Mel Brockman

“I started playing ringette when I was eight years old, in my hometown of St. Benedict, SK. I vividly remember my dad asking me and my sister if we’d be interested in trying this new sport he heard about, and when we said yes, he formed a team and I was instantly hooked. Little did I know that this instant passion would lead me down a path of playing in several provincial and national championships, the Canada Winter Games, and the National Ringette League. The pinnacle of my ringette career came in 2007 when I made Team Canada and participated in the World Ringette Championship. I’ve never been a flashy/star player, but apparently all those years of working hard, doing the little things right, and being committed to constantly improving culminated in a spot on the team. It was an incredible feeling. In 2011, I took a year off from ringette to focus on school. It was then that I realized my passion for the game came down to two basic things: a love for fast-paced skating and for my ringette family. Not only did I return to playing, but in recent years I’ve started giving back to the sport through coaching. Last year I coached U12 and this year I’m coaching U14AA. I never could’ve anticipated how rewarding it is to be a coach. As with playing I was instantly hooked, and I look forward to coaching for many years to come. For the past two years I’ve been the VP of Athlete Development for Saskatoon Ringette, where my focus is on implementing long-term athlete development principles. I’ve relished the opportunity to test new ideas, such as right-sized nets and cross-ice games at the U8 and U10 levels. I’m excited to continue on this journey toward making sure that, like me, when kids try the sport they become hooked and choose to make it a sport for life.” – Mel Brockman (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)