Brock has a ringette team? Who knew?

My reaction, along with several others, was the same: "We have a ringette team?"
Evolving out of a shinny league team in the Niagara Region, Brock student Elysia Muise, put together a team to represent Brock at the University Ringette Challenge Cup.
The only university tournament available for the team, the Ringette Challenge Cup was held in Ottawa earlier in the year and had representatives from Carleton, Laurentian, Waterloo, Calgary, Ottawa, Trent, Alberta and Manitoba.
The Brock team fared decent, going 3-4 for the tournament, positing victories over Carleton twice and Laurentian.
Of course we all know that being a female athlete is not as easy as being a male one, and trying to get a sport dedicated predominantly towards girls off the ground can be a daunting task.
With costs involved in all aspects, from promotion to ice time, Muise and the Brock squad were not deterred, relying on sponsors and their own grit and determination to put together a few bucks to continue the sport they all love.
"All the money we raised for our tournament was through sponsorship and other work we did," said Muise. "We raked leaves in the fall to raise some money for our team, we don't get any funding from the school.
"This year we rented one van, and I drove up, so funding [from the school] would definitely help, especially if the tournament wasn't in Ontario. Carleton gave their team $2,500 for their efforts in the tournament, so some help from the school would definitely be nice."
Of course getting funding from the school would help matters tremendously, but it is understandable as to why a team without varsity status would be denied. It's not so much the money that had Muise a little perturbed, as it was the denial to use the Badgers logo and name for their team.
"We had to go through the school to go to the tournament, but we weren't allowed to use the Badgers name.
"It was disappointing, because we are Brock University, and when you think Brock sports, you think Badgers, so it was kind of hard."
The Brock squad was led by Leah Pristas, recording 10 goals and 13 helpers. Muise was next on the list with 10 goals and 13 assists. The rest of the team, consisting of Mykala Abel, Kim Anderson, Ashley Clock, Deanna Fairman, Lisa Glazier, Nicole Henry, Anne Jamieson, Danielle Lapierre, Nicole Larochelle, Christine Moes, Crista Murphy, Brianna Ogilvie, and Emily Parkin all contributed.
Ringette has got lost in the shuffle in recent years, especially with the emergence of women's hockey and the impact it has had on young girls. But Muise feels that there is still a place for ringette and ponders the thought of it one day being a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).
"Women's hockey has become a huge sport," said Muise, "but there is an interest for ringette. Leagues have been created for those who still want to play competitive, but as for CIS, I'd like to see it happen, but I don't think it will happen for a long time."
What many people don't know is that ringette is vastly different than hockey. It's not a simple case of swapping out a puck for a ring and chopping the blade of a stick, it's much more.
"It's completely different from hockey . sure, it has similarities," said Muise. "You have to pass through the blue line, we have a shot clock and you have to use your teammates so much. You have to think non-stop and really use strategy just to get a shot on net."
While it will be many years before we see if ringette is going to evolve into a more recognized sport, one thing is for certain, those who love it, love it a lot, and are not in it for the glory. Muise herself would rather play ringette than women's hockey giving up the chance at a scholarship in the U.S., citing her passion for ringette is just too strong. Whether or not it's worth passing up is up to the individual, but Muise couldn't be happier with her choice.
Looking up and speaking with conviction, Muise simply said, "It's definitely worth it".