November 30, 1999 For Immediate Release

The UNBC Nordic Ski Team has kicked off its inaugural season with two outstanding finishes at the first two races of the season. At the National Biathlon Team try-outs from November 23-25 in Hinton, Alberta, UNBC student Barb Sharp earned a spot on the national biathlon team and is currently ranked the top female biathlete in the country. As a result, Barb is currently training in Europe and will be completing her coursework prior to the end of the semester. She'll be taking next semester off to commit to her national team responsibilities.

The first races in the Canadian National Biathlon University Cup Series were held at Silver Star Resort in Vernon this past weekend. UNBC Economics student Sean Rowell finished first in both the 18km individual and 10km sprint races, placing ahead of Jamie Wilson (University of Alberta) and Roger MacMillan (University of British Columbia).

As a result, UNBC is leading the National Biathlon University Cup Series. The next race is December 14th and 15th in Canmore, Alberta. UNBC will be represented at the Canmore race by Sean Rowell and first-year student Dave Moleschi.

This is the first year that UNBC has a Nordic Ski Team. The biathletes are competing in a national series with eight other universities and a total of four races will be held in the series this year. The University's cross-country skiers are competing for the first time in the BC university series and the first races will be in early January. Prince George will be hosting one of the races in the BC series from January 28-30 at the Otway Nordic Centre.

The UNBC Nordic Ski Team is supported by Olympia Cycle and Ski in Prince George.

The Nordic Ski Team season schedule follows on the next page.