Turbo-charged ringette
Even with a team that grows younger each year, you can bet that the Cambridge Turbos will be in the thick of each game in this 2011/12 season. After all, history is on their side.
The Turbos were one of the original teams in the National Ringette League and have played in every national championship since the league began. With a record of three gold, two silvers and a bronze finish in the past six NRL championships, they are a team with a strong belief in leaving it all on the ice. In addition to national success, the Turbos are the reigning World Club Champions, having won this title over Luvia, Finland at the 2008 championships in Sault Ste Marie.
There weren't a lot of major roster changes on the team in its early years, but life outside ringette has called to several Turbo vets who made the tough decision to move on this year. The result is a younger Turbo median age, giving the team an outstanding mix of knowledge and experience in the older members, and youth, ambition and eagerness in the newest players. It's not likely many teams can boast that their oldest player was halfway through high school when their youngest player was born! So the Turbo Youth Movement has begun.
Players with national team experience, Sharolyn Wouters, Jenn Wakefield, Jackie Gaudet, Meghan Pittaway and Vanessa Cowlen, are amazing resources when it comes to sharing their knowledge with the younger players.
Consistency on the bench staff has been a hallmark of the Turbos. Glen Gaudet and Paul Cowlen have been pacing the bench behind the boards since the team's beginning. The team was sad to say "so long" to Ken Brown this season. When Ken's daughter, Dr. Brittany Brown, retired as a player this season, Ken decided to move on to other challenges.
As one of the most successful bench bosses in ringette, Glen asks each of his players for a "one-hundred per cent commitment every practice, every shift and every game." His philosophy also very much includes a "team" focus. The team's mission statement in part, reflects this philosophy: “the TEAM result is the primary goal, while playing the game in the true spirit of ringette.”
The Turbos are heading to Turku, Finland on Christmas Day to defend their 2008 World title. They will take on three of the top club teams in Finland, as well as the Richmond Hill Lightning in a weeklong tournament. Glen says, “We are going to Turku to defend our title and we know it will be a very difficult task, but we are looking forward to the challenge. A win in the final on New Year’s Day would be a pretty amazing start to 2012.”
