Desjardins of Gloucester thrive in sport's hectic pace Sunday
February 20, 2000
Darren Desaulniers
The Ottawa Citizen

Life can be so hectic that it sometimes leaves families struggling to spend quality time together. Not so for the Desjardins family of Gloucester. In fact, this weekend has provided them with another opportunity to do together what they do best: ringette.

The 25th Gloucester Ringette Tournament has been occupying the Desjardins' time since Thursday, with nearly every family member involved. Bob and his wife, Wendy, have put a lot of kilometres on their cars in the past three days, making sure daughters Anne, Amy and Sarah make it to their games.

Their fourth daughter, Lisa, would also be playing in the tournament if she were not in Lennoxville attending Bishop's University.

"Sometimes two vehicles are not enough when you're going all the time, practically every night and every weekend," Bob Desjardins said. It's not just the daughters that are in the action, however. Bob is assistant coach on Anne's petite A team, and Wendy is the manager for Amy's junior AA team. "For out of town tournaments, only one parent goes while the other one stays home and keeps the fire going and travels from rink to rink," Bob said. "Last year, we had Amy playing in Quebec City and Sarah playing in Pickering on the same weekend, so we were paying for two motels. I find it's very expensive, but it's very worthwhile. It's good for them that they have to think of a team concept."

That weekend was nothing compared to one the family spent at a tournament in Whitby. All four girls and Wendy were playing in the tournament. Each played two games a day for a total of 10 hours on the ice. "I was at the rink from 7 a.m. until 11 at night," Bob Desjardins said. "That was the craziest weekend I've ever seen." Two years ago, Amy, strayed from ringette to hockey, but it wasn't long until she was back chasing a ring instead of a puck.

"Ringette is more of a team game (than hockey), I find, because you have to pass more and you're always together to back each other up in case you lose the ring," said the girl who's now 14. "You have to communicate more." Sarah, who plays belle A, is part of the successful Gloucester Devils team. They won a national title in Edmonton last year, and this year they have won all five tournaments they've entered. "The (Gloucester) tournament this year is our provincials, and we're in the final (12:30 p.m. today). If we go 6-0 (for tournament wins), that would be pretty cool," Sarah said. "We have great coaching and very supportive parents."

At age 10, the youngest of the Desjardins, Anne, just enjoys the camaraderie of playing ringette. "You have a lot of friends from ringette, and you always meet more and more," she said. "I think it's important we get to spend a lot of time together," Wendy Desjardins said. "We don't have a lot of time to take trips together or go out together like other families, but I don't want to make it sound like it's not fun, because it is a lot of fun. We're doing it for our children."

The Gloucester Tournament has 67 teams from across Canada in seven age groups. The finals begin today at 10 a.m. at the Armstrong, Potvin and Blackburn Arenas. The last final is set for 2:30 p.m.

Reprinted with permission