PA Nordic Championships Embark on Third Year in Erie

The Erie Sports Commission is pleased to announce the PA Cross-Country Skiers Association (PACCSA) will host the 2016 PA Nordic Championships at Wilderness Lodge in Wattsburg on Sunday, February 7 beginning at 9 a.m. This is the third consecutive year that the event will be held at Wilderness Lodge.

The event has been held annually since March 1993, when the first race was held at Laurel Ridge State Park in Rockwood, Pa. The race was held there until 2011, when the event was moved to Wilderness Lodge to take advantage of Erie’s lake effect snow.

The 2015 event saw record-breaking participation numbers, with nearly 150 racers competing from Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

The highlighted event is the 20km Skate “PA Nordic Champion” Race which will begin at 11 a.m.  Other races include a 5km Classic and 10km Skate for adults, a 5km Classic and 5km Skate for youth racers, and a 1.2km and 2.4 km race for kids of all abilities.  Online registration is available at SkiReg.com until February 6. 

 “The PA Nordic Championships are the highlight event of the PA Cross-Country Skiers Association Calendar, and we’re excited to have the help of the Erie Sports Commission this year as we seek to grow the event,” said PACCSA President Jim South. “Wilderness Lodge offers competitors a course that is both technical and tranquil, and our hope is that each year more people will get involved and enjoy the event alongside us.”

“The PA Nordic Championships is a perfect event for Erie, and we’re happy to support it,” said Ron Sertz, Executive Director of the Erie Sports Commission. “The Erie Sports Commission strives to support many different types of events all year long, and this event is no different. The participants not only embrace Erie’s winter, but they enjoy it, and we want to see more participants do the same.”

PACCSA is a non-profit 501(c)(3)organization that works to develop the sport of Nordic skiing in PA and its tri-state region. For more information, visit www.paccsa.org/pa-nordic-championship.

The Erie Sports Commission is committed to promoting the Erie region as a prime destination for sports and recreation. The major goals of the ESC are to attract, create, support, and host sporting and recreational events that have a positive economic impact on the region, and assist in maximizing the potential of all regional sports facilities and venues. The ESC strives to enhance the image of Erie by showcasing the community, promote wellness through healthy lifestyles, and improve the quality of life for community members of all ages.