USSA will kick off cross-country NorAm Super Tour

USSA will kick off cross-country NorAm Super Tour{mosimage}The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association bolsters the cross-country NorAm circuit this season with a $100,000 NorAm “SuperTour.” The series will include the Chevy Truck U.S. Cross-Country Championships and a total of 23 days of cross-country racing from late November to January.

U.S. nordic director Luke Bodensteiner says the SuperTour has been recognized by the International Ski Federation and the men’s and women’s champions will be given automatic start rights for all World Cup races after March 1.

In addition to the nationals, scheduled for January 3-11 in Rumford, Maine, the circuit will include a SuperTour Finals event January 21-25 at Wisconsin’s Telemark resort.

“The NorAm tour has grown significantly since 1999 and has become one of the best Continental Cup series in the sport,” Bodensteiner says. “We’ll have $100,000 in prize money this season; that’s up from $65,000 a year ago but it reflects the efforts of the organizers to make the SuperTour a first-class series.

“Our goal was to keep building the NorAm series as a development vehicle, attracting strong, competitive fields and there’s no question we’ve done that. This season, we’ll go to a couple of new sites and we’ll make the SuperTour worthy of its new name.”

THE 2004 SUPERTOUR

11/8: Fairbanks, Alaska (men’s 10+10 and women’s 5+5 skiathlon)
11/9: Fairbanks, Alaska (men’s and women’s freestyle sprints)
11/15: Anchorage, Alaska (men’s 10-km classic, women’s 5-km CL)
11/16: Anchorage, Alaska (men’s 10-km FR, women’s 5-km FR)
11/28: West Yellowstone, Montana (men’s 15-km CL, women’s 10-km CL)
11/29: West Yellowstone, Montana (men’s and women’s FR sprints)
12/13: Soldier Hollow, Utah (men’s and women’s CL sprints)
12/14: Soldier Hollow, Utah (men’s 15-k, FR, women’s 10-km FR)
12/17: Soldier Hollow, Utah (men’s 10-km CL, women’s 5-km CL)
12/20: Soldier Hollow, Utah (men’s 10-km FR, women’s 5-km FR)
12/21: Soldier Hollow, Utah (men’s 15+15, women’s 7.5+7.5 skiathlon)
12/29: Presque Isle, Maine (men’s and women’s 10-km CL)
12/30: Presque Isle, Maine (men’s and women’s FR sprints)
1/3-11 Chevy Truck U.S. Cross-Country Championships, Rumford, Maine
— 1/3: men’s 30-km CL, women’s 15-km CL
— 1/5: men’s 10-km CL, women’s 5-km CL
— 1/6: men’s 10-km FR, women’s 5-km FR
— 1/8: men’s and women’s FR sprints
— 1/11: men’s 50-km FR, women’s 30-km FR
1/17: Itasca, Minnesota (men’s 15-km CL, women’s 10-km CL)
1/18: Itasca, Minnesota (men’s 10-km FR, women’s 5-km FR)
1/21-25: SuperTour Finals, Telemark, Wisconsin
— 1/21: men’s 10-km FR, women’s 5-km FR
— 1/24: men’s 15-km CL, women’s 10-km CL
— 1/25: men’s and women’s FR sprints