It is with great pleasure that I welcome teams from Calgary, Alberta, and across the country to a fantastic weekend of ringette. This year, we are thrilled to host 171 teams, comprising a total of 2,350 players! I sincerely hope that our visitors enjoy their time in our city, and that all competitors relish the competition at this year’s Esso Golden Ring Tournament!

Bringing a tournament of this magnitude to life involves the efforts of several key groups, and I’d like to take a moment to express my gratitude:

Volunteers: Every year, we are amazed by the incredible volunteer crew that comes together to make this tournament special. On this, the 39th year of the Golden Ring Tournament, I’d like to extend a special thank you to three exceptionally longstanding volunteers: Laura Webb, John Mader, and Warren Kee. Their unwavering commitment year after year has allowed the tournament to grow with consistency and their efforts are a cornerstone of our success. If you see them over the weekend or know them personally, please join me in thanking them for their ongoing dedication to this sport!

Referees: To the many spectators and fans joining us this weekend, I encourage you to offer praise to our fantastic referee team at every game. Our referees come from near and far and work tirelessly to ensure all games are officiated fairly and impartially. We couldn’t play without them, so let’s show our appreciation!

Sponsors: We are immensely grateful to Imperial Oil for their ongoing and substantial support of this tournament. Please join us in thanking them and the other wonderful sponsors listed in this program throughout the weekend.

This year’s tournament theme is “Shoot for Gold!” and I look forward to watching our athletes strive for their shot at gold. Join me at the gold medal games on Sunday to cheer on this year’s top teams! For more exciting competition, there will be a pair of NRL games on Saturday, featuring the Calgary Rath facing off against Edmonton’s Black Gold Rush. This is ringette at its finest, and I highly recommend catching one or both games. The game schedule is available on our website.

Lastly, we’re excited to run a 50/50 draw again this year. Buy your tickets for a chance to be the lucky winner taking home some extra cash! Proceeds will continue to support the sport we all love. Look for the QR codes to enter.

Warm regards,
Holly Bradley
Chair, 2025 Esso Golden Ring Committee