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Burnaby becomes ringette hotspot

Burnaby will be the centre of the ringette universe for six days next week, with the world’s best settling in for a world-class competition.
Canada Snowdon
Team Canada's Jenny Snowdon, centre, battles her Finnish rivals for ring possession during the 2017 world championships. Canada will look to end Finland's six-year run as world champions next week, as Burnaby is the site for the World Ringette championships.

Burnaby will be the centre of the ringette universe for six days next week, with the world’s best settling in for a world-class competition.
The World 2019 Ringette Championships are coming, and it promises to be a week of the best the game has to offer.
Teams from the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, U.S. and Canada will compete for bragging rights in both a Sam Jacks division (Canada and Finland) and a President’s division (Czech, Sweden and U.S.), as well as a junior division.
While the competitors will be focusing on winning, the real raison d’etre is to promote the game.
“The 2019 world ringette championships is an incredible opportunity for them to share their commitment to good sport with the global ringette community,” said Karri Dawson, senior director, Quality Sport at the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. “Ringette Canada is a leader in providing values-based sport experiences; experiences that ultimately develop positive character, strengthen communities and increase opportunities for personal excellence.”
With more than 31,000 players across Canada, the game is going strong in the country where it was founded. Sam Jacks created the game in 1963 in Ontario when trying to encourage physical activity for girls. The game has branched out to include co-ed divisions.
Burnaby’s Bill Copeland Sports Complex will be the scene for all the action, starting Nov. 26, when Finland takes on a Port Coquitlam team in one of three 'Friendship games' (11:20 a.m.) being played over the first three days. At 3 p.m., Canada and Finland will hit the ice for an exhibition contest in preparation for their Sam Jacks division best-of-three showdown.
Later in the evening, local players will have an opportunity to skate with members of the Canadian and Finnish national teams at an open skate (registration required), 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. The cost is $5.
Action picks up again on the Wednesday, when the U.S. squad plays a friendship game against Coquitlam at noon. It’s followed by a junior exhibition test between Finland and Canada.
Sweden and the Czech Republic launch the President’s division with a game at 7:40 p.m.
The battle for the Sam Jacks title starts in earnest on Thursday, Nov. 28 with the first game between Canada and Finland at 7:50 p.m. The two teams will meet again on Nov. 30, 2 p.m. in Game 2 of the series.
The President’s Division final is slated for Sunday, Dec. 1, at 9:40 a.m., with a potential Game 3 (if necessary) for the Sam Jacks title to follow (at 2:10 p.m., if necessary).
The full schedule, along with ticket purchasing, is available at www.wrc2019.ca.