Four of our current or alumni Biathletes are heading overseas to compete at the Youth Olympic Games and the Youth World Championships the next two months. These prestigious events are just one step below the Senior World Cup program and for these kids, it is a dream come true. Two of our Junior Biathletes are also headed to the BC Winter Games in February.

The 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games take place in Lausanne, Switzerland next week and bring over 1800 athletes from around the world in numerous sporting events, featuring the best young athletes in the world. These Olympics feature all the pomp and circumstance of the big show. Sovereign athletes Ethan Algra and Lucas Sadesky make up a third of the entire team attending the races which take place over 13 days with 81 different competitions through the various sports. HUGE CONGRATS YOU TWO!!!

Lucas Sadesky and Ethan Algra spend one last session in the biathlon range before setting off for Switzerland on Monday.

Cole Bender (from Burns Lake) but training with SLNC this season, will be representing Canada at the Youth World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland from Jan 20-Feb 4th along with Sovereign’s very own Danica Ariano who now trains at the Nationals Training Centre in Canmore with the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre. We are super proud of these great athletes.

Cole Bender, Ethan, and Lucas together in the new Biathlon Range up at Sovereign Lake.

Sovereign athletes Ethan Algra and Danico Ariano following a successful race day in Canmore, Alberta last winter.

Not to be outdone by the senior athletes our young team of Isabella Pighin and Luca Ariano will be representing zone 2 at the BC Winter Games in Fort St. John from Feb 19-22. They will be joined by Camille Hanry (former SLNC athlete) and Timur McNern from Telemark to complete the Okanagan Zone 2 Team. Good luck and do the SLNC Plaid proud!!

Isabelle Pighin, Cole, Ethan, Lucas and Luca Ariano join the fun setting their own sights on the BC Winter Games next month. 

Thanks to the generous donations of our patrons on Christmas day we were able to raise almost $3000 for the 4th Annual Xmas Day Food Bank Fundraiser. All proceeds from ticket sales and member donations went towards the Salvation Army House of Hope to help provide food to those in need throughout the winter season. This donation almost doubled our $1642 from last year. Thank you for your generosity this holiday season and all the best in the new year.

SLNC will be open for the season effective Wednesday, November 13th at 8:30 am. We intend to be grooming with the PB 400 snowcat on Passmore, Wylies Loop, World Cup, and possibly Aberdeen.

Welcome back to another great season! We will be processing season passes out of the lodge for the remainder of the season.

All SLNC Trails are closed effective immediately until further notice with no exceptions as we are trying to preserve the minimal amount of snow we have for the coming weekend. We will be opening Aberdeen as well as the Repeater Rd for the BC Ski Team Camp (and public). We kindly request that all users respect our request and avoid skiing until the weekend. A notice will be posted this afternoon down at the lower parking lot.

Kindly,

SLNC Management

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 16^th, 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

The Masters High-Performance Group from SLNC has been preparing to race at the Masters World Cup 2019 in Norway over the last 2 seasons. With the expert guidance from our Program Director, Eric de Nys, and the disciplined approached by our skiers we’ve exceeded all expectations.

23 Sovereign skiers joined forces with 31 other BC skiers and 50 more from other parts of Canada to make up the largest Canadian contingent on record to attend these games. The Canadian group represents an age spread of 40 years and many more years of ski racing experience.

The trip began with 8 of our skiers spending a week at altitude in Italy. We stayed at Seiser Alm – a ski resort known by National team skiers as the place for acclimatizing before big race series. We had such a relaxing ski experience that it
was actually hard to leave. Good skiing, beautiful scenery and very warm temperatures.

Our larger group of skiers met up on March 4th in Oslo and then boarded buses and travelled to Beitostolen where the Master’s is being held. This quintessential Norwegian community is situated at the base of a huge plateau with mountain ranges in the background. Skiing goes on forever – the touring is so inviting that it’s hard to remain focused on the race course when so many unexplored kilometres lay outside the doorstep of the hotel. Many of our group has expressed the desire to return and enjoy what this area has to offer.

The racing hasn’t disappointed. The Sovereign group travelled with a wax team – Mike Bell and Joel Knoff. These two guys have worked early mornings and late evenings to ensure the ski group had fast skis when it was their turn to fly around the course. Our skiers commented on the fact that these were the fastest skis they’d ever been on. There’s nothing quite like tucking down a hill and passing other competitors on the glide.
The goal of competing, as a Master’s athlete, is “personal improvement” – to ski faster today than you would have without all the training, coaching and support. Everyone met that goal – and everyone feels like they’ve earned a personal victory. It’s truly motivating to ski against your own age group from Nordic countries around the world and share in the competitive spirit.

The MWC has 2 races left in their schedule as I write this note. Both 30km classic and 30 km skate will happen in the final 2 days of our stay in Beitostolen and then a smaller group is off to participate in the famous Norwegian Birkiebeiner. The Canadian Team has also received top honours from the Organizing Committee here in Beitostolen for Team Spirit, our new Race Suits, as well as great performances.

To stay up to date with our Masters across the pond in the temple of Cross Country Skiing by visiting their Masters World Cup 2019 Facebook Page. 

-Article submitted by Pat Pearce

Congrats to SLNC athletes Danica Ariano and Ethan Algra who will be representing Team BC in the upcoming 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer from Feb 15-23rd. Biathlon BC sends a team of eight (8) comprised of 4 males and 4 female athletes ages 16-20 years old.  Ethan is the youngest on the team at 16 years old.

We are so happy that you have chosen Sovereign Lake Nordic Club to be your destination of choice for xc skiing this December. We wish you and your family the best this holiday season.

Check out our Holiday Hours and Schedule of Events here.

All ski and snowshoe trails are now open for you to enjoy.