The McGuire Twins: Arnprior’s Ringette Sister Duo

      The bond shared between siblings is in a word, powerful. No one loves, nor hates one another more than that of siblings. Often, in life and in fiction, your sibling is either your best friend or your worst enemy; or perhaps they are somewhere in between – maybe both at the same time. Sibling rivalries can be the source of great joy and tremendous sorrow, from laughing and crying or playing and fighting. The victories you achieve, the defeats you suffer, the trials you face, and the obstacles you overcome are magnified with the presence of your sibling at your side. Siblings can also be an unstoppable force when they put their minds and bodies towards a common cause. Venus and Serena Williams dominated the world of tennis for years, both of whom have impressive singles careers but also in doubles with the duo winning a stunning 22 titles, including 14 Grand Slam titles and 3 Olympic gold medals. The Klitschko brothers, Vitali and Wladimir, won every major title in heavyweight boxing from 2004-2015, ushering in what would be known as “The Klitschko Era”. The sibling duo in sports is rare, but it is also revered. In Arnprior, Ontario a sister pair is laying in wait for their chance at glory. The McGuire Twins.

     Alexis and Jaidyn McGuire are twin sisters from Arnprior, Ontario. Growing up, the sisters bonded by playing a number of different sports throughout the years. However, at age 4, the duo would discover what has now become a passion of nearly 13 years, Ringette. Ringette is a winter sport which origins go back to the 1960’s with North Bay and Espanola, Ontario sharing the honor of being the sports birthplace. Noticing a shocking limit for winter recreation programs for girls, the Northern Ontario Recreation Directors Association (NORDA) sought to find a solution. With the invention of Ringette, it shares the distinction of being one of a small number of sports created exclusively for female competitors, though there are a growing number of men’s teams. At a glance it would be easiest to describe it as “like hockey” as it’s played in a hockey rink with ice skates but that’s mostly where the similarities end. With an emphasis on fast paced gameplay, teamwork and a no contact policy, Ringette has branched out to multiple parts of the world including the United States, Sweden, and France. Alexis and Jaidyn fell in love with the sport, playing for their hometown team the Arnprior Devils, with their father, Scott McGuire, stepping into the role as their head coach until they were 10 years old. The duo still resides in Arnprior, but now make the drive to West Ottawa to play Ringette competitively.

     As sisters, Alexis and Jaidyn have thrived in an environment where they not only play together on the same team, but on the same line. “We always say it’s our twin telepathy. We always know where we are on the ice”, Jaidyn said, revealing their secret Super Sister Twin Telepathy powers. Just kidding, but the benefits of playing together are real and they go much deeper than that. Jaidyn continued, “It helps because we can talk at home and when we work together, we really know each other best. I think just having someone that you’re so close with helps a lot.” When asked if there were any challenges in playing on the same team as her sister, Alexis disparaged the notion, “There aren’t really any challenges, we love working together, and our coaches know we love working together.” The McGuire Twins are always pushing each other to new heights. Instead of one wanting to be better than the other they want to be better together. Their bond as sisters and their vast experience on the ice, has helped them find a balance in their strengths when playing on the same line.

      Although they may not face challenges with each other on the ice, Alexis and Jaidyn have faced challenges in the wake of the pandemic. Alexis chimed in first, “For me it was finding motivation to keep going.” Jaidyn then added, “Covid was a big thing. We had to limit a lot of the ice times and making teams was hard. The restrictions were very hard for us, that was the biggest challenge.” The sisters have been happy to return to sports and have been working hard to achieve their goals and further their athletic careers. Another challenge has been the fact that Ringette itself is not generally well known compared to other winter sports. “It’s hard.” Jaidyn said, “Like people constantly asking, ‘what’s that?’ But I actually think it’s kind of nice. Especially with little kids, you get to show them what the sport is and introduce it to people who don’t know what it is, because it is a good, fast, highly competitive sport.” Her enthusiasm clung to every word. Their commitment is demonstrated as the duo often helps at their hometown arena, the Nick Smith Centre, where they introduce the next generation of athletes to the sport of Ringette.

     Despite the challenges the pandemic presented, the sisters are as excited as ever for the Ontario Winter Games in Renfrew County. The Ontario Winter Games are currently underway with a number of events taking place from February 2^nd to 5^th and February 9^th to 12^th.  The McGuire Twins are representing Team Black, for the West Ottawa Ringette Association. They will also be playing in the same arena where their journey had started all those years ago. Alexis spoke on the long road it took for them to get to such a massive point in their careers, “It was challenging. It was a lot of training, and a lot of hard work to get ready for the games.” When asked if they see the Winter Games as their biggest achievement athletically, they both responded with an excited “Yes, for sure!”. On top of the support they have for each other, they also have the love and support of their friends and family who will attend the games to see the sisters, and their team, in action. Jaidyn took the last moment to shine the spotlight on their comrades, “I just want to say thanks to our coaches, and our teammates. We definitely would not be here without them.”