Ringette Finland

Last updated

Ringette Finland
Suomen Ringetteliitto
Sport Ringette
MembershipMore than 10,000 players (2019) [1]
  • – 31 ringette clubs
Founded1983;41 years ago (1983)
Headquarters Helsinki
Coach
  • Team Finland Sr. (2022)

Pasi Kataja

  • Team Finland Jr. (2022)

Nina Sundell

Official website
ringette.fi
Flag of Finland.svg

Ringette Finland, (Finnish : Suomen Ringetteliitto ry) [2] is the national governing body for the sport of ringette in Finland and was founded in 1983. It is responsible for the organization and promotion ringette on a nationwide basis and organizes Finland's semi-professional ringette league, SM Ringette, formerly known as Ringeten SM-sarja  [ fi ]. In 1986 the organization became a member of the International Ringette Federation which at the time was known as the "World Ringette Council".

Contents

Ringette Finland is also responsible for scouting ringette talent in the country to create the Finland national ringette teams for both Team Finland Senior and Team Finland Junior who then compete at the World Ringette Championships.

Ringette was brought to Finland in 1979 by Juhani Wahlsten and the first ringette clubs in Finland were established in Turku. Players now participate in 31 ringette clubs, with important clubs in Naantali, Turku, Uusikaupunki, Lahti, and Greater Helsinki. [3] The first international ringette tournament was hosted in Finland in 1986 and was sponsored by Finnair. [4] [5]

Today, the Finnish Ringette Coaches Association (Finnish : Suomen Ringettevalmentajat ry (SRiV)) is the sports association for Finnish ringette coaches. [6]

History

In Finland the three founding fathers of ringette are Juhani Wahlsten (a.k.a. "Juuso" Wahlsten) who introduced the sport to Finland, Antti Simola  [ fi ], the Finnish ringette association's first chairman, and Alpo Lindström, a ringette organizer from Naantali. A book on Ringette Finland was published on September 1, 2014, called "30 vuotta Ringeten historiaa Suomessa" (30 years of Ringette history in Finland) celebrating the organization's 30th anniversary. [7] The book is a comprehensive account of the growth and development of Ringette in Finland, its culture, and its impact on the country's sports landscape. It features interviews with coaches, players, and other key figures associated with the sport and provides a deep dive into the history of ringette in the country.

The first recorded ringette game in Finland took place on January 23, 1979, and became the first ringette game to be played anywhere in Europe. Finland's first ringette club was Ringetteläisiä Turun Siniset, and the country's first ringette tournament took place in December of 1980. [8]

In 1979, the invaluable assistance of Barry Mattern, who was the President of Ringette Canada at the time, allowed him to lead a team from Winnipeg, Manitoba's, North End and introduce ringette to Finland. [9]

Juhani Wahlsten

In 1979, Juhani "Juuso" Wahlsten introduced ringette in Finland and is considered the "Father of Ringette" in the country. [10] In 1979 he invited two coaches, Wendy King and Evelyn Watson, from Dollard-des-Ormeaux (a suburb of Montreal Quebec, Canada) to teach girls of various ages how to play ringette. Wahlsten first introduced the new sport to a group of players in Turku during ice hockey practice, then created some ringette teams in the area. [8]

Alpo and Jan Lindström

Alpo Lindström [11] (b. 23 January 1936, Uusikaupunki, Tevaluodo, d. 12 July 2021) and his son Jan Lindström introduced ringette to the city of Naantali towards the end of 1979, the same year Juhani Wahlsten introduced the sport to Finland for the first time. [12] The previous year in 1978, Jan had been an exchange student in the United States where he saw girls playing ringette. Upon returning to Finland he created the VG-62 ringette club. Alpo served as chairman of the local ringette association, served as the VG-62 team coach, and sometimes as a team manager. Alpo played an important role in helping establish Finland's national ringette association in 1983 and later served as a member of the board of the International Ringette Federation.

Antti Simola

Antti Juhani Simola (b. 20 August 1942, Tampere – d. 16 August 2022, Tuusula) more commonly known as Antti Simola  [ fi ], was one of the individuals responsible for the creation of the "Finland Ringette Association" in 1983, now known as "Ringette Finland". Simola served as its first chairman and was its first and longest, continuously serving, honorary chairman. [13] [14] Simloa served as the first Vice-President of the World Ringette Council, which is now known as the International Ringette Federation (IRF), and was one of its founding members when it was established in 1986.

Ringette Association of Turku

The Ringette Association of Turku was established in 1981 with several Canadian coaches going to Turku to help teach, establish and design the training, and administration for its formation. The ski national week then organized an annual tournament to bring together all the ringette teams. Its 1985 tournament included several hundred girls making it impossible to combine into a single event all the age groups and categories of players. A number of different Canadian ringette teams from Manitoba, Canada, visited in the winter of 1986 with the help of former Ringette Canada President, Barry Mattern, and helped increase the popularity of the sport in Finland.

Development

YearActionOrganization, Event, or League
1978–79Jan Lindström sees girls playing ringette in the USA where he is an exchange student. Returns to Finland in 1979 and creates the first ringette club in Naantali
1979 Ringette is introduced to Finland for the first time by Juhani Wahlsten
January 23, 1979First recorded ringette game in Finland; first ringette game to be played in Europe
1980Established first ringette clubRingetteläisiä Turun Siniset
December 1980First ringette tournament
1981Established first ringette associationRingette Association of Turku
May 5, 1983Established national organization [13] Ringette Finland
(Finnish: Suomen Ringetteliitto)
1986The first international ringette tournament is hosted in Finland in 1986 and is sponsored by Finnair.
  • First international ringette tournament
  • Sponsor: Finnair
1986Finland becomes a member of the "World Ringette Council", now known as the International Ringette Federation (IRF) International Ringette Federation
(formerly the "World Ringette Council")
1987–88Established semi-professional league Ringeten SM-sarja  [ fi ]
(now known as "SM-Ringette")
1990 Team Finland (now Team Finland Senior) makes its world debut at the World Ringette Championships 1990 World Ringette Championships
2009Finland makes its world junior debut sending 2 separate regional teams to the first World Junior Ringette Championships 2009 World Junior Ringette Championships
2012 Team Finland Junior makes its world debut at the World Junior Ringette Championships having previously sent separate regional teams 2012 World Junior Ringette Championships

National teams

The Finnish national ringette team includes two separate teams: Team Finland Senior and Team Finland Junior. Both teams compete in the World Ringette Championships.

Semi-professional league

SM Ringette , formerly "Ringeten SM-sarja  [ fi ]", is Finland's elite, semi-professional league for the sport of ringette and its highest division. It's generally known as the "Finnish National Ringette League" by english speakers and is run by Ringette Finland. [15] [16] [17] Finland's best ringette players compete in this league and many have gone on to compete for the Finland national ringette team.

See also

Sources

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">HC TPS</span> Finnish ice hockey team in the Liiga

    TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 10-time champion of SM-liiga and 1-time champion of SM-sarja. They play in Turku, Finland, at Gatorade Center. In terms of championships, TPS is the second all-time most successful team in SM-Liiga, right behind Tappara.

    VG-62 is a sports club based in Naantali, Finland. It was founded in 1962 and the name is an abbreviation of Naantali's old Latin name, "Vallis gratiae". VG-62 is particularly well known for their exemplary youth operations, for which the club has been recognised with a Nuori Suomi award.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Ringette</span> Team sport played on ice

    Ringette is a non-contact winter team sport played on an ice rink using ice hockey skates, straight sticks with drag-tips, and a blue, rubber, pneumatic ring designed for use on ice surfaces. While the sport was originally created exclusively for female competitors, it has expanded to now include participants of all gender identities. Although ringette looks ice hockey-like and is played on ice hockey rinks, the sport has its own lines and markings, and its offensive and defensive play bear a closer resemblance to lacrosse or basketball.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Juhani Wahlsten</span> Finnish ice hockey player and coach (1938–2019)

    Juhani Jorma Kalevi Wahlsten was a Finnish professional ice hockey player and ice hockey coach who worked as an exercise and gymnastics teacher in Finland. He was also known by the nickname "Juuso". He also established and helped guide the early development of ringette in Finland, the first European country to do so.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Rinkball</span> Team sport played on ice, using sticks, ice skates, and a ball

    Rinkball is a winter team sport played on ice with ice skates and is most popular in Finland, where it is known as kaukalopallo. This ball sport originated in Sweden in the 1960s and from there landed in Finland in the 1970s.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Antero Kivelä</span> Finnish ice hockey player

    Antero Simo Tapani Kivelä is a retired Finnish ice hockey goaltender. After his playing career, Kivelä coached several ice hockey, rinkball and ringette teams in Finland. Kivelä is also member of the city council in Pori for the Left Alliance.

    The World Ringette Championships (WRC) is the premier international competition in ringette and is governed by the International Ringette Federation (IRF). Unlike most international competitions, all of the WRC's elite athletes are female rather than male, one of the sport's distinctive features. Competing nations include: Canada, Finland, United States, Sweden, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, with Team Canada and Team Finland having emerged as the sport's top two competing nations. The 2023 World Ringette Championships will be held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and will be the sport's 60th anniversary.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Ringette World Club Championship</span>

    The Ringette World Club Championship (RWCC) was an international ringette competition organized by the International Ringette Federation (IRF). It featured the top teams from Canada's National Ringette League (NRL), Finland's Ringeten SM-sarja, and Sweden's Ringette Dam-SM. The World Club Championship was only held twice, the first time in 2008 and the last time in 2011.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Susanna Tapani</span> Finnish ice hockey and ringette player

    Susanna "Suski" Tapani is a Finnish multi-sport elite athlete who competes in ice hockey, ringette, and in-line hockey, currently playing in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) with PWHL Boston. She is captain of the Finnish national ringette team and a member of the Finnish national ice hockey team.

    The International Ringette Federation (IRF) is a non-profit amateur sports organization and the highest governing body for the sport of ringette. Today the member countries of the IRF Board includes four member nations: Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. Initially the organization was called the "World Ringette Council" (WRC), but was changed to the "International Ringette Federation" in 1991. The change is believed to have been made to avoid confusion with the organizing body and the new World Ringette Championships tournament which shared the same acronym, WRC.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Finland national ringette team</span> Girls and womens national ringette teams representing Finland

    The Finland national ringette team,, more commonly known as "Team Finland", is the ringette team representing Finland internationally. Finland has both a senior national team, Team Finland Senior, and a junior national team, Team Finland Junior. Both national teams compete in the World Ringette Championships (WRC) and are overseen by Ringette Finland, which is a member of the International Ringette Federation (IRF). Finland's first appearance in international ringette took place at the first World Ringette Championships in 1990.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">United States national ringette team</span> Girls and womens national ringette teams representing the United States

    The United States national ringette team, is the ringette team representing the United States internationally. America has only one national ringette team, Team USA Senior. It does not have an official national ringette team for the junior division. Team USA Senior is overseen by USA Ringette, a member of the International Ringette Federation, and competes at the World Ringette Championships. The first appearance in international ringette by the United States took place at the first World Ringette Championships in 1990. Team Sweden is Team USA's arch-rival with both teams competing in the President's Pool against Team Czech. Team USA and related activity occurs predominantly within the American state of Michigan.

    The 2023 World Ringette Championships is an international ringette tournament, the 15th (XV) World Ringette Championships, and will be contested in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, from October 29 to November 4, 2023. The host venue for the event will be the Canada Olympic Park (COP), WinSport Event Centre, and the Greater Calgary Arena. It will mark the 60th anniversary of the sport of ringette which was invented in 1963. The tournament is organized by the International Ringette Federation (IRF).

    VG-62 Ringette is a ringette club in Finland from Naantali. The club was founded in 1979 and plays in the Finland national ringette league, SM Ringette. It is one of the sports divisions of the VG-62 sports club. VG-62 Ringette has won six gold, five silver, and two bronze in the SM Ringette league which was established in 1987. In addition, VG-62 has B–F junior teams in ringette.

    Anne Pohjola , is an elite Finnish ringette player who plays forward and is a prolific scorer. She has been a member of the Finland national ringette team several times and currently plays in Finland's semi-professional ringette league, SM Ringette. The league is known as the Finnish national ringette league to English speakers.

    Marjukka Virta is a retired elite Finnish ringette player who played forward in semi-professional ringette in Finland and for the Finland national ringette team, but now coaches the sport.

    Timo Himberg is a Finnish ringette coach. He was the head coach of the Finland national ringette team in the years 2011–2020 and won the World Ringette Championships in 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2019.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">SM Ringette</span> Finlands elite semi-professional ringette league

    SM Ringette, previously "Ringeten SM-sarja", is the elite semi-professional ringette league in Finland's first division and its highest. The league features the best ringette players in Finland and is run by Ringette Finland. The league was known as Ringeten SM-sarja until it was rebranded in 2021 and is known as the "Finnish National Ringette League" by English speakers. The National Ringette League (NRL) is its Canadian equivalent.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Salla Kyhälä</span> Former elite Finnish ringette player and downhill ice cross competitor

    Salla Kyhälä,, is a retired elite Finnish ringette player and world champion in both ringette and ice cross downhill. She played semi-pro ringette as a centre for Espoon Kiekkoseura in the elite Finnish semi-professional league, SM Ringette and the Saskatoon Wild and BC Thunder in Canada's semi-pro National Ringette League. Kyhälä was also member of the Finland national ringette team several times.

    Lapinlahden Luistin -89 in Lapinlahden, from the municipality Pohjois-Savosta, is a home club specializing in ice sports, whose sports include ice hockey, rinkball and ringette. The club's home arena is the Lapinlahti Ice Hall. The club also has several junior teams in ice hockey and ringette.

    References

    1. ↑ "Ringette History". IRF.
    2. ↑ "Suomen Ringetteliitto". ringette.fi. November 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
    3. ↑ "Ringeten Historia | Suomen Ringetteliitto Ry" [Finnish Ringette Association]. ringette.fi. 2010. Archived from the original on March 8, 2010.
    4. ↑ "The History of Ringette". ringette.ca. Ringette Canada. 2000. Archived from the original on March 2, 2000. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
    5. ↑ "Our Sport | History of Ringette". ringette.ca. Ringette Canada. 2010. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
    6. ↑ "Suomen Ringettevalmentajat ry". suomenringettevalmentajat.fi (in Finnish). Suomen Ringettevalmentajat ry. 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
    7. ↑ "Ringeten kolme tärkeää "isää": Juuso Wahlsten, ringeten maahantuoja Antti Simola, liiton ensimmäinen puheenjohtaja ja Alpo Lindström ringettetoimija Naantalista juhlistamassa ringeten 30v historiakirjan julkistamista 1.9. Urheilumuseolla. Ringettetytöt kiittää siitä arvokkaasta työstä mitä olette tehneet lajimme eteen sen alkuvuosina!" [Ringette's three important "fathers": Juuso Wahlsten, Ringette's importer, Antti Simola, the association's first chairman, and Alpo Lindström, a ringette operator from Naantali, celebrating the publication of Ringette's 30th year history book on September 1, at the Sports Museum. The Ringette girls thank you for the valuable work you have done for our sport in its early years!]. facebook.com (in Finnish). Ringette Finland. September 4, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
    8. 1 2 "WRC2015.com | Ringette Suomessa" [Ringette in Finland]. wrc2015.com (in Finnish). 2015. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
    9. ↑ T. Kent Morgan (November 26, 2013). "Celebrating 50 years of ringette in Canada". winnipegfreepress.com. Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
    10. ↑ "History". Archived from the original on September 7, 2011.
    11. ↑ Jan Lindström (August 23, 2021). "In Memoriam: Alpo Lindström | Naantalin Mr. Ringette Alpo Lindström on poissa" [In Memoriam: Alpo Lindström | Naantali's Mr. Ringette Alpo Lindström is gone]. ringette.tablettilehti.fi (in Finnish). Ringette Tablettilehti. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
    12. ↑ "Alpo Lindström toi poikansa Janin kanssa ringeten Naantaliin v. 1979 ja perusti VG-62:n ringettejaoston" [Alpo Lindström brought Ringette to Naantali with his son Jan in 1979 and founded VG-62's ringette division.]. facebook.com (in Finnish). VG–62 Ringette. February 6, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
    13. 1 2 "Historia | Suomen Ringettelitto Perustettin 5.5.1983" [History | Ringette Finland Was Established on May 5, 1983]. ringette.fi (in Finnish). Ringette Finland. 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
    14. ↑ Markku Koli (August 17, 2022). "Suomalaisen Ringeten "Grand Old Man" On Poissa" [The "Grand Old Man" of Finnish Ringette Is Gone]. ringette.fi. Ringette Finland. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
    15. ↑ "Etusivu – SM Ringette – Suomen Ringetteliitto". www-smringette-fi.translate.goog.
    16. ↑ "Etusivu – SM Ringette – Suomen Ringetteliitto". smringette.fi.
    17. ↑ "Ringeten SM-Sarja Website". Archived from the original on September 7, 2011.
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.