SPORTS BADMINTON Five players ou... Hollyburn = Country Club achieved chamy: on status at the recent B.C. Junior Badminton Cham-pio- nships at the Arbutus Club. “. KELLY Ringstad : — Top Canadian - at World Cup in -. Switzerland. Winners included: Adeel Ahamed (U-16 “boys doubles); : Sabrina Lee (U-16 girls singles, U-16 girls doubles); Fiona Morris (U-16 girls doubles (U-16 mixed . doubles); Colleen O’Neill (U-12_ girls doubles); and Derek Senft (U-16 boys sin- gles, U-16 mixed dou- bles). CAP COLLEGE... The Blues’ women basketball team tin ished fourth in ty province. < _ After handing long = time rival Langara a “. 70-43 quarter-final defeat, the Blues lost a tight semi-final to the Malaspina Maratders 58-50. In the bron: medal game Capilais: came up short agai: Douglas College 65 54... Cap player Carla . King was named a B.C. first team all-star, while teammate Kelly ~ Olynk was one of five players selected to the ; second team. - CURLING... Jim ~ Barber, of. North > Vancouver, has been “s named 1996 official of the year by Curl B.C. e@es MOGUL SKIING... ™ North Van's Kelly ,, Ringstad — continues » her growth on the World Cup circuit +. she placed fifth at las: ; weekend’s dual meg... event in) Meiringer Halisberg, — Switver land. The result) was the top Canadian post ing. Ringstad began - the season on the Nor » Am circuit, bur her steady skiing, and con- sistent podium plac- - ings have landed her a “spor on the World Cup = team for the rest of the “, season. Same surface; differ Friday, March 7, 1997 — North Shore News -— 15 Women ringette | players hit their stride at hockey nationals By Andrew McCredie Sports Editor THE best women hockey play- ers in the country are in Richmond this weekend to bat- tle for the 1997 National Championships. And for the Brittania Blues, the team representing B.C. in the tourna- ment, two North Vancouver ringette players figure prominently. Sarah Chicas, 23, and Alana Gray, 22, have more than a few things in common. Both are North Vancouver high school grads (Clucas from Argyle and Gray from Handsworth), both have been on skates tor most of their lives (Clucas since the age of eight, Gray since she was four); both want to be teachers (Sarah is in her final year of the elementary teacher's program at UBC; Alana plans to attend teacher's college in September); and both have made the move from ringette to hockey without missing a stride. Last September, Gray and Clucas were introduced to Bnirtania Blues’ head coach Nandor Jeszensky by fellow ringette player and fellow North Van resident Lisa Valleau. Valleau played for the Blues last season, and was integral in getting the pair a tryout with the Blues. Up to this point both Clucas and Gray had litle hockey experience — Sarah played on her brother's team when she was nine years old, bur switched to ringette at the age of 10, while Alana had never plaved hockey until last September. But as members of the B.C. Deb All-Star ringette team, both are among the best ringette players in the country (other North Shore players on the B.C. ringette team include North Van's Sarah Cunningham and Amy Root, and West Van's Shelly Baker). And because of the nature of the game of ringerte -— where NEWS photo Terry Peters SARAH Ciucas (left) and Alana Gray are members of the Brittania Blues, a women's hockey team that is representing B.C. at this week- end’s Canadian Nationals in Richmond. The North Vanccuver resi- dents are also accomplished ringette players. Keeping your cool in N. Shore THE recent snowfalls that we’ve had here in Vancouver have ben excellent fer local ski- ing (if not shocking for North Shore drivers). For those lucky cnough to make it to the slopes, here are a few tips thar should make your day of powder (yes, powder) skiing sensational. It is natural to find a ten- dency to lean back and ride out turns when skiing through powder. However, to yet down the hill successfully your really ought to be centred. A feeling to shoot for as you ski is even pres- sure along the sole of your out and being aggressive will also that next powder turn. ” boot. This feeling, will help you correctly position your centre of gravity. If you are finding that your inside ski is wandering free and separating from your outside (downhill) ski, try this: work on purting equal weight on both skis. Distributing your weight evenly over both skis creates a stable platform which “ Reaching balance help you get powder allows — your skis to track together. Reaching out and being aggressive will also help you get that next powder turn. If you flex and extend your legs as you ski _— almost bouncing through = the snow —- the task of mov- ing from one turn to the Fog oa CYPRESS Ski School director Kent Ridecut. next will be much easier. Also, it is important to maintain an even and moderate speed. Skiing slowly in deep snow is like trying to balance a hike while going slowly. Remember to keep vour movements smooth and main- tain a owing motion down the hill. If you can find a consistent rhythm with a combination of all these move- ments you will achieve a better sense of control and a wonderful Hoating feeling. To add a final couch, keep your hands foreword anid use a solid pole plant. This will aid in balancing and the timing of all your skiing movements. Kent Ridcout is the Cypress Bowl Ski School director. strong skating and forechecking are essential skills —- both Clucas and Gray made the Blues and are now represent- ing the province at this weekend’s nationals. “Sarah is more experienced as a hock- ey plaver than Alana,” says Jeszensky. “She’s a great skater and handles the puck really well.” Jeszensky adds he has no regrets about having ringette players on his team: “Every ringette player we have on our team is a great skater.” The toughest thing for ringette play- ers to learn when playing hockey is how to position themselves when receiving a pass or tying to get open. The dynam- ics of control berween the nvo games — iv. keeping a ring on a stick com- pared with keeping a puck on a blade — demand different strategy for both games. “We play on the same line in ringette but they don’r want the avo ringette players together in hockey because we're so out of position most of the time,” says Clucas with a laugh. But perhaps the biggest difference berween the nvo games is the higher profile hockey enjoys. And more money. “In playing ringette nationals, we pay for the whole thing ourselves,” says Clucas. “One thing we've found about hockey, there’s way more money avail- able.” But Gray thinks that despite the recent rise in women’s hockey partici- pation, ringette will survive. “I think one of the reasons why ringette appeals to younger kids is because at that age level it’s much more a team game,” the right winger says. “In hockey, if there’s one superstar they can go end to end. But in ringette there are rules that are built in so that that won't happen.” Following this weekend’s hockey nationals, both Clucas and Gray will turn their focus back on ringette as they prepare for the Nationals in April. B.C. plavs their third and final round robin game today at 10:15 a.m. against three- time defending champion Quebee at Minoru Arena in Richmond. TSN will televise live the final of the 1997 Esse Women’s National Championship on Sunday at 4 p.m. NEWS photo Mike Wakefleid UBC’S Izabela Rudo! sets a bali during the Thunderbirds exhibition volleyball match against a Japanese team fast Friday night at Capilano College. Despite inspired play by North Van's Rudoi, the T-Birds fost in three straight games.