The warm, sunny conditions were great for spectators, but presented a bit of a challenge for Sovereign Lake Nordic Club racers last weekend near Kamloops.
Competing in the Okanagan Teck Race Series at Stake Lake, Sovereign skiers need to find the right wax combination to deal with tricky snow conditions.
“The warm temperatures required our skiis to be waxed with Klister to give us the grip to ski up the hills, and that is a wax we don’t use very often,” said Sovereign’s Emma Smedley, who earned a silver medal in the Midget Girls division.
In Atom Boys racing, Nate Hardy, Dawson Bond and brother Mitchell Bond all captured gold medals in their respective age groups, while Cole O’Conner came in a close second with Kaden O’Conner placing fourth.
Camille Hardy earned a fourth-place finish in the Atoms Girls division, while Torin Andrews took fourth for the Pee Wee Boys. Ian Oliphant secured gold in the Bantam Boys class, and the always-smiling Natasha Loewen and Clara Hardy ranked seventh and 12th for the Bantam Girls.
In the Midget Girls group, Samantha Loewen and Sidney Embleton turned in third-place performances for their age group.
Hannah Mehain cruised to gold in the Juvenile girls, and Eric Embleton captured fourth for the Juvenile boys.
In Master racing, Sovereign’s Paul Hardy, Mae Hooper, and Glenn and Jen Bond all skied to first-place finishes in their age groups. Trevor Embleton and Sarah Purslow had runner-up showings.
The final leg of the Okanagan Teck series goes Sunday, March 10 at Sovereign. The event is tied in with the ever-popular Sovereign Lake loppet.
With it’s rolling terrain, the loppet is designed to appeal to all abilities.
Online registration is open until March 6 at www.sovereignlake.com.
