two full ice practices per week that include an off-ice 20 minute strength/conditioning session either directly before or after practice.     

-one 75 minute gymnasium session per week for the first two months, becoming less frequent over the course of the season.  These sessions include teaching of specific skills which will be incorporated into future on-ice practices. We will work on the team breakout, quality wrist shots, strategies and set plays. 

-all team members are expected to participate in a Power-Skating program (there just is too much else to learn to be able to devote our limited practice time to skating fundamentals).  The Lynx Power Skating is on Wednesdays; the group typically goes directly from Power Skating to the Gymnasium.  

-5 Tournaments (minimum of 3 are likely to require hotel stays)

-20 game regular season with games that can span a wider geographic area than Regional ringette -possibly as far as Ajax and Barrie— although our furthest away game last season turned out to be Guelph and Kitchener.  

-A significant number of exhibition games 

Generally competitive ringette will require a full time commitment from September until April.  U12A has additional financial obligations including a team fee of $750 and a bump-up-fee of $175 that is payable to the LRA. 

How Are Teams Selected?

All U12 age players will participate in 2-3 sorting skates in early September.  The players will be evaluated by a minimum of 3 separate evaluators on a variety of metrics such as skating, passing, shooting, work ethic, and aggressiveness.  Based on these evaluations, the players most suited for U12A will be offered roster spots; which they must accept.  If a family knows they are not interested in the U12A program, they should notify the check-in desk, when signing into the sorting skates, or they can email the coach directly, in advance of the sorting skates.   

Check back in August for the dates of the U12 Sorting Skates.  They will be published here as soon as they are finalized.