This storm has brought 18cm of snow and we are open again but essentially starting from scratch. Please use caution as there are icy sections. There are lots of trees to contend with on still closed trails so please stick to groomed ones.
Thanks,
Troy Hudson
SLNC General Manager
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
To get the best deal of the year, make sure you purchase your season passes prior to October 31st. Please remember to re-use your season pass RFID cards from last season to reduce waste and also make your online purchase process that much easier.
Visit our Pass Sales page to get the best value ski experience in the valley!
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.
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
To get the best deal of the year, make sure you purchase your season passes prior to October 31st. Please remember to re-use your season pass RFID cards from last season to reduce waste and also make your online purchase process that much easier.
Visit our Pass Sales page to get the best value ski experience in the valley!
PRESS RELEASE: August 26, 2021
We are excited to introduce Jacqueline Akerman as the new Head Coach for Sovereign Lake Nordic Club.
Having lived in the Ottawa Region for most of her working career to date, she made the move out west just weeks ago to take up residence in Canmore at the National Training Centre and Head Office of Biathlon Canada. After some headhunting by former coach Eric de Nys, Jacqueline agreed to a conversation with our General Manager and the rest is history!
“From our first conversation and throughout the interview process, I just felt as though Jacqueline was immediately the right person for the job. Her incredible passion and excitement for skiing, knowledge of our sport, and connection to not only the XC ski community but also the Biathlon community made complete sense to bring her on board as the new leader of our Programs Team”, said Troy Hudson. “Jacqueline will be starting her new position here in October so we have some time to bring her up to speed through our Programs Advisory Team to be ready for winter and our first competition here, on Dec 4-5th at the Canada Cup”
Jacqueline (Jacq) stated, “I am incredibly pleased to join the Sovereign Lake Nordic Club Family! I see an amazing community full of support, skill, and passion. SLNC has an exceptional amount of enthusiasm, talent, vision, and momentum. I am proud to be chosen to be part of the team, and I look forward to continuing to build from the foundation of so many before me. I can’t wait to meet you all and put on that plaid for the very first time!”
Board Representative and Programs Director Cyndy Flores also had some kind words following our interview process. “The SLNC BOD is excited to welcome Jacqueline and her partner Annik to the Sovereign family. The BOD was very impressed with her qualifications and coaching philosophy and unanimously approved the offer to Jacqueline. Choosing a Head Coach for our Club is one of the biggest decisions we can make as a BOD and we truly feel Jacqueline is the right coach that will help guide the sports development here at our club and fulfill our strategic objectives of growing competitive and non-competitive programs for our members and families.”
We are looking forward to an amazing winter at Sovereign Lake! With Jacqueline at the helm, we now have a complete Programs Advisory Team. She is joined by Mike Bell (Master’s Lead Coach), Andrew Casey (Skill Development Lead Coach), and Lynn Algra (Biathlon Coach).
Bring on the snow!
For immediate release: 11 June 2021
Sovereign Lake Nordic Club, in Vernon BC, is the first ski area in Canada to signify its commitment to ending working poverty, by paying all its staff and contracted workers a Living Wage
The living wage is the hourly amount a family needs to cover basic expenses. The calculation is based on a two-parent family with two children – the most common family unit in BC – with each parent working full-time. The Living Wage for Kamloops is $15.92 an hour.
“Sovereign Lake Nordic Club is honoured to be recognized as a Living Wage Employer. In placing our employees’ health and financial stability front and centre, we help to build long-term sustainable employment opportunities for our community, while reducing training costs in this traditional high staff turnover industry. With an 80% annual return rate of our employees, it helps maintain a friendly and familiar atmosphere for our members and guests. We want to ensure that as an employer we can foster inclusivity and diversity in the workplace. By meeting and exceeding these minimum benchmarks for a living wage, we are creating a strong team more akin to a family than just a job” Troy Hudson, Sovereign Lake Nordic Club.
“We’re delighted that Sovereign Lake Nordic Club has come on board as a Living Wage Employer. Paying a Living Wage is good for the employer, the employee and the local community. We invite other ski areas and local employers to join the Living Wage movement,” said Anastasia French, Living Wage for Families Campaign Organizer.
Certifying as a Living Wage Employer is a voluntary commitment employers make to invest in their communities and local economies. There are nearly 250 Living Wage Employers in BC, with over 25,000 employees who don’t need to worry about how they will afford rent, food, and other essentials for their family because they are guaranteed to earn a Living Wage.
Contact
Notes
We are excited to open up our 2021-22 registration season with an extra early bird discount for June only. Pricing reverts to Early Bird rates from July 1st through October 31st. If you are a 2020-21 Season Pass Holder then you already have your RFID card and all you will need to do is enter your email used last season for your login and it will automatically populate your new pass or program purchase with your existing family members or personal details.
For more information please go to the Season Pass overview and pricing page HERE.
The Board has approved a long-term plan to strengthen programs at the Sovereign Lake Nordic Club (SLNC). The Board’s work is guided by the SLNC 2018 Strategic Plan. This plan outlines five goals and within these goals, 11 objectives, with three of the five goals directly related to Club programming needs.
In January 2021, our Programs Director, the GM, and the Board identified the need to focus on these three goals of the Strategic Plan that address our long-term needs for Bunny Rabbits through to Masters programs. The group has prepared a Programs Plan that addresses how SLNC will meet the targets set forth in the Strategic Plan. This new plan will help guide the Board’s decision-making over the next three years (2021/2022 through 2023/2024).
The Plan provides much-needed staffing horsepower to grow programs, enhance the culture and community of Nordic skiing at Sovereign Lake, and create a new and engaged Programs Committee that focusing on skills development, competitions, events, and volunteers.
SLNC will accomplish this by hiring 4 key programs-dedicated positions. Our Head Coach will be supported by:
These new positions will be supported through a small increase in programming fees, revenue from competitions, fundraising, and directing $10 from each Season Pass sold to support Programs. This means that
every single club member is a direct supporter of the long-term growth and sustainability of our programs.
The Board is also providing a one-time contingency from our cash reserves if needed to offset shortfalls during this expansion of Programs in the 2021/2022 season.
Budgeted programs expenditures for 2021/2022 will be double what they were in 2019/2020 in support of Programs. The Head Coach position is also now being funded through the new Programs Budget Framework, a
change from past seasons.
We are excited for this new chapter of growth at Sovereign where attention has been focussed primarily on Club operations for the last number of years. We want to thank all those who helped out with the creation and implementation of this new plan. The job descriptions for these 4 new positions will be posted on the club website shortly. The plan is to fill these positions by May 15th and hold the first new Programs Committee meeting in June, to plan for the upcoming season.
Season Passes and Programs Registration open on June 1 st. All registrations will happen through the website and a notification will go out the week prior to launching sales.
Have a wonderful spring.
Your SLNC Board of Directors.
Well… better late than never!
AIM Contracting has finally made it up to Sovereign Road and we have a fresh grade just in time for closing weekend. It is still not great but we will take what we can get.
