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26 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, April 4, 2000 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" OSHAWA 1670 Simcoe St., k World [+ Your complete accessory centre for TRUCK, VANS & SPORTS UTILITY PICKERING 1051 Brock St, (905) 579-6868 (905) 426-5509 www.vanandtruckworld.com HIPeH Going for gold Port Perry's Stacey Cunningham hopes to help Ontario's ringette team to a national title By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star A Port Perry teen is in British Columbia this week, partici- pating in the tournament of a lifetime. Sixteen-year-old Stacey Cunningham is part of an Ottawa-based team that's rep- resenting Ontario at the National Ringette Championships, being held in Prince George. Stacey, a centre who plays in Whitby, was recruited to the Ottawa team by coaches who were impressed with her play at a provincial tournament in March. : "It was exciting," Stacey said of the invitation to join the team, with which she practiced just a few times prior to flying to Vancouver Saturday. She admitted she was at first a little intimidated by the prospect of earning a position on a new team, but is feeling more at ease after meeting and skating with her team mates. Stacey will centre Team Ontario's second line, getting about 14 minutes of playing time per game. Her team took to the ice yesterday, meeting Quebec, and will play two games a day until Thursday. On Friday they have a single game scheduled, against Alberta. The semi-finals will be played Friday afternoon, and the final game Saturday. "I think we're going to do really good," Stacey said of the team. As for personal goals, she just wants to contribute as best she can. "I'm playing with two people I've never played with before," she said. "I just want to get to know them and play well with them. You can't do much better than that. "l just hope we can play well, and score some goals for the team." It's been a busy winter for Stacey, and parents Steve and Vicki Cunningham. In addition to her regular Central Ontario Ringette League schedule, she's attended the provincial championships, the Ontario Winter Games, and other tour- naments. She started playing ringette at age seven in Port Perry, after a season of hockey, and she's been playing with Whitby for four years. Stacey Cunningham, 16, recently joined the Ottawa-based team that's representing Ontario at the National Ringette Championship, which is being held in BC this week. PPFSC will hold its annual carnival this Sunday at the Scugog Arena Cruise Along with the Port Perry "Figure Skating Club this weekend By Heather McCrae Port Perry Star When the Port Perry Figure Skating Club presents its annual carnival on April 9 guests will be treated to a performance by a local pair who recently came home from the Canadian Figure Skating Championships in Calgary with a sil- ver medal they won in the Novice Pairs division. Johanna Purdy, 15, of Uxbridge and her nineteen-year-old partner, Kevin Maguire of Keswick, have been skating together for a year now. The pair has also done significantly well in other meets, too. Last fall at the North American Challenge in Thornhill, where they competed against skaters from Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, they also wound up with a gold medal. In November, the pair came fourth in Junior Pairs at the Junior Grand Prix, an international competition which was held in Norway. At the divisionals held in Laval, Quebec in December, the talented pair earned a gold medal after competing against skaters from Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland. "Earning this gold medal qualified us to enter the Canadians in Calgary," Johanna said. The Grade 10 Uxbridge High School student has been figure skat- ing since she was five but has only been competing in the Pairs Division since last April. It was through her coach, Kimberley Hanford, she met Kevin, a York University student. After many weeks of tryouts the two became a pair. Training together year-round, fig- ure skating is a commitment they both enjoy. It seems only natural Johanna would take up the sport as her mother, Barbara, who is a singles coach with the Port Perry Figure Skating Club (PPFSC), was once a competitive skater and was coached by former World Champion Skater, Don Jackson of Oshawa. And Johanna's 12-year- old sister, Jennifer, is a senior skater with the PPFSC. Turn to Page 27 Uxbridge's Johanna Purdy (right), 15, will be one of many guests performing at the PPFSC's annual carnival this Sunday, April 9.