December 07, 2011 (Vernon, BC) – Sovereign Lake is setting up and getting ready for annual Haywood NorAm and Teck Sprint of the season. “The trails are in great shape at the moment, with conditions making for fast classic skiing,” said Scott Lemon, General Manager of Sovereign Lake. “The weather forecast is clear into the weekend so the conditions that the skiers are practicing on will be the same for the weekend.”

The National Development Centre Thunder Bay are familiar with the trails, having spent a week at Sovereign in a training camp. They finished up the week of training with classic sprints on Monday in preparation for the NorAm.

Harry Seaton, of the NDC was asked about the upcoming races. “It’s exciting. It’s the first race of the year for our team. It’s always exciting because there is a good contingent of racers here from all over.”

Sharon Clarke works with the timing of the event. “We had our practice this past weekend. The racing trails have been re-certified to FIS standards and are in great shape for the race.”

“This one is a weekend of classic races and the conditions are good for that,” said Clarke. “The venue is popular for the national team – early season snow because of high altitude and great snow conditions.”

“It takes approximately 100 people to put on this event. We have seasoned volunteers with a few new ones on board, and volunteers that come from Prince George, Vancouver and Ontario,” said Clarke.

Sovereign Lake is 22km from Vernon, BC and has hosted the NorAm Opener for over 15 years.

Schedule of events HERE.