Not much older than the University of Lethbridge itself, ringette has become a growing factor in Lethbridge’s athletic community through the Lethbridge Ringette Association (LRA).

After relocating to Lethbridge and becoming actively involved with ringette with their daughters, Dr. Jonathan Taylor, LRA president, and his wife Dr. Kami Makar, LRA director of coaching, have grown to appreciate the commitments of the U of L and Pronghorn Athletics to the community. 

“The U of L Ringette Club has always been supportive of the LRA, both on and off the ice,” Dr. Taylor says.

One of their most prominent contributions is the U of L Ringette Summer Camp, held right before the start of the youth-ringette season. The camp enables Lethbridge athletes to have the same summer development as the larger camps up in Calgary without the travel costs.

“U of L Ringette Club members donate a lot of their time to helping with the camp and we wanted to return the favour to the club members, especially since post-secondary education as well as team sports have featured prominently in our lives,” says Dr. Makar.

Last year, the family established a scholarship at the U of L to do just that.

The Taylor-Makar Ringette Award is a minimum of $1,500 scholarship awarded to a member of the U of L Ringette Club that meets an academic as well as community involvement requirement.

For Dr. Taylor, the scholarship recognizes the club’s support and the commitment U of L athletes make, as well as the value team sports adds to young athletes’ lives.

“There are great life skills to be learned from university athletics,” he says. “You learn time management skills and also develop lifelong bonds with team members.”

This year’s U of L Ringette Summer camp will run from August 21-25. To find out more or to register, click here.