CCBC On Snow Camp a huge success!

| Wendy Shannon

SLNC is proud of the efforts put forth November 8-11th to ensure that 95 of our up and coming BC athletes and 20 of the provinces coaches had the best possible skiing conditions, a warm lodge and ski storage capabilities despite what nature threw at us.

The camp ended with fitter, albeit a little tired, but extremely happy athletes.  Special thanks to our grooming team and new staff members for keeping the facility going prior to our official opening.

It’s with a sense of pride that I am happy to belong to the Sovereign family but in the larger scope, we all belong to the XC Family which is what makes this sport so awesome!

Eric de Nys (SLNC Programs Director / CCBC Fall On-Snow Camp Leader)

SLNC Opens November 13th for the 2019-20 Season!

| Wendy Shannon

 

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.

SLNC Trails Closed until November 15th

| Wendy Shannon

 

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

SLNC Opening Delayed to November 8th

| Wendy Shannon

Due to a high-pressure cell hanging over the Southern Interior, we have not received any additional snowfall this past week to allow for opening. Roughly 15km of trails have been packed but lack sufficient snow depth for our opening trails to the public. Many areas are very shallow with stubble from fall brushing. The gate will remain closed until opening next week. Do a snow dance for us!

Early Bird Registration Closes October 31st at 11:59pm

| Wendy Shannon

If you have been delaying in picking up your season pass you best get on it! Early bird rates close on October 31st which means that our in-season rates go up by $20 per person.  Register on our Zone4 Registration page HERE. See you on the trails soon.

Call for Nominations: SLNC Board of Directors

| Wendy Shannon

 

We are looking for enthusiastic people who want to help Sovereign Lake Nordic Club continue to offer the finest Nordic skiing anywhere (in our humble opinion). Six positions are coming due this year, so if you have what it takes to be a great Board member, be sure to put your name forward!

The main requirement to be a Board member is a commitment to Sovereign Lake, an ability to spend 8-12 hours per month on Board activities including a once-per-month Board meeting, and the willingness to commit to a 2-year term on the Board.

In alignment with the club’s bylaws, nominations close at 11:59 PM on Sunday, October 6th (10 days before the AGM on October 16th).  Nominations will not be accepted after the stated deadline.

To put your name forward, please complete a brief bio (items to include are listed below) and email it to the Chair of the SLNC Election Committee – Kim Taylor.  Bios will be posted on the SLNC website at least 5 days prior to the AGM.

Complete details concerning the nomination process, information about the Board and the election process are found below in this message.  If you have any questions or need further information, please contact any one of us at the emails below.

 

Your 2019 SLNC Election Committee
Kim Taylor (Chair) – [email protected]
Doug Geller – [email protected]
Randy Savoie – [email protected]

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Nomination Deadline:  11:59 PM on Sunday, October 6.
Nominations will not be accepted after this time.

 

AGM and Election Date:  Wednesday, October 16, 2019.

The AGM is scheduled for 7:00 pm at the Schubert Centre.  Coffee, cookies, information tables, and socializing will be available beforehand at 6:00 PM.

 

Who Can Vote and Run:

Current SLNC Annual Members in good standing. A member in good standing is defined as anyone who had a valid Season Pass during the 2018-19 season over the age of 18, or a new member who purchase their 2019-2020 membership at least 30 days prior the 2019 AGM. Must be at least 18 years of age by December 31, 2019.)

 

Duties, Responsibilities, and Time Commitment:
http://www.sovereignlake.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Duties-and-Responsibilities-of-the-Board-of-Directors-1.pdf 

 

Required Nomination Bio Information: 

  1. Why are you interested in running for the Board?
  2. What would make you a valuable member of the Board?
  3. Is there anything else you would like to share with the SLNC membership in considering you for a Board position?
  4. A photo in jpeg format.

 

The number of Board openings in this election:  Six (6).

Terms are expiring for Sandra Ecclestone, Sylvia Herchen, Guy Morazain, Mark Nichiporuk, and Greg Sadesky, plus there was one vacant position carried from last year.  These directors are eligible to run again if they wish.

Board Members continuing for the second year of their 2-year terms:  Lynn Algra, Pat Pearce, Brent Ree, and Brian Wills.

 

Length of Board Terms:  2 years.

Election process:

If more than 6 nominations are received, there will be an election by ballot at the AGM that is conducted by the Elections Committee.  Candidates will present themselves briefly during the AGM. If a candidate cannot be present, his/her bio will be read aloud by one of the Elections Committee members. If 6 or fewer nominations are received, the Board will be appointed by acclamation.  Acclaimed Board members will still be invited to briefly introduce themselves.  If an acclaimed Board member cannot be present, his/her bio will be read aloud by a member of the Elections Committee.  More information can be found regarding the election process in the SLNC By-Laws Section 4.7 http://www.sovereignlake.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/SLNC-Bylaws-Jan-2017.pdf

 

Additional Information on Club Governance: 

Scroll to the bottom of the SLNC website and see the headings under “Club”. You can link to information about the current Board, Board meeting minutes, procedures, terms of reference, strategic plan, and other related topics.

Biathlon Demo Day at Sovereign

| Wendy Shannon

Have you ever wanted to give the sport of Biathlon a try? Well now is your chance! Our coaching team and athletes are opening up the range to anyone in the club with an interest in trying out this fun and dynamic sport.

Spring has Sprung!

| Wendy Shannon

 

Spring has sprung on the trails of Sovereign Lake with day time temperatures climbing above 10 degrees daily. With these changing conditions, we adjust our grooming plan to spend more time preparing trails in the late evening than in the early morning hours.

This groomer scheduling change makes it significantly easier on our grooming equipment, allowing us to groom softer snow instead of hard ice. This results in icy conditions first thing in the morning so we recommend that you delay skiing until 10am to avoid ice. Please use caution in the shaded areas as ice can persist later in the day.

Cooler temperatures are on the way that should allow us to get back to regular grooming schedules soon.

Snowshoe and Backcountry Trails are all open.

Don’t forget the sunscreen. It is glorious out there!!

Capital Gaming Grant Approved For $230,000 Towards SLNC New Snowcat

| Wendy Shannon

SLNC is excited to announce that we have been awarded a $230,000 Capital Projects Gaming Grants to be used towards the purchase of our new PB400 snowcat. This application was submitted last July and was recently attained after the second round of grants were awarded to 2018 grant applications.

These funds are allocated to the purchase of our new snowcat of which the club has already raised over $80,ooo in the last month and a half. This puts the club in a much better position to finance the remainder follow the addition of year-end profits to the purchasing fund.

There is still time to contribute to the purchase of this new machine. Follow THIS LINK to our donations page.

Sovereign Lake Nordic Nordic Club proudly acknowledges the financial support of the Province of  British Columbia via the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch. 

 

Sovereign Masters Athletes Harness the Norwegian Spirit at Masters World Championships 2019

| Wendy Shannon

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