SLNC Success at Canadian Champs in Thunder Bay

| Wendy Shannon

Sovereign Lake Nordic Club and Vernon can be very proud of the 8 athletes who recently traveled to Thunder Bay, Ontario to compete in the Cross Country Ski Nationals that took place March 10-17. These athletes train year round with this being the culminating event of the season. Despite being one of the smaller groups of athletes, this mighty and determined group of skiers displayed some excellent skiing and results over the week. The high school aged athletes train as part of the Snow Sports Academy, coached by Eric De Nys here in Vernon, while Hannah Mehain trains with the Okanagan Racers, a regional post-secondary team.

 Torin Andrews on a warm day at Nationals in ThunderBay, Ontario. 

To kick off the week Clara Hardy and Hannah Stocker, a German exchange student who skis with the Academy, competed in the Team Sprint event making it to the semi-finals but not advancing. The next race, a classic technique interval start was part one of a two part, Pursuit style race which would take place over two separate days. Hannah Mehain took the gold in her category the first day, while others having strong finishes were Paige Latta, 11th, Lucas Sadesky 17th, Torin Andrews 25th, and Hannah Stocker 30th. Start positions for the second race were determined by the results from race one, with each racer starting behind the leader according to the amount of time behind they finished the previous race, yet now on a different course and distance, using a different technique. The ensuing excitement and scramble for position at the start of day two races in the close categories, where racers had literally finished tenths of seconds apart on day one, was nail biting to watch. In the second leg of the race Paige Latta finished an excellent 7th, Clara Hardy 17, and Lucas Sadesky a strong 12th, with teammate Torin Andrews 21st in their category. Other strong finishes were seen from Mehain, in 17th and Ian Oliphant 22nd. In the two day event Latta held onto 7th, Mehain finished 12th, and Sadesky 13th.

Highlights from the very exciting Skate Sprint event, the second last event of the week, were Ian Oliphant taking 1st in the B final (7th overall), and Mehain with a bronze medal. The final event of the week was a longer distance classic technique race; Sovereign’s top skiers for that race were Mehain with another bronze, Latta 10th, and Sadesky 13th. Andrews showed great determination while having to ski a portion of that race with a broken pole.

The excellent overall performance of these skiers was evidenced in how they stacked up in the coveted aggregates awarded by birth year at the conclusion of the week. After recently being awarded with the first place aggregate in BC, Lucas Sadesky was 2nd overall at the National level for 2003 boys, Torin Andrews followed closely in 4th, as well as 3rd in BC. Hannah Mehain added another 3rd place award in this category, as well as 1st in the College and University aggregate category, while Latta finished 6th nationally after receiving 1st in BC, Oliphant 13, while 1st in BC, Hardy 15, while 3rd in BC, and Madison Land 28. One more athlete, Danica Ariano, a local biathlete who also trains with the Ski Academy is attending her national event in Charlo, New Brunswick March 20-25-good luck to her!

New Mobile Trail App is here!

| Wendy Shannon

We are excited to be working with the Avenza Maps App to produce a new high resolution mobile trail map designed for iOS, Android and Windows mobile phones. Find your location, track your mileage and never get lost again!

Login to your appropriate App Store on your phone and download the Avenza Maps App. or click on the link below.

Once you have downloaded the app to your device you will need to upload the Sovereign Lake base map file to the app.  The link to the map file is located below. At this time we only have the Ski Trails map completed but are working on the Snowshoe and XC105 Trail Maps as well with hopes of having them live prior the end of the season. Please check back for updates on the Trail Report page.

Ski Trails (XC and Backcountry) Base Map

 

SLNC Wins BIG at BC Championships!

| Wendy Shannon

Congratulations to the full SLNC race team of over 60 participants that took part in this past weekend’s BC Championships at Telemark Ski Club in West Kelowna. With a  record 628 athletes registered for the three days of racing, Sovereign was able to secure some key podium positions in addition to numerous overall aggregate championship awards.

A HUGE CONGRATS to each and every participant this weekend!!!! A special shout-out to all of the helpers, coaches, and parents for keeping the team prepared. Below are all the Top 5 placements from this past weekend with links to the full results.

Day#1 Mass Start: (Full Results)  https://zone4.ca/race/2018-02-16/f9bf5738/2018-teck-bc-championships-ft/results/

  • 4th Place Atom Boys Chase Pighin
  • 3rd Place Atom Girls Linnaea Heidt
  • 2nd Place Junior Boys Ian Oliphant
  • 1st Place Junior Women Hannah Mehain
  • 3rd Place Masters Men 30-39 Kevin O’Connor
  • 2nd Place Masters 50-59 Paul Hardy
  • 1st Place Masters Women 60-69 Maureen Clement
  • 1st Place Masters Men 60-69 Gerry Brenemen

Day#2 Individual Start Classic (Full Results) https://zone4.ca/race/2018-02-17/965d74ca/2018-teck-bc-championships-cl/results/

  • 1st Place Atom Girls Emily Lane
  • 3rd Place Atom Girls Shayla Flanagan
  • 4th Place Atom Girls Linnaea Heidt
  • 1st Place PeeWee Boys Simon Heidt
  • 5th Place PeeWee Girls Eula Palmer Bird
  • 4th Place Juvenile Boys Lucas Sadesky
  • 5th Place Junior Boys Ian Oliphant
  • 1st Place Junior Women Hannah Mehain
  • 4th Place Open Women Marta Green
  • 5th Place Open Men Andrew Casey
  • 2nd Place Masters Men 30-39 Kevin O’Connor
  • 1st Place Masters Women 50-59 Josee LeClerc
  • 4th Place Masters Men 50-59 Paul Hardy
  • 5th Place Masters Men 50-59 Bob Boorman
  • 1st Place Masters Men 60-69 Gerry Brenemen

Day#3 Team Relays (Full Results) https://zone4.ca/race/2018-02-18/03ca747e/2018-teck-bc-championships/results/

  • 5th Place PeeWee Girls Sovereign Sweeties (Emily Lane/Linnaea Heidt/Shayla Flanagan)
  • 4th Place Midget Boys Megabots (Pedar Ree/Parker Munroe/Evan Sadesky)
  • 5th Place Junior Women Rainbow Unicorns (Paige Latta/Madison Land/Clara Hardy)

Aggregate Awards are presented to the best overall athletes throughout the season at CCBC sanctioned events per category. Consistency in these results are key to success is aggregate awards. Great job team! Special shout out to Paul Hardy, JD Coach and Dad for slaying it in the Master’s category. 

2018 CCBC Aggregate Award Recipients: http://www.crosscountrybc.ca/teck-bc-cup-series-2018-aggregate-awards

  • 1st Place Junior Girl  Paige Latta
  • 1st Place Juvenile Boys Lucas Sadesky
  • 3rd Place Juvenile Boys Torin Andrews
  • 1st Place Junior Boys Ian Oliphant
  • 3rd Place Masters 50-59 Paul Hardy

2018 Club Championships Award http://www.crosscountrybc.ca/bc-championship-club-trophy

The Club Championship Awards are presented by calculating club participation at CCBC Sanctioned events throughout the winter including Regional (Okanagan Cup) and Provincial Cup (BC Cup) Series events. For the first time in 7 years, Sovereign Lake has moved into the TOP 3, taking a whopping 2nd Place!! Do you think we can beat Larch Hills next year??? We will need to recruit a few more kids into Programs. Great work by our Programs Director Eric de Nys and all of our coaches for getting your kids involved in racing this winter.

  1. Larch Hills Nordic Society (114 points)
  2. Sovereign Lake Nordic Club (63 points)
  3. Telemark Nordic Club (55 points)
  4. Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club (45 points)
  5. Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club (42 points)

Call out for Loppet Volunteers

| Wendy Shannon

The Sovereign Lake Nordic Club is hosting the 37th annual loppet on March 11, 2018.

We’re reaching out to our members to volunteer and if you are not in a position to do so, perhaps you could encourage family members or friends to take your place.  It takes a lot of volunteer hours to make this event a success and we are appreciative of your continued support.

What do you get out of volunteering for this event?

  • Free day pass / free lunch / some swag
  • Satisfaction to contribute to a successful race
  • Spent a fun day in our snowy  play park
  • Cheer on your skier

We would appreciate if you can join our team of volunteers by clicking on the web link here to go to the signup sheet. It’s very easy! All we need is your name, email, and phone number. Just follow the instructions on the page. It only takes a few seconds to be part of this event.

OR send an email to [email protected] and indicate which position is of interest to you.

PS If the link to the sign-up sheet doesn’t work, you can copy this link into your web browser:  https://www.volunteersignup.org/8YLJY

 

Thank you so much for volunteering!

Jennifer Hyde – Chief of Race

Johanna Tul – Volunteer committee 

World Junior Championships Report: Athlete Hannah Mehain

| Wendy Shannon

The team WJC Canadian Team flew to Geneva, Switzerland and then drove to Praz de Lys, France for a training and acclimatization camp before the races in Switzerland.  The sky was overcast and it dumped with snow for the first week that they were there but then the sun came out on the last two days, revealing the beautiful French Alps!  “I absolutely loved the hotel where we were staying and the French host who served us the most amazing food.  The mountains were beautiful and you could ski over a pass into another ski area.  Everyone there was very kind to us Canadians.  It was hard to leave.”

 The French Alps 

 Hannah out for a training session in Praz de Lys, France.

The first race of the World Junior Championships in Goms, Switzerland was the Women’s Junior Skate Sprints.  It turned out to be Hannah’s most successful race.  She qualified 27th out of 79 competitors from around the world.  Only the top 30 move on to the heats.  “I was happy to have made it to the heats for the first time at an international competition.  The uphills and downhills on the sprint course were very challenging and technical.  The day before I skied the downhill over and over until I was confident with my line.” During the quarter-final, Hannah was on the outside and got slightly behind halfway up the first climb and couldn’t close the gap.  She ended up 29th, the top Canadian Junior Women for that day!  “It was very motivating to be racing in the heats with the best juniors in the world and I realized just how fast I need to be in order to be competitive with the top.”

Goms, Switzerland was Hannah’s 2nd race of the competition.  “I had a great first half.  I could hear the traditional Swiss cowbells cheering me on as I raced!  Although I lost my focus in the second half, I was still satisfied with my race”.  Hannah ended up 45th out of 83 competitors, the second Canadian women behind Natalie Hynes from Whitehorse who was 36th.

The third race of the competition was the 10 km Skiathlon, where you had to ski the first 5 km Classic and then switch skis and poles in a transition area and skate the last 5 km.  This was Hannah’s first mass start race at World Juniors.  The competition was fierce with 65 competitors starting all at once.  “I focused on staying calm and clean in the start.  I wanted to pace the beginning so I could push in the last lap.” The course was very challenging, looping back into the stadium four times and doing the two very long sprint course hills each loop. “For me it was a success!  I didn’t fall or break a pole and I even had to dodge a fall in front of me.  My skis were fast and my pacing was good.”  Hannah ended up 37th, the second Canadian Junior behind Natalie Hynes who was 24th.
The last race was the Relays where each team member skied 3.3 km.   Hannah was the first to go for the classic leg on the Canadian Junior Women’s team of four, followed by Natalie Hynes of Whitehorse (classic), Annika Richardson of Thunder Bay (skate), and Alexandra Racine of Mont Orford, Que. (skate).  “I raced my heart out in the relay today.  I had an excellent start and was able to get into 4th position by the end of the first long climb.  I maintained 6th position until about 3/4 into the race where I could feel the lactate building up.  I struggled to keep going as fast as I could up the long second last climb.  We were in tenth spot when I tagged Natalie.”  The rest of the team gave a solid effort and we finished 14th.
“While flying home, I could feel every muscle in my body ache.  I knew that I had given it my all, not only in the relay but in all of the races at World Juniors.  For me, that is a very satisfying feeling.”
Hannah has many people to thank.  First of all, thanks to Cross Country BC, Cross Country Canada Women’s Committee and Jess4Kids.  She would also like to thank her sponsors Fischer, Swix, Julbo, Nordic Ski Grinds and Stussi Sports.  Lastly, thanks to all those who have helped her get to where she is including her parents, her first Sovereign coach Darren Derochie and her present coach Adam Elliot.

SOVEREIGN LAKE RACERS STRONG AT WESTERN CANADIANS

| Wendy Shannon

January 19 – 21 saw 11 Sovereign Lake athletes and a couple of masters take to the Riverbend Golf Course for a weekend of intense cross-country ski competition at the Haywood Western Canadians in Red Deer, Alberta.

Red Deer is preparing to host the Canada Winter Games in 2019 so this was a means to get some preparation in for their organizing committee and race crew.  The weather was pretty decent for cross-country skiing but a lack of snow challenged the facility.  They managed to rob snow from the golf course and pack and groom it into the short courses that created an exciting spectator venue for sprint and distance races.

Day 1 saw Classic Sprints dominate the day. 

 Paige Latta leading the start of a sprint heat with her famous power starts.

All 11 racers Qualified to race in the heats which is a great accomplishment at this level of competition.

Junior Girls started us off with a fast and technical 800M course.  Clara Hardy, Hannah Stocker, and Madison Land qualified to the quarter heats but didn’t get past that round.

Paige Latta won her first quarter heat and came second in her semi sending her to the A final.  She took the early lead in the final heat but was boxed out in a tight corner and finished 5th overall.

Ian Oliphant, Junior Boys 800M race was fast and exciting.  He placed within the top two in all of his heats advancing him to the A Final where his textbook technique took him to a Gold medal.

Ian Oliphant pushing hard on the left in his Team BC suit. 

Charlie Hiam, visiting from Australia, joined the SLNC crew and was thrilled to qualify in his first Western Canadians event.

Torin Andrews and Lucas Sadesky also skied the 800M course in the Juvenile boys category both qualified but didn’t advance past their quarter heats.

Midget Boys had a fast 300M course and Pedar Ree dominated every heat taking Gold.  Parker Munroe just missed making it into the semis but was pleased with his efforts.

Sierra Munroe placed 7th in the Min Midget Girls category for that day.

 

Day 2 brought on Classic Distance competition.

The Junior Girls and Boys took 3 laps of a 3.3km course creating a 10km distance.  Paige Latta just missed the podium and took 4th.  Clara Hardy, Hannah Stocker and Madison Land had strong performances keeping them in the middle of the pack.

Ian  Oliphant was leading the race but took a bit of a stumble in his third lap and wound up 7th.  Charlie Hiam was near the end of the pack but was happy to not be the last racer into the stadium.

Juvenile Boys had a 5km race with two laps of a 2.5km course.

Torin Andrews took Gold and Lucas Sadesky Silver for their efforts.

Midget Boys also skied the same 5km distance and Pedar Ree and Parker Munroe had respectable placings in this large group.

Sierra Munroe completed 3km and place 9th in the Mini Midget Girls.

 Parker Munroe skating into the stadium.

Day 3 Split the Competitors into teams of 3 for a Skate Relay race.  Athletes were grouped by province for a showdown of sorts.

Junior Boys started the day with a 3×3.3km course and Ian Oliphant was on the BC Machine team.  They took the Gold.

Charlie Hiam raced with a mixed group including a Juvenile skier and took 9th.

Junior Girls had our 4 spread out.  Paige Latta was placed on the BC Twisted Sisters team and anchored them to a Gold podium finish.

Clara, Hannah, and Madison all did super work in supporting their teams.

Juvenile Boys  Lucas Sadesky and Torin Andrews teamed up with a third BC Athlete on Team Avalanche and took 4th.

Midget Boys skied 3 x 3km and Pedar Ree’s Team Heavy Duty won Bronze.  Parker Munroe raced up in the Juvenile category and had a great experience racing with the older skiers on a longer course.

Sierra Munroe’s team of the BC Ice Pirates finished the day on a 3 x 3km ski placing 1st.

Master skiers Paul Hardy and Chris Andrews skied a 10km course and both placed 6th in their age groups.  Chris said it was a fun and fast ski.

The next events for SLNC racing will be the Okanagan Cup in Kamloops Sunday, January 28th.  Ian Oliphant and Paige Latta will be heading to Ottawa January 31st – February 4th for Eastern Canadians and some of the JD athletes will travel to Prince George for BC Cup#2.

SUPER BIG THANK YOU !

| Wendy Shannon

To all of our SLNC Biathlon Regional Fun Race volunteers we would like to extend a
SUPER BIG THANK YOU !

The SLNC Biathlon Regional Fun Race and BC Winter Games Biathlon Qualifier
Competition this past weekend was a HUGE success! We received much positive
feedback from the biathletes and their teams, complimenting us on the excellent
job that we did. The biathletes all had a lot of fun and got some great early season
competition “under their belts”. For many of the biathletes, it was their first ever
competition and we gave them a very positive experience. We couldn’t have asked
for better conditions or for better volunteers to showcase our club and the quality
of event that we can provide.
All of your hard work and efforts, big and small, made this event the great success
that it was! Thanks so much to each and every one of you,

Laurie

 

Burgers and Beer?? Yes Please!

| Wendy Shannon

The SLNC Racing Team is raising funds to  help offset their expenses to Thunder Bay for the Canadian National Championships this March. Raise a Pint and down a burger to help these great kids achieve their goals!

SLNC nominated “Best XC Ski Resort in North America” by USA Today

| Wendy Shannon

Sovereign Lake Nordic Club has been nominated in the latest “10Best” Readers’ Choice travel award contest! Their expert panel selected Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre as a contender for Best Cross-Country Ski Resort in North America, which has just launched. Their contest, which is being promoted by USA TODAY, gives voters four weeks to vote for the candidate of their choice at http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-cross-country-ski-resort/. A person can vote once a day for the run of the contest.Image result for 10best.com

Voting ends Monday, November 20th, 2017 at 11:59am EST and the winners will be announced on 10Best on Friday, November 24th, 2017 at 12:00pm EST, then later on USA TODAY.

Prior competitions have been hotly contested, and we look forward to seeing how we can rock the vote in our own community!

Please tell all of your friends, family and other members to Vote Sovereign today…tomorrow…and the next day, right through November 20th.

October 18th: SLNC AGM

| Wendy Shannon

Join us at the 2017 Sovereign Lake Nordic Club AGM

Location: Schubert Centre

  • 6:00-7:00pm  Mingle and Membership Registration and Pass Pick Up
  • 7:00-7:30pm Stussi Sport Winter Fashion Show
  • 7:30-8:30pm SLNC Formal AGM Meeting

——————————————————————————————————-

Dear SLNC Members:

We (the 2017 Elections Committee) are pleased to announce that eight SNLC members put their names forward for the Board this year!  The strong response is testament to the vitality, enthusiasm and volunteerism of the members of our club.  Huge thanks to everyone who stepped up!

Since we had eight Director positions available, no election is required this year.  The eight nominees will become members of the Board by acclamation, effective as of the AGM on October 18th, 2017:

Sharon Clarke (returning)

Sandra Ecclestone (returning)

Sylvia Herchen (new)

Mark Nichiporuk (new)

Guy Morazain (new)

Pat Pearce (returning)

Greg Sadesky (new)

Bruce Sandilands (new, past SLNC Board member)

You can meet many of them at the AGM on October 18th

The eight nominees will join Brent Ree and Brian Wills, who are starting the second year of their two-year terms.  We will have a full Board of 10 Directors, including a mix of new and experienced Board members.

Congratulations and thank you to all Board members,

 

The SLNC 2017 Elections Committee

Hugh Hamilton, Randy Savoie, Kim Taylor