Paul Bechard
Over the past 21 years, Paul has coached athletes of every skill level, from beginners to high-performance elite athletes. He has five years of experience coaching in the National Ringette League, and is passionate about supporting the growth of the sport.
Paul perceives team sports as a fundamental building block to long term success in life: he believes a sound mind is built on a strong body. He is enthusiastic to partner with Parkland School Division and My PATH in supporting young athletes to pursue and excel in their passions.
Shelley Vandenbrand
Shelley’s involvement in Ringette spans over 30 years. She had early involvement in the competitive stream with the Edmonton Ringette Club, represented team Alberta at the 1999 Canada Winter Games and continued to compete in the National Ringette League. She has coached for many years and continues to do so in the NRL.
When Shelley isn’t in the rink or at work, she enjoys some R&R with her family at the cottage engaging in water sports.
Christa Callahan
With over 28 years of ringette experience, Christa grew up playing and continues to play ringette for the Spruce Grove Ringette Association. Christa’s 14-year coaching experience spans multiple sports and athlete age and skill levels, from youth to U16 and beginners to elite AA athletes. In recent years, Christa has also facilitated the annual Fire on Ice Ringette Conditioning Camp and coached alongside Jacinda Rolph, the Team Canada Senior Women’s Assistant Coach.
Christa looks forward to working with CERA athletes and aspires to motivate, educate and inspire each student while guiding them to become prepared young women through their experience with the ringette academy.
Annie Hood
Annie has played ringette for 13 years: 11 with AA in St. Albert and two with her current team, the NRL Rush. She won provincial gold with Zone 5 AA, and triumphed again with Zone 5 at the 2016 Alberta Winter Games, after which she was named to the All Star lineup at nationals in London, Ontario.
Annie has five years of coaching experience working with junior ringette teams, junior high volleyball teams and ringette camps. She is currently completing her Bachelor of Science in pursuit of her passion for chiropractic medicine. She is excited to be coaching and helping support these young CERA athletes.
Danielle Bechard
Danielle has been involved in a variety of sports from a young age including ringette, which she has played for the last 22 years with a variety of teams, including Junior Team Canada at the 2013 World Ringette Championships and Team Alberta at the 2015 Canada Winter Games. She won gold with Team Alberta at the 2010 and 2011 Canadian Ringette Championships and the 2008 Western Canadian Championships, and spent the last seven years with the NRL.
Danielle has over nine years of experience in coaching and running camps, and recently completed her degrees in Biological Anthropology and Secondary Education. Danielle is currently teaching with the Parkland School Division, and is thrilled to be a part of the PSAA Ringette Academy!
Sydney George
Sydney is a second-year student in MacEwan University's Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. She played with Spruce Grove Ringette Association for 13 years, and currently plays on the Black Gold Rush NRL team. She is excited to be assisting young athletes in their ringette development.
Chelsea Stone
Currently teaching with the Parkland School Division, Chelsea has been involved in ringette for over 30 years. She has competed at the highest levels of the game, playing with Edmonton WAM! and winning multiple National Championships with the team. She’s also coached at the World Ringette Junior Championships.
Makayla Kew
Makayla has been playing ringette for 13 years: goaltending for the last ten. She has competed at the AA level for seven years with both Zone 5 and Spruce Grove. Makayla won silver with Zone 5 at the 2018 Alberta Winter Games, and competed at the Western Canadian Ringette Championships (U14) and the Canadian Ringette Championships (U16).
Makayla is currently completing her Kinesiology degree at Kings University with the goal of becoming a chiropractor. She has coached, officiated and volunteered in various positions throughout the past six years. She loves to encourage young athletes to be the best version of themselves and is very excited to be helping young athletes pursue their dreams.
Shay Laufersweiler
Shay grew up playing for the Spruce Grove Ringette and St Albert Ringette Associations, and has progressed to play at the highest level of the game, spending the last four years as the Edmonton Black Gold Rush goalie.
Shay is currently completing her kinesiology practicum at the University of Alberta. As an avid student of the game, Shay loves working with younger athletes and assisting them in realizing their potential.
