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If you are considering joining the ranks of Ringette Officials, we are excited to have you!
Being a Ringette Official is a rewarding experience and an important responsibility. Depending on your interest, there are three roles for you to choose from: On-ice Official, Shot Clock Official, and Time & Score Keeping Official. These individuals form the officiating team for most Ringette games.
Learn more below!
While every Ringette Official is a member of Ringette Canada's Officiating team, Provinces, Local Associations, Regions, or Leagues take responsibility for bringing new officials on board. These organizations may have different age limits, training expectations, hiring limits, and hiring processes.
Follow the links immediately below to find out the hiring requirements for your Province.
On-Ice Officials
As an On-ice official, you facilitate each game you're assigned to ensure that players can compete and enjoy meaningful fun in a safe, fair environment. You skate the game with the players, actively engaging in the game and making calls within the rules. You represent Ringette Canada and embody our core values while upholding the rules of the game.
Shot Clock Officials
As a Shot Clock Official, you operate the shot clocks (a 30-second timing device) on the games you're assigned. Shot clocks ensure that a Ringette game has flow by insisting that the ring changes hands between teams every 30 seconds if the team with the ring hasn't taken a shot on net.
You work in partnership with the On-ice officials to ensure that the shot clock is reset when the rules require it.
Time & Score Keeping Officials
As a Time & Score Keeping Official, you ensure that the game goes smoothly. You take responsibility for managing game and penalty time, posting the current score, and keeping a record of the major milestones of the game (goals and penalties). You ensure that players return to the game on time and (in partnership with the on-ice officials) that the correct players are recorded for goals, assists, and penalties.
What makes a Ringette Official?
It is not easy being an official. It is often a thankless job, where the people our efforts impact the most focus mostly on the things that go wrong. It is said that when an official does their job well, no one should notice them.
Nonetheless, Officiating can be personally rewarding. There are opportunities for personal growth and pathways to acquire skills that can advance your "real life" career. The officiating community is very welcoming and supportive.
Successful Officials Develop:
- Game Knowledge
- The ability to strategize
- Decision-making skills
- Mental fortitude and coping skills
- Communication skills
- Physical fitness
Top Officials are:
- Consistent
- Good communicators
- Decisive
- Composed
- Courageous
- Confident
- Motivated
Onboarding
Once you confirm with your province that you meet the requirements to pursue your chosen Officiating Role, your onboarding begins with training via eLearning and our "Intro" Pathways. New On-ice Officials begin the process with "Introduction to Officiating." New Shot Clock Officials should begin the process with "Introduction to Shot Clock." New Time & Score Keeping Officials will begin their process with their Province's training program (Future State - Introduction to Time & Score Keeping).
Once you have fully onboarded and begun participating in games as an official, your continued development will be supported and delivered by the NOCP.
On-ice and Shot Clock Officials may receive supported practice hours in their first season, paired with a Mentor. These supported practice hours help you to feel more confident in your role and allow you to ask targeted questions to someone with experience. On-ice officials are recommended to receive three (3) supported practice hours in their first season, while Shot Clock officials are recommended to receive one (1). Ideally, these would be your season's first game(s). Unfortunately, schedule constraints may make scheduling these development opportunities on your first games impossible.
Returning after a break?
Are you a Ringette Official whose certification has lapsed, but you'd like to return to our team? We've made reboarding an easier process to help you get back to the sport.
If you have missed no more than four years off, you can reboard by challenging any missed exams. Level 4 officials may be required to reconfirm their level through attendance at the next Demonstrating Expertise pathway.
Upon reboarding, your certification should remain the same as when your separation began. You must be evaluated in your first returning season, which will determine your go-forward certification.