Sovereign Picks Up Another World Cup Event

Devon Brooks

Dec 16 |04:15

In 2005 the Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre moved onto the world stage when it hosted the World Cup in cross country skiing.

Brad Clements, project manager for the 2011 Masters World Cup happening at Sovereign in March, says, “The World Cup really put Sovereign on the map.”

It also punched up the local economy, delivering $3.1 million in direct spending to the community over three days. The total economic spinoff effect was estimated to be $6.5 million.

Says Clements, “I saw the economic impact of the World Cup.”

Sports are supposed to be about the love of the game, healthy activity and wholehearted competition but there is no denying it is also business and it can be big business.

A Masters World Cup is a cross-country skiing competition for those who are 30 or over, so it is not about the hottest young competitors hoping to go to the Olympics. Nonetheless, Clements says about 30% of the competitors are serious competitors while the rest are recreational skiers to one degree or another.

Recreation in this case, includes the onsite racing, but it also means looking around the area when not racing and for the family that tends to come along to watch. As Clements remarks, “This is as much about tourism as it is about the race itself.”

That’s not to discount the race itself as an economic generator. The Masters World Cup will run over nine days and bring in, it is expected, roughly the same size crowd of people the 2005 Cup did.

While the more youthful World’s Cup contenders came with fewer competitors (around 300), there were large training and support staffs. Masters World Cup participants are projected to number closer to 1,200 (registrations are still open), but they come with fewer coaches and more family, friends and time. So many that Clements believes there will be more than 3,000 people here.

How much money they will leave behind is uncertain, but Clements is hopeful. “We don’t know. We estimate it will be at least what the World Cup was.”

Another difference is the length of stay. The Masters will run nine days, but Clements says expectations are that people will stay on another week vacationing; although not necessarily in the immediate Vernon area.

As part of that endeavour the race organizers are working with tour operators to offer visitors things to see and do both before and after the races.

On financing Clements admits they don’t quite have everything they need. The overall budget of $525,000 is still $21,000 shy. Clements says they are still actively looking for sponsors to help make up that budget shortfall for the nonprofit society.

There is also some money coming from the racers when they register, but some of that money has to back to the MWC parent organization.

Outlays so far include $140,000 for venue and $70,000 for protocol and ceremonies. Race expenses will cost about $60,000, and then there is transportation. Many racers will stay at Silver Star and getting them back and forth between the ski village and Sovereign will take time and money. Clements says, “One of the bigger expenses is transportation.”

Where money is not being spent is on the 18 volunteers who have guided the project along to this point.

So far sponsors have kicked in $300,000 and they have received another $150,000 in in-kind donations. Clements says the economic downturn had one silver lining – a lot of heavy construction equipment was left idle. The one major criticism the MWC officials had for Sovereign was a lack of a suitably easy route back to the race start. That trail needed to have a green rating (the easiest) and the current route was judged more difficult than that.

The heavy equipment broke ground on the new Carl Wylie trail last year and was completed this year to address that requirement.

Fortunately the 2005 World’s Cup already put in place most of the other infrastructure needed for the races. Aside from the new trail, the only legacies from these races will be new communications and first aid equipment, along with computers and racing software.

And lots of good memories.

Along with money the race needs many volunteers. The organizers say 3,000 hours of volunteer effort needs to happen during the races and they are hoping 350 people will come forward to make that happen.

_{Three boosters from Sovereign Lake at the 2010 Masters World Cup at Falun, Sweden}

Masters Cup 2011 Timeline:

Jan 4 2007 - Learn of opportunity to bid for MWC 2011 from Dirk Tempelman-Kluit (former director of the BC Masters Cross Country Ski Association)

Jan 31 2007 - Submit initial bid to Yves Babin, Nation Director for Canada, WMA (World Masters Association), who then forwards on to the WMA

March 2007 - forward letters of support from Cross Country Canada, Cross Country BC, Silver Star Mountain Resort, City of Vernon and Greater Vernon Services, and BC Parks

September 2007 - Brad Clements (former chair of the Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre board) makes presentation to WMA via conference call to McCall Idaho.

March 2008 - Scott Lemon and Darren Derochie made a presentation to the WMA in McCall, Idaho at Masters World Cup 2008

March 8-11 2008 - WMA president tours Sovereign Lake/Silver Star (they also inspected Canmore, Alberta)

March 2008 - Awarded the Canadian bid for MWC 2011 and Bruce Cummings takes on role as Chair of Organizing Committee along with steering group: Scott Lemon, Bjorn Meyer, Glenn Bond, Sharon Clarke, Don Wylie.

September 2008 - Scott Lemon presented a brief to the WMA in Autrans, France (site of the 2009 MWC and SLNC was awarded the bid for MWC 2011

Fall 2008 - Organizing committee is put together to begin planning for the event

March 2009 - MWC 2009 held in Autrans. Presentation by e-mail to WMA meeting.

September 2009 - WMA (national directors and president) travels to Sovereign Lake/Silver Star for annual AGM and site inspection

February 2010 - delegation sent to Falun, Sweden for MWC 2010

September 2010 - report to WMA done (powerpoint and conference call) to Oberwiesenthal, Germany by Brad Clements and Bruce Cummings

September 2010 - Registrations open

March 3-11, 2011 - MWC 2011 will take place at SLNC