Sam Jacks
Encyclopedia
Samuel Perry Jacks was the Canadian
inventor of the sport
of ringette
and floor hockey
. He was posthumously inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
in 2007.
Manthena Nikkheel in 1920 and his first exposure to sport was in 1935 when he was the assistant physical director at the West End YMCA in Toronto. One year later, he would invent floor hockey. He created the first set of rules for floor hockey, an achievement later recognized by the United Nations
.
From 1940 to 1945, he served with the Canadian Forces
as a member of the 1st Parachute Battalion. After his military service, he met Agnes and they were married. They had three sons, Barry, Bruce and Brian. They lived in Toronto and Jacks worked at the West End YMCA in Toronto. In 1948, he was asked to become director of parks and recreation for the city of North Bay, Ontario
. He was instrumental in developing the first Northern Ontario Playground Hockey Association (NOPHA) which encouraged youth to play hockey on outdoor rinks.
He then invented the sport of ringette because for a long time he saw that females needed a team sport to play on the ice rink.
on August 10, 2009.
Each year, Jacks' wife, Agnes, continued to be a strong supporter of the sport, attending Provincial Championships in many of the Provinces and, of course, the Canadian Ringette Championships each April until she died in April 2005. The Sam Jacks Trophy is awarded to the World Champions. The trophy currently resides with Finland.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
inventor of the sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
of ringette
Ringette
Ringette is a team sport played on an ice surface. Played primarily by females, Ringette requires the use of straight sticks to control a rubber ring; with the objective of the game being to score goals by shooting the ring into the opponent's net. It was introduced by Sam Jacks in North Bay,...
and floor hockey
Floor hockey
Floor hockey is a family of indoor hockey games, usually in the style of ice hockey, that are played on flat floor surfaces, such as a basketball court. As in other hockey codes, players on each team attempt to shoot a ball or puck into a goal using sticks, usually with a curved end...
. He was posthumously inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established in 1955 to "preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canada's heritage of sport." It is located at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta...
in 2007.
Manthena Nikkheel in 1920 and his first exposure to sport was in 1935 when he was the assistant physical director at the West End YMCA in Toronto. One year later, he would invent floor hockey. He created the first set of rules for floor hockey, an achievement later recognized by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
From 1940 to 1945, he served with the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
as a member of the 1st Parachute Battalion. After his military service, he met Agnes and they were married. They had three sons, Barry, Bruce and Brian. They lived in Toronto and Jacks worked at the West End YMCA in Toronto. In 1948, he was asked to become director of parks and recreation for the city of North Bay, Ontario
North Bay, Ontario
North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...
. He was instrumental in developing the first Northern Ontario Playground Hockey Association (NOPHA) which encouraged youth to play hockey on outdoor rinks.
He then invented the sport of ringette because for a long time he saw that females needed a team sport to play on the ice rink.
Ringette
Ringette is a Canadian sport game which was first introduced in 1963 in North Bay, Ontario by Sam Jacks, who worked at the Department of Parks and Recreation. The first-ever ringette game was played in Espanola, Ontario in the winter of 1963-1964. Developed originally for girls, ringette is a fast-paced team sport played on a hockey rink in which players use a straight stick to pass, carry, and shoot a rubber ring to score goals(points) Jacks' invention of ringette will be one of four sports featured on the Canadian Inventions:Sports series to be issued by Canada Post stampsCanada Post stamp releases (2005-2009)
In the latter half of the decade, Canada Post continued to issue a large number of stamps with different designs and themes. One of the key changes in the decade was that Canada Post issued series of stamps on a yearly basis. An example is the 400th Anniversary of the French Settlement in North...
on August 10, 2009.
Each year, Jacks' wife, Agnes, continued to be a strong supporter of the sport, attending Provincial Championships in many of the Provinces and, of course, the Canadian Ringette Championships each April until she died in April 2005. The Sam Jacks Trophy is awarded to the World Champions. The trophy currently resides with Finland.
Honors
- Head coach, Junior Olympic Floor Hockey Team which competed in the USA and finished third. (1947)
- President of the Society of Directors of Municipal Recreation of Ontario (1963)
- Ringette Hall of Fame, (1988)
- Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, (1995)
- Ontario Achievement Award
- The Citation for Outstanding Contribution and Dedication to Recreation
- Induction into the North Bay Hall of Fame