Yvonne Johnson Collection

Yvonne Johnson Collection

The collection was compiled by Yvonne Johnson (née Devuyst) of Langley, BC.

Yvonne began playing ringette in Aldergrove with the Langley Municipality Ringette league in January of 1974 —British Columbia's inaugural ringette season. Since 1974, Yvonne has not missed registering for a single year of ringette and is still playing ringette today, 50 years later. This makes Yvonne arguably the longest consecutive playing ringette athlete in the world.

Yvonne played primarily a goaltender until 1980, before switching to defence and playing goal from time to time. When the Langley Municipal Ringette league split into the Langley Ringette Association and the Aldergrove Ringette Association (1975), Yvonne played with the Langley Ringette Association. She then played for Fraser Valley Ringette when when the Langley and Aldergrove Ringette Associations amalgamated in 1995.

In 1982, Yvonne was selected to represent BC at the Canadian Ringette Nationals in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She would go on to represent BC at five national championships.

Yvonne served as a head instructor for many ringette schools and camps throughout BC for more than 15 years, including Camp Cheekeye, the first overnight ringette camp held in the province, and the long running Osoyoos Ringette School.

Yvonne participated in an exchange program with a synchronized swim team from Hull, Québec that saw a large group of ringette players from BC visit and billed with a group of swim team members from Hull, and vice-versa.

Other activities on a national level that Yvonne was a part of include assisting with two Ringette Canada publications while representing BC on the Ringette Canada Sport Development and the Safety and Equipment Committee over two years.

In 1984, Yvonne began her coaching career when she was 18 and took a team to Fraser Lake for a friendship tournament. In 1990, she assisted with the Lower Mainland Jr. All-Star (AA) team and she continued to coach through the years, including her grandchildren.

As an administrator, Yvonne was a board member of the Langley Ringette Association, the Fraser Valley Ringette Association, the BC Ringette Association, and the Chilliwack Ringette Association, serving many roles on the executive.

Today, Yvonne plays for the Chilliwack Ringette Association and continues to volunteer with the Michelle Vandale Memorial Spirit of Winter Tournament Committee where she also chairs the tournament's scholarship committee. And, is currently serving as the Membership Coordinator for the West Coast Ringette Historical Society.

Yvonne was inducted into the Ringette BC Hall of Fame in the builder category in 2023.

Yvonne Johnson

Copy images and files were donated to the WCRHS by Yvonne Johnson.

1974-

English

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