NOCP Governance
Leadership
The NOCP is led by a Leadership team consisting of Ringette Canada's Director, Sport, Sport Coordinator, Officiating Lead, NOCP Education Lead, and Rule Change Committee Chair.
Together, these individuals work strategically to guide policy changes and decisions that help to develop our officiating resources.
The NOCP is largely driven by standing and ad-hoc workgroups.
Director, Sport
In February 2023, Shelley Coolige became Ringette Canada's "interim" Sport Director. Of course, there was nothing interim about it. Prior to her appointment, Shelley had a long history with Ringette Canada. She has been a valued independent contractor, a Master Coach Developer, a Coach Evaluator, and a Mentor Coach with Ringette Canada’s 2022 Junior National Team.
Mentoring comes naturally to Shelley. Outside of Ringette, she has mentored with the Coaching Association of Canada’s Women in Coaching, the Canadian Pacific Sport Institute Advanced Coaching Diploma and Masters in Coaching Program, with various Multi-Sport Coaches, and with the International Ice Hockey Federation, delivering Female Sport Development Programs.
Her passion for the sport has taken her to the Commonwealth Games as a Mission Staff (Gold Coast, Australia), the Olympics as COC Staging Mission Staff in 2002, Canada Games as Manager of Coach House, and Canada Games as Sport Lead in 1999. As a participant, she attended Canada Games as an Official in 1995 and a Coach in 2003.
Shelley's contributions extend to the development of student sport. As a member of a small organization, she helped to kickstart Women’s Hockey in the Alberta College Athletic Association. For 20 years she was the Head Coach and General Manager USport and Canadian Colleges (3x Coach of the Year) and was the President of USport Women’s Hockey Coaching Association. Shelley was a coach of Team Canada at the inaugural World University Games and the Manager for Female Hockey and Female Events for Hockey Canada. She is the owner and CEO of Cool Edge Consulting.
As Ringette Canada's Director, Sport, Shelley leads Ringette Canada's officiating and programs, projects and events and works closely with Ringette Canada's CEO to ensure the operations of Ringette across Canada.
Sport Coordinator
Jake Clarke joined Ringette Canada after more than 10 years as the Director of Events and Operations for Play On! Canada, a non-profit organization hosting large-scale street hockey festivals nationwide. In this capacity, he was a member of the team that achieved a Guinness World Record in 2013 for the Largest Street Hockey Tournament, featuring over 35,000 participants and 5,300 teams.
Jake’s extensive background includes time as a professional Equipment Manager in semi-professional and professional hockey across North America, contributions to three IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships, the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, and the Diva 5K in support of women’s cancer research.
As Ringette Canada's Sport Coordinator, Jake oversees the implementation of Ringette Canada’s officiating programs, manages projects and events, and works closely with the Sport Director to plan and deliver NOCP training and development. Jake assists in managing the NOCP workgroups and sits as an ex-officio member on every one of them.
Officiating Lead
Karen Meek started officiating at 12 and has had the opportunity to both officiate and play at a competitive level. As she turned her focus to officiating, she gradually rose through the levels. She ultimately became a Level 5 in 2004 and has officiated at Regional, Provincial, Canadian Ringette Championships, Canada Winter Games, and the World Ringette Championships. As much as she enjoyed playing with teammates, she is still very much part of a team and is excited to help lead our officiating team to success.
As Officiating Lead, Karen acts as (or designates) the Director of Officials for Ringette Canada events. She works to develop and lead both the on and off-ice officiating teams. Karen leads our efforts in selecting major technical officials for Ringette Canada events, such as the National Ringette League, Canadian Ringette Championships, Canada Winter Games, and World Ringette Championships.
NOCP Education Lead
Paul Shipman began his career as a new-to-skating On-ice Official in 2004. From the beginning, Paul engaged in his local officiating and Ringette community. He became Referee-in-chief of the Winnipeg Ringette League in 2006, a Level 2 Evaluator in 2009, Instructor and Ringette Manitoba's Director of Officiating in 2015, a Level 3 Evaluator in 2016, Master Instructor in 2017 and a Level 4 Evaluator in 2019. He has also served as Vice-President and President of the Winnipeg Ringette League, Chair of the Western Canadian Ringette Championships in 2014, and Co-Chair of the Canadian Ringette Championships in 2018.
As NOCP Education Lead, Paul is responsible for coordinating and managing the NOCP. He is charged with the development of the long-term strategic plan for course content for all officiating pillars. Through his efforts and the support of our NOCP workgroups, he oversees all of the NOCP learning pathways.
Rule Change Committee Chair
Robert Drury has been an official, evaluator & Master Instructor for many years. He has officiated at the World Championships, Canada Winter Games, Canadian Ringette Championships, and many provincial events. Robert has been responsible for editing Ringette Canada’s Official Rules and Case Book since 2009. He loves being on the ice and the speed of the game, but he also values the opportunity to provide feedback and help develop other officials. Away from the arena, he is a Director of Operations for a fundraising company and a father of five.
As Rule Change Committee Chair, Robert is responsible for leading a committee of Ringette stakeholders through the changes put forward by the Ringette Community at large. His extensive knowledge and experience serve to guide this committee through the intricacies and contradictions sometimes presented in these recommended changes. As chair, Robert provides advice and gathers the opinions of the committee members to reach a consensus on which rule changes will move forward each cycle.
Workgroups
The NOCP and its mandate are supported by the work of standing and ad-hoc committees. These include:
Major Technical Official Selection Committees
These workgroups are responsible for selecting the Major Technical Officials (On-ice and Shot Clock Officials) who will participate in Ringette Canada events such as CRCs. These are ad-hoc committees established by Ringette Canada when the need arises. The Officiating Lead leads these workgroups.
The Rule Change Committee
This workgroup is responsible for considering the rule changes submitted in rule change cycles and updating the Official rules and case book accordingly. This is an ad-hoc committee established by Ringette Canada when the need arises. The Official Rules and Case Book Editor leads this workgroup.
The On-ice Official Education Workgroup
This workgroup is responsible for the design and methodology of the NOCP Pathways within the On-ice Officiating silo. This includes the design of Upgrade, Maintenance, Rule Change, and Professional development training pathways. The NOCP Education Lead leads this workgroup. Current members include:
Lauren Koster (AB)
Sylvie Bohemier (AB)
Emmanuelle Bourbeau (PQ)
Michelle Vesey (MB)
Evan Sharp (BC)
Tamara Hyska (BC)
Danielle Neumann (AB)
The Evaluator Education Workgroup
This workgroup is responsible for the design and methodology of both the Evaluation program and the supporting NOCP Pathways within the Evaluator silo. This includes the design of officiating Ranks and Evaluation forms for officials, as well as the design of Upgrade and Maintenance training pathways for evaluators. The NOCP Education Lead leads this workgroup. Current members include:
Brent Bunting (ON)
Lorie Grant (ON)
Denise Pelletier (ON)
Luc Melanson (NB)
The Off-Ice Officiating Education Workgroup
This workgroup is responsible for the design and methodology of the NOCP Pathways within the within the Shot Clock Official and Time & Score Keeping Official silos. This includes the design of Upgrade and Maintenance training pathways. The NOCP Education Lead leads this workgroup. Current members include:
Nancy Desfonds (PQ)
Mike Murphy (NB)
Karen Freund (MB)
Judy Renneberg (AB)