Barb Bautista fell in love with the sport of ringette at age 10 and never looked back. She competed at many levels of the game, eventually retiring from playing with four cycles as a National Team player.
Bautista began her coaching career along the way, wanting to give back to the sport and to help find a way to give developing athletes the same opportunities she had benefited from. She has coached all levels of ringette across Canada from grassroots programs and summer camps, to high-performance programs at the Canada Winter Games, National Ringette League, and Senior National Team.
Barb Bautista has a passion for the sport of ringette that is second to none. Barb was a part of the Senior National Team Program for a total of four cycles; in 2013 as an assistant coach and then as the Senior National Team Head Coach for the 2015, 2017, and 2019 cycles. Barb challenged not only herself, but also her coaching staff and all those that she worked with. Barb’s knowledge of and passion for ringette is evident in all that she does and the athletes she coaches and coaches she mentors are consistently positively impacted by her. In the final game at the 2019 World Championships, many commented that they “had just watched the best game of ringette they had ever witnessed”.
“[Barb] has the experience of a player, the knowledge of a coach, and the true heart of a champion. You combine all of the above attributes and her forward-thinking approach and she has helped transform high-performance and the athletes in our sport. One of the most remarkable aspects of Barb’s career in ringette is her unwavering commitment to mentorship and fostering the growth of our sport and the people it involves. She has always been willing to unselfishly share her knowledge and go above and beyond to support and guide aspiring players and coaches.” -Dailyn Bell