How many years of experience do you have in Ringette?
Over the course of about 33 years, I’ve been involved in the sport in many ways, having coached and served on the boards of both the local ringette associations and Ringette New Brunswick. In the early years, I also spent a couple of seasons officiating as we were getting things established. Volunteer work has always been a big part of my involvement as well. I helped when we hosted nationals, and with the world championships coming up next fall, I’m already anticipating volunteering there too. It is something I’m really excited and anxious about.
After the 2011 Canada Games, I continued working with teams on areas like team building and mental preparation for a few years. I also moved into teaching CSI Ringette. I completed the facilitator course and have now facilitated around eight clinics, which has allowed me to support coaches and athletes in yet another meaningful way.
Can you describe your coaching journey and the experiences that led you into coaching?
When I moved to Moncton, I started looking for ringette teams because I had played in college, but I quickly realized there weren’t many opportunities available. I began by helping with refereeing in Riverview. When I moved to Shediac, I met someone who was hoping to start ringette in Shediac. He had a niece playing in Dieppe and two daughters the same age as my own, and he really wanted them to have a team to play for in their own community. We connected, and together we started the association in Shediac. My kids were too young to play at the time, but I coached the first teams we formed, and the program has grown exponentially since those early days. As my daughters got older, they eventually played on the provincial teams, which I helped as an assistant coach from 2005 to 2011. That experience led to my selection as the assistant coach for the Canada Games team.
What significance does the mentorship program, and mentoring in general, have for you?
Mentorship, for me, is really a way to give back to coaches. When I was facilitating CSI Ringette, I enjoyed being able to provide coaches with instruction, materials, and references. Every so often I’d run into them at the rink, and they’d ask for advice on planning practices or troubleshooting different situations. Even a lot of the kids I coached and had themselves begun coaching their kids would later come to me asking where they could find more drills or resources. Then this mentorship opportunity came up, and I was immediately drawn to it. Instead of having random, one-off interactions, I’d be able to follow along with coaches more intentionally and actually get to know them.
It creates a meaningful opportunity to support coaches consistently, and it also allows us to reach more isolated communities that don’t always have access to the same resources. That’s where mentorship can really make a difference.
What is your vision for Ringette and sport in New Brunswick?
I’m hoping we can continue to maintain high participation numbers and keep building competitive teams, because right now our programs are performing extremely well. The Atlantic Attack won nationals in 2018, and our U19 AA and U16 teams have brought home national titles as well. We’ve also had strong results at the Canada Games, and I’d really like to see that level of success continue. Several of our athletes have been selected to Team Canada over the past years and have participated in international competition as well.
At the same time, I want to see more opportunities for inclusivity; having more people playing at different skill levels, and potentially even the creation of an adult fun league would be amazing. Gym ringette has also been a really positive development. By introducing the sport in schools, kids can learn basic strategies in the gym and then apply them once they get on the ice. Beyond that, I’d love to see an increase in volunteer retention. When volunteers feel connected and supported, we have a much better chance of keeping them involved in the sport, which strengthens the entire system.
Can you describe your coaching style or philosophy?
I follow a positive and cooperative coaching philosophy. A lot of that comes from the Positive Coaching Alliance and its focus on developing athletes by helping them believe in themselves. When I took CSI years ago, one of the facilitators, a biathlon coach, said something that has always stayed with me: “If an athlete has no self-confidence, then no matter what abilities they have, they’re unteachable. You can’t teach someone who keeps saying, ‘I can’t do it.’ To make an athlete teachable, you first have to give them confidence.” That idea has shaped my entire approach. I focus on building self-confidence first, because once an athlete believes they can do something, real learning can happen. I give a lot of feedback, especially positive feedback, and I try to create an environment where athletes feel supported, capable, and willing to take risks. From there, everything else grows.
