Nordic athletes will now be part of the UNBC Timberwolves family.
Today (Friday), the university and Caledonia Nordic Ski Club partnered to launch a cross-country ski and biathlon varsity club, starting in 2024-25.
“The Timberwolves varsity club cross-country ski and biathlon racing team will attract elite Nordic athletes from across the country,” said UNBC President Dr. Geoff Payne.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for aspiring student-athletes to come to UNBC’s Prince George campus, train at the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club’s world-class facility and join the Timberwolves family.”
Under this partnership, the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club will provide student-athletes with a training plan, expert coaching, waxing services (both on and off-site), as the athletes train at the club’s world-class facilities.
The student athletes will be responsible for providing CNSC with out-of-pocket fees for trail passes and racing team membership.
“This is such an exciting time for us at the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club as we’ve had the vision of re-establishing the UNBC Nordic Team for over a decade,” adds Kevin Pettersen, who was President of the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club from 2011 – 2016,
“Nordic athletes studying at UNBC will have an amazing competitive advantage as they have a world-class Nordic facility almost literally in their backyard where they have such easy access to ski and train while they are studying. Furthermore, as we attract national and international competitions at Caledonia, the UNBC Nordic Ski team will be able to compete with the best athletes both nationally and internationally on home snow.”
The UNBC Athletics office will ensure all students competing for the cross-country ski and biathlon varsity club maintain eligibility requirements as per International University Sports Federation, Cross-Country BC, Biathlon BC, Nordiq Canada, Biathlon Canada and the various race organizing committees.
UNBC student Ben Gadd has competed at the national level in Nordic skiing and is looking to further his competitive career with the Timberwolves.
“I think that this is an undervalued sport at the university level, and that there is a ton of opportunity here at UNBC, especially working with the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club. I am really looking forward to the coming season!” – added Gadd.
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