The Sovereign Lake Nordic Club (SLNC) is set to welcome more than 500 athletes to its trails for the Haywood NorAm/USSA SuperTour races this Saturday and Sunday.
Many teams have already arrived to acclimatize and prepare to race at Sovereign Lake’s high-altitude venue (1,692 meters above sea level).
“Athletes are travelling from across Canada and the U.S. to compete here,” said organizing committee chairperson Pat Pearce. “They are preparing for the races on Saturday and Sunday.”
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The competition, which Sovereign Lake has hosted many times before, requires a lot of volunteers.
“This event has become embedded in the culture of our club which has made it easy to host year after year as members step up to help out,” said Pearce. “Our members look forward to this opportunity to participate.”
For most of these athletes, these are the first races of the season before heading to Canmore, Alta. next. Sovereign Lake’s general manager, Troy Hudson, believes it is important to give back to the greater cross-country ski community.
“As a successful hosting site it is our responsibility to give back to our ski community and to provide exceptional experiences for our youth and aspiring national calibre athletes,” said Hudson.
Many teams throughout the region have been skiing at Sovereign Lake since Nov. 5 when the trails opened for the season, preparing for the races ahead.
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“We are able to support our regional clubs until they receive their own snow due to our high elevation,” said Hudson. “Last month we sold a record number of day tickets and we’re lucky that visitors think of us as their early season training grounds.
Interested spectators are encouraged at this weekend’s races and can find details here: https://www.sovereignlake.com/event/2018-haywood-noram-sprints/
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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