Lynn Suchan

“I had never heard of ringette growing up. When my daughter was born, family friends, who had a daughter that played, introduced us to the game. My husband always thought my daughter would get into hockey, but she wanted nothing to do with it. When she was six, she saw a video at the community registration and absolutely wanted to play, so we registered her. The first practice she just cried and blamed her dad because she didn’t know how to skate. She progressed throughout that season and truly loved to play the game and now she is in her tenth season. I got involved coaching the next season and continued to coach and manage her team until she joined the ranks of AA ringette four seasons ago. I was approached in 2012 to put a bid in and chair the Canadian Ringette Championships in Leduc for 2017. When I agreed to take on this position, I had no idea if my daughter would even be playing ringette when the event took place. But that did not matter to me, as I wanted to bring the event to Leduc to help grow the awareness of the sport in the community. I am excited about the impact that hosting an event like this can have for the exposure and ultimately the growth of the sport. Part of our role as host committee is to promote the sport to young athletes not currently playing the game and to increase the awareness for ringette. We want young girls to have the opportunity to play ringette for fun, health, social interaction and relaxation. We want others to witness the caliber of ringette players that are showcased in the fastest game on ice at the event. It is amazing how many of these young ringette players continue playing into adult life and go into coaching and officiating and give back to the sport of ringette. I am passionate about promoting this incredible sport. It has been exciting to watch, it has helped my daughter develop fundamental life skills and made lasting memories and friendships.” – Lynn Suchan (Leduc, Alberta)