December 10, 2010 (Sovereign Lake, BC) – Sovereign Lake is host to the Haywood NorAm and Teck Sprint Series races this coming weekend, Saturday, December 11th and Sunday December 12th.

Dec 11th, Classic sprints. With the addition of the bridge, this is the first time in years that Sovereign Lake is offering a classic sprint course. Qualification rounds will be starting at 9am. Top 30 athletes will advance to the sprint heats. Dec 12th – distance skate race. 15km men’s race and 10km women’s race, start time is 9am. Come out and enjoy the excitement as we watch past and future Olympians test themselves at the first NorAm of the season.

Trails will be open for general skiing during the Haywood NorAm Tech Sprint Races.

“It’s customary that we get a large snowfall right before the race,” said Scott Lemon, manager of Sovereign Lake. “We are fortunate to have a groomer working for us who worked at the Olympics, so is highly skilled and ready to prepare the trails for race conditions.”

The Haywood Teck and NorAm Sprint Series competitions will draw a high level of competitors, including Olympic medal winner, Brian McKeever. Athletes like to come to Sovereign Lake to compete because the terrain includes steep inclines and provides a good introduction to the race season.

The general aims of the NorAm Canada Cup Race Series are to assist in athlete development at the elite level and to promote cross-country ski racing to the public at large. The Series enables the best skiers (seniors and juniors) from Canada and guests from the United States to compete head-to-head and encourages high level domestic competition among regional skiers who aspire to National Development and National Team status. This produces international and national level competition opportunities that facilitate team and trip selection and prepares athletes for international competition in Europe.