Cecelia Curtis – Community Builder

Cecelia Curtis is being nominated for “Community Builder” by the Guelph Ringette Association (GRA) because of her outstanding commitment and dedication to the sport and youth in Guelph. Cecelia has been actively involved in the GRA for the past 9 years and has been instrumental and a guiding force in this association and the community. Her outstanding activities and contributions include:

· Increased awareness of the sport to the overall community

· Direct involvement in many GRA activities that helped to double the membership of the GRA through a combination of special events and sponsorship activities

· Served on the GRA Executive for the past 7 years in a variety of roles including chair of coach/player development, statistician and also served on the GRA Tournament Committee. As chair of coach and player development Cecelia oversaw the team selection process of as many as 16 teams. She coordinated annual coaches, managers and trainers meetings to ensure all GRA bench staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities. She coordinated bench staff certification and tracked the resultant credentials. She also co-chaired GRA’s Grievance Committee.

· Cecelia has made a huge commitment to the Annual Guelph Ringette Tournament over the last 5 years. The tournament has doubled in size and now includes 66 teams and almost 1,000 players and generates profits of ~$4,000/year. During this 5 year period Cecelia has acted as registrar, convenor, scheduler, program coordinator and communication director. Each year she might as well have her sleeping bag with her at the arenas during the 3 day tournament, as she spends 50-60 hours at the rink as tournament convenor .The tournament’s growth in size and popularity, is a direct result of Cecelia’s dedication to this event. She will accept nothing less than perfection when it comes to her commitment and involvement in the tournament. GRA is very proud of its tournament and much of this pride has resulted from Cecelia’s commitment. Many teams return to the GRA tournament year after year because they feel it is one of the most well organized tournaments available. The tournament’s polished reputation is a reflection of the planning and organization that Cecelia commits to this event.

· Cecelia has coached 8 GRA teams in the past nine years.

In total, Cecelia devotes over 400 hours of her time per year for mentoring and certification of coaches, coordinating the GRA tournament, coaching, and active participation in the GRA.

Over the past 9 years, Cecelia has been one of the key driving forces behind the development and growth of Ringette in Guelph.