Skills Development Program Coaching Refreshers

| Deirdra

Skill Development Program Coaching Refreshers

Nov 20 (Sat): Track attack coaches
Nov 21 (Sun): Jack rabbit coaches
Dec 4 (Sat): Bunnies coaches

Both returning and new volunteer coaches for our three SDP programs are encouraged to attend the appropriate on-snow coaching refresher. Summer has been long, our minds aren’t necessarily coaching-fresh and our legs aren’t snow-ready. Come out and get your head back into the coaching mindset, learn new tips/tricks, help build confidence in your coaching, and receive a personal technique update just for yourself.

Duration: 90 mins
Where: Meet in front of the old lodge building
Time: 9:00 am – 10:30 am
What will be covered: Program Practice Session (drills, skills, games, share ideas), Technique session, Equipment available, etc.
Registration: Email Andrew at [email protected]
Cost: Free to all volunteer coaches

Results of the Call for nominations 2021 – SLNC Board

| Deirdra

The 2021 Elections Committee is pleased to announce that five SLNC members put their names forward to run for the Board. Since seven Director positions were available, all of the nominees will become members of the Board by acclamation. They will start their 2-year terms at the virtual AGM on October 20th, 2021:

Sue Cairns (new)
Malcolm Devine (new)
Tara Fulop (returning)
Dren Maloku (new)
Hugh Seaton (returning)

Please take the time to read over the profiles of the five acclaimed Board members and get acquainted with those who spend a great deal of time helping to run our club.

View Board Member Bios

The five acclaimed Board members will join three continuing Board members (Cynthia Flores, Bill Miller and Rob Oxenham) who are starting the second year of their two-year terms.

Thank you to all Board members for your service to the club.

Respectfully submitted,

The SLNC 2021 Elections Committee
Franck Prat and Kim Taylor

RESULTS of the 2019 Call for nominations – SLNC Board of Directors

| Deirdra

Dear SLNC Members:

The 2019 Elections Committee is pleased to announce that five SLNC members put their names forward to run for the Board.  Since six Director positions were available, the five nominees will become members of the Board by acclamation. They will start their 2-year terms at the AGM on October 16th, 2019:

Marcus Boyle (new)
Sandra Ecclestone (returning)
Tara Fulop Conner (new)
Anja Lee (new)
Hugh Seaton (new)

Profiles of the five acclaimed Board members are posted HERE, and you can meet them at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday, October 16th.  The AGM will start at 7:00 pm a the Schubert Centre.  Coffee, cookies, information tables, and socializing will be available beforehand at 6:00 PM.

The five acclaimed Board members will join four continuing Board members (Lynn Algra, Pat Pearce, Brent Ree, and Brian Wills) who are starting the second year of their two-year terms.  This means there will be nine directors plus one vacant position on the Board.

Congratulations and thank you to all Board members — including Sylvia Herchen, Guy Morazain, Mark Nichiporuk, and Greg Sadesky, who are completing two years of service on the Board.

Respectfully submitted,

The SLNC 2019 Elections Committee
Doug Geller, Randy Savoie, Kim Taylor

NorAm Weekend: Volunteers made it Super

| Deirdra
US rising star Julia Kern leads two-time Canadian Olympian Dahria Beatty over the bridge in Saturday's sprint.
Rising US star Julia Kern (bib 101) and two-time Canadian Olympian Dahria Beatty (right) lead the pack over the bridge in Saturday’s sprint. (Photo: Peggy Hung)

Sovereign Lake hosted a major cross country skiing event last weekend, thanks to more than 100 volunteers who put in the time and effort to create a successful race weekend for hundreds of visiting racers.

The NorAm series is one step below the World Cup and is used to qualify racers to move up to the World Cup, the World Championships, and the national team. The US SuperTour series is the same level, but for American racers.

Both series came to Sovereign Lake last weekend, along with every top skier in North America. 8 PyeongChang Olympians were spotted on the trails, among the 450 skiers who raced each day. Athletes from Alaska, Québec, Vermont, California, Colorado, New Hampshire, and Alberta made their way onto the podium, while over 200 young BC skiers got to ski the same courses as the top stars.

Want to know more about the races and what the athletes thought about their visit to our trails? FasterSkier was covering the event and has video interviews and photo galleries here.

This event helps develop young athletes, earns money for the club, and attracts interest from cross country skiers all over North America. Without our volunteers, none of this would be possible.

The event features future Olympians too. Since 2002, every Canadian who has raced at the Olympics raced at Sovereign Lake first. (Photo: Kent Murdoch)

All Action Weekend

| Deirdra
Zen late morning after the elite skiers head home.
Peaceful late morning after the elite skiers are finished for the day.

Sovereign Lake is busy with elite racers this week. Each weekday morning, more than a hundred of the best skiers in North America are here training for this weekend’s racing. Each weekday at around 11am, they all leave to rest and recover.

The Sovereign team getting ready for the weekend.

All of the top skiers in North America are here for a combined NorAm and SuperTour race weekend. Come out on Saturday to see the sprints and Sunday for the distance races, and then go out for your own ski.

The stadium, dog trails, World Cup, Passmore, and Aberdeen will be closed both Saturday and Sunday for the races. That leaves about 30km of ski trails and all the snowshoe trails for non-racers.

Record Opening Weekend

| Deirdra
Day 8 of the new season. November 12, 2018
Day 8 of the new season. November 12, 2018

Sovereign Lake had a record opening weekend, with 1,001 day tickets sold, and all three days of the long weekend setting records.

As usual in the early season, there are visiting teams. The BC Talent Squad was here for the weekend, along with Telemark and Larch Hills.  The Alberta World Cup Academy arrived on Monday for a week of skiing.

The ski trail conditions are great. Snowshoers are still waiting for a bit more snow. Do your snow dance!

2018 Call for Annual Club Awards Nominations

| Deirdra

Call for Nominations: Annual Club Awards  (please attach the Criteria document and the list of past recipients to this message)
The Annual Club Awards will be presented at the end of the season event April 7th.

Nominations are now open for the following Awards:
   Skier of the Year
   Volunteer of the Year
   Volunteer Coach of the Year
   Above and Beyond
   Lifetime Membership

Please see the attached Awards Criteria document.
Deadline for Nominations: March 25, 2018
Information required:  Name of Nominee.  Reasons for nomination.  Name of Nominator.
Send to: [email protected]

Awards Criteria SLNC

SLNC Awards Recipients

NorAm/SuperTour Racers Arriving Early to Train

| Deirdra

The excitement for the race weekend is building, with the arrival of the Thunder Bay National Team Development Centre athletes on November 30th.  TBay brought around twenty athletes, the team van and trailer, and a few coaches.  Look for bright green training jackets and blue puffy jackets with TBAY on the back.

Because the NorAm circuit has a strong western bias this year, the team will leave their van and trailer in the west for the season.  The season begins with races at Sovereign Lake and BlackJack before Christmas, visits Whistler after Christmas, and finishes with nationals in Canmore.  A select few will qualify for Junior World Championships and Under 23 World Championships in Soldier Hollow, Utah.

On December 10th and 11th, the top North American skiers will be competing for world cup starts and points that lead to Olympic qualification. It looks like this team will have fun getting ready, as they posted this video from their first day here at Sovereign.

November Visitors at Sovereign Lake

| Deirdra
A visiting biathlon team practising mass starts in the stadium (Photo: SLNC)
A visiting biathlon team practising mass starts in the stadium (Photo: SLNC)

Sovereign Lake was energized by visitors last weekend, in large part thanks to US Thanksgiving.

As usual, many of our neighbours to the south came up to celebrate their most important holiday with us. The Methow Valley club teamed up with Momentum Northwest from Seattle and Mt Bachelor in Oregon for a combined camp with over 60 kids.  Racing fans would recognize US Olympians Laura McCabe and Lars Flora among their coaches.

Continuing the visitors theme, US Olympian Kris Freeman was here for a week training for the start of the SuperTour season.  If he was skiing so fast that you missed him, he will be back next week for the NorAm/SuperTour races.

The joint Sovereign/SilverStar SuperCamps continue, but the real stars were a group of ladies doing a boot camp with our own Pat Pearce.

Three days of twice daily ski workouts, red wine, and sunshine brings out the smiles for the World Masters relay team. (Photo: SLNC)
Three days of twice daily ski workouts, red wine, and sunshine brings out the smiles for the World Masters relay team. (Photo: SLNC)

Nearer neighbours Larch Hills and Telemark were out in force as their on-snow programs started.

And for the club member (name withheld to protect the innocent Quality Greens shopper) who doubted that the early season snow was worth the twenty minute drive from Vernon, Gene from Bend had no doubt that it was worth the 11 hour drive.lauram

We Are Open

| Deirdra
Amanda and Jacek made the trip from Kelowna for Jacek's first time skiing ever (Photo: SLNC)
Amanda and Jacek made the trip from Kelowna on November 24th for Jacek’s first time skiing ever (Photo: SLNC)

Sovereign Lake Nordic Club is open for the season!

The unusually warm fall is behind us and normal service has returned with nightly snowfalls expected to continue for the new few days.

See the snow on our newly upgraded Stussi Sport Webcam!