March 21, 2013 (Sochi, Russia) – Mark Arendz put the finishing touches to a memorable season by locking up the overall IPC World Cup biathlon title after winning the bronze medal in the men’s 15 kilometre biathlon race in Sochi, Russia on Thursday.

Arendz, of Springton, P.E.I., took advantage of a stellar day on the range where the 21 year old missed just one target in four rounds of shooting to clock a time of 48:48.3 for third spot.

“It was a great race for me. It was so slow that I really had to focus on my technique and shooting. I felt I was more comfortable on the range today then yesterday

Norway’s Nils Erik Ulset fired his way to the gold medal with one miss and a time of 45:53.0. Grygorii Vovchynskyi, of the Ukraine, had one miss of his own, but celebrated the silver with a time of 48:09.3.

The bronze-medal finish caps off a strong season for Arendz where he captured his first career IPC Biathlon World Cup Crystal Globe. The 2010 Paralympian skied his way to the podium four times on the IPC World Cup, in addition to racking up three World Championship medals including his first victory at the worlds.

“It has been a great season. I had some tough races and results, but I’m very satisfied that I was able to stay consistent all year,” said Arendz. “That consistency paid off. After finishing second overall the last two years, I get to go home with the overall title and the Crystal Globe. This is a huge boost of confidence for me.”

Daily reports of all the action at the IPC World Cup Finals from Sochi are published at www.ipc-nordicskiing.org

The Sochi 2014 Paralympic Games will take place between March 7-16, and are set to feature 700 athletes from 45 countries. Athletes will compete in five sports – alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice sledge hockey and wheelchair curling. Para- snowboard will make its Games debut as part of the alpine skiing programme.

January 18, 2013 (Cable, WI) – Canada’s Mark Arendz followed up three of the best cross-country ski races of his career with his third silver medal of the week – this time in a individual biathlon race at the IPC World Cup in Cable, Wisconsin.

The 22-year-old Arendz, who finished second overall in the IPC biathlon World Cup biathlon standings the last two years, grabbed the 18th medal of his career after clocking a time of 40:02.6 in the individual event. Arendz, of Springton, P.E.I., was on pace to his first gold medal of the season, but missed one shot in four rounds of shooting in the tight race to the finish.

“That was close, and I mean close by 3.8 seconds,” said Arendz. “It was a bummer to not shoot clean and win, but that close out in second is a good result. I skied pretty well, and we have a plan in place for tomorrow.”

Norway’s Nils-Erik Ulset won the men’s individual start with a time of 39:58.8 (0+0+1+1). Russia’s Oleg Balukhto shot clean to grab the bronze medal with a time of 40:58.7.

The IPC Biathlon World Cup continues on Friday in Cable, Wisconsin.

Full results HERE.

January 14, 2013 (Cable, WI) – Canada’s Para-Nordic squad teamed up to win five medals – one gold, three silver and one bronze – in middle distance cross-country ski races at the IPC World Cup in Cable, Wisconsin on Sunday.

Mark Arendz, of Springton, P.E.I., skied to his second-ever cross-country ski medal, winning the silver in the 10-kilometre skate-ski race in the men’s standing division. The 22-year-old Arendz, who has finished second overall in biathlon on the IPC World Cup standings the last two years clocked a time of 25:08.9.

“I’m very happy with the race. A lot of things were right where I want them, with my speed and fitness,” said Arendz, who now has 17 IPC World Cup medals in his career. “I was having a great race and knew I was on the podium, but it never sunk in until after the race that I was on track for a best-ever cross-country race. It shows that I’m in solid shape for the biathlon races later in the week.

Norway’s Nils-Erik Ulset won the division with a time of 24:07.9.

Brian McKeever and guide Erik Carleton, both of Canmore, Alta., teamed up to win the lone gold medal of the day. A winner of 10 Paralympic medals, the 33-year-old McKeever set the time to beat at 24:03.0 in the men’s 10-kilometre skate-ski visually impaired race.

The path to the podium continued to roll in the women’s races as Canada’s legendary Colette Bourgonje powered her way to the silver medal in the women’s five-kilometre sit-ski division. The six-time Paralympian from Saskatoon, who has skied on the national team for the last 20 years, clocked a time of 14:29.0.

Germany’s Anja Wicker won the women’s sit-ski race with a time of 14:17.0.

Canada also grabbed the silver and bronze medal positions on the women’s visually impaired podium. Robbi Weldon, of Thunder Bay, Ont. clocked a second-place time of 15:38.0 in the five-kilometre skate-ski race. Ontario’s Margarita Gorbounova and her guide, Andrea Bundon, celebrated the bronze with a time of 16:17.0.

The Canadian Para-Nordic Ski Team is using the Wisconsin event to start qualifying athletes, in particular development athletes, for the 2014 Paralympics. Five of the eight development-level athletes to hit the start line on Sunday met the IPC Paralympic qualifying standard.

The IPC World Cup continues on Monday in Cable, Wisconsin.

Results HERE.

January 30, 2012 (Cable, WI) – Canada’s Mark Arendz came up just shy in his bid to win his fifth IPC Biathlon World Cup medal of the season after finishing fourth in the men’s 12.5-kilometre race on Sunday in Cable, Wisconsin, while Sean Halsted landed the top U.S. result with an eighth-place finish.

The 21-year-old Arendz, who snagged the bronze medal in Saturday’s 20-kilometre race, skied a consistent 12.5 kilometres and shot clean in each of his four stops on the range to finish one spot off the podium with a time of 38:55.0.

“It turned out to be a ‘What can you do’ kind of day,” said Arendz. Yesterday there were an number of mistakes that kept adding up but today everything was bang on. I was back in the proper mindset and had all cylinders burning and was ready to go. I was very happy with the skiing effort.”

Arendz, of Springton, P.E.I. had one of his best days ever on the range with shots hitting the target dead centre.

“The shooting felt as natural as a ski stride, it flowed harmoniously with the skiing,” said Arendz. “Nothing went wrong today, it just wasn’t my day. I was happier with my race today, finishing fourth, than I was of my race yesterday.”

Russian athletes grabbed the top-two spots on the podium. Kirill Mikhaylov finished on top with a time of 37:24.0, while Vladislav Lekomtev was second at 38:08.3. Norway’s Nils-Erik Ulset rounded out the podium in third at 38:40.7.

Ottawa’s Margarita Gorbounova and her guide of Brian Berry, of Thunder Bay, Ont., were the only other Canadians to suit up on Sunday, finishing seventh in the women’s 10-kilometre visually impaired category with a time of 55:37.4.

U.S. Athletes Crack Top 10 in Long-course
A sub-par performance Saturday during the biathlon short-course was all the motivation sit-skier and Air Force veteran Sean Halsted (Spokane, Wash.) needed to break into the top 10 finishers in the long-course biathlon today during the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Nordic Skiing World Cup at the Telemark Lodge in Cable, Wis.

“My performance yesterday wasn’t up to what I had hoped,” said Halsted, who had placed 13th with only 50 percent accuracy on the shooting range. Today he hit 17 of his 20 shots and covered the 12.5-kilometer course in 49 minutes, 47 seconds to finish eighth.

Navy SEAL Lt. Dan Cnossen (Topeka, Kan.) rallied from misses during his first two rounds of shooting to shoot flawlessly the rest of the race and finish 10th in 50:15 in the sit-ski division. He connected on 18 of his 20 shots.

“I knew if I didn’t bring it together, the race was going to go downhill fast,” he said.

Roman Petushkov of Russia, who won Saturday’s shot-course biathlon, repeated as sit-ski champion in 44:51, despite missing four shots on the day. For each missed target, athletes had to ski a 150-meter penalty loop, which added to their times.

Kelly Underkofler (St. Paul, Minn.) continued her strong showing in the shooting range, connecting on 19 of her 20 shots, just missing the podium with her fourth-place finish in the women’s standing division in 50:32. Finland’s Maija Jarvela claimed her second biathlon gold of the competition, finishing in 40:54 over the 10 km. women’s course.

“I felt good and shot well, so I’m happy with how I did today,” Underkofler said.

Sarah Edwards (Winter Park, Colo.) placed fifth in the women’s sit-ski division in 1:29:31. German Anja Wicker improved on her second-place finish from the day before to win in 50:18.

Russians continued to dominate the visually-impaired division. Lysova Mikhalina led a quartet of top Russian finishers in the women’s race, shooting flawlessly and finishing in 37:33. Russians claimed the top two spots on the men’s side, led by Nikolay Polukhin in 37:42. Visually-impaired athletes shoot with specialized guns fitted with lasers on their sites that emit audio feedback as the shooter’s aim closes in on a screen target.

Russian Kirill Mikhaylov won the men’s standing division in 37:24.

Athletes conclude the Wisconsin-portion of the competition Monday with middle distance races. Races start at 10 a.m. with sit-skiers skiing 5 km and standing and visually-impaired athletes skiing 10 km.

Competition concludes Feb. 1-2 at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis, where athletes will compete in a sprint and middle distance race. Races begin at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 1 and 10 a.m. Feb. 2.

It’s the first time the United States has hosted a major Paralympic Nordic ski event in seven years.

Results HERE.

May 03, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – Cross Country Canada has released its 2011/2012 season National Team and coaching staff roster on the heels of a record-breaking 2010/2011 campaign, which saw Canadian skiers achieve World Cup and World Championship medals. Look for the following list of racers to be making history on the snow next season and for years to come.

Senior World Cup Team
Head Coach: Justin Wadsworth
Coaches: Eric de Nys, Louis Bouchard
– Ivan Babikov – Foothills Nordic Ski Club, AB
– Chandra Crawford – Canmore Nordic Ski Club, AB
– Dasha Gaiazova – Rocky Mountain Racers, QC
– Alex Harvey – Club Nordique Mont Ste. Anne, QC
– Perianne Jones – Nakkertok Ski Club, ON
– Devon Kershaw – Ona Wa Su, ON
– Len Valjas – Team Hardwood, ON

Senior Development Team
Coaches: Louis Bouchard (CNEPH), Mike Cavaliere (AWCA), Eric Bailey (NDC-TB)
– Jess Cockney – Foothills Nordic/AWCA, AB
– Drew Goldsack – Rocky Mountain Racers/AWCA, AB
– Graeme Killick – Banff Ski Runners/AWCA, AB
– Alysson Marshall – Larch Hills/AWCA, BC
– Brent McMurtry – Foothills Nordic/CNEPH, AB
– Emily Nishikawa – Whitehorse/AWCA, YK
– Graham Nishikawa – Whitehorse/AWCA, YK
– Kevin Sandau – Foothills Nordic/AWCA, AB
– Michael Somppi – Lappe/Thunder Bay NDC, ON
– Frédéric Touchette – Club Nordique Mont Ste. Anne, QC

Junior Team
– Dahria Beatty – Whitehorse, YT
– Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt – Club de ski de fond Fondeurs-Laurentides/CVTC, QC
– Raphael Couturier – Commission de ski Nordique Skibec/CNEPH, QC
– Janelle Greer – Whitehorse/AWCA, YT
– Zach Holland – Banff Ski Runners/AWCA, AB
– Knute Johnsgaard – Whitehorse/CNEPH, YT
– Maya Macissac-Jones – Rocky Mountain Racers, AB
– Alex Mahoney – Rocky Mountain Ski Racers, AB
– Camille Pepin – Club Nordique M.S.A., QC
– Rebecca Reid – Black Jack Nordic/AWCA, BC
– Geoffrey Richards – Black Jack Nordic/CVTC, BC
– Martin Schrama – Banff Ski Runners/CVTC, AB
– Sébastien Townsend – Club Nakkertok Nordique, QC
– Alexis Turgeon – Club de ski de fond Skinouk, QC
– Michelle Workun-Hill – Club Nakkertok Nordique, QC

Para-Nordic World Cup Team
Head Coach: Robin McKeever
– Mark Arendz – Foothills Nordic, AB
– Jody Barber – Bulkley Valley Ski Club, BC
– Colette Bourgonje – Snobuddy Ski Club, SK
– Chris Klebl – Lifesport, AB
– Brian McKeever – Foothills Nordic Ski Club, AB
– Robin McKeever (guide) – Foothills Nordic Ski Club, AB
– Erik Carleton (guide) – Rocky Mountain Racers, AB

Para-Nordic Development Team
Coaches: Pierre Pomerleau, Robin McKeever
– Sébastien Fortier, Skibec/Hus-ski, QC

** National Development Centre teams will be announced when all information is available**

April 14, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – The 2010-11 season is in the history books and will go down as a year that can only be dreamt of. With four World Cup seasons under my belt and my first Paralympic Games, I had two third place finishes at World Cup. One Cross Country and one Biathlon. With an awesome year of training behind me, I looked forward to the World Cup season. I was hoping to continue improving on previous results with a goal to land on the podium three or four times throughout the season. I got the year off to a stellar start, with a second in the first Biathlon race of the season. That result was a total shock to me and to everyone involved. I felt very natural on the range, which showed in my shooting not only in that first race but for the entire season. The final shooting percentage was 97%, 155 hits out of 160 shots in International competition. There were a few costly misses, the first being in the second Biathlon race. I struggled in the morning’s race but clean shooting in the afternoon part of the race led to a third place and my second podium for the year. The third Biathlon race will be one that sticks with me for some time. For one reason, it was my first World Cup victory, a huge milestone. The second reason was how I won that race. I believe there is no such thing as the perfect Biathlon race, but this one was as close as I have ever been. The skiing felt great, the boards were rockets, I loved the course and I paced the entire race bang on. Pinging the metal for 20 clean hits, everything seemed to come together and resulting in a huge accomplishment in a relatively young season. In Finland I was three for three for Biathlon podiums and second in the overall points.

That ended the first part of the season, which meant it was back to Canmore for two weeks, recover and train for the second competition block of back-to-back World Cups in Sweden and Germany. My red hot shooting continued for the Sprint in Sweden adding another ten clean hits. The Swedish cold tried to put a chill on my shooting and it succeeded somewhat. Having my worst shooting race of the season, missing two shots in the Individual. Two more Biathlon races led to two more podiums, I was second in the Individual and first in the Sprint. The win in the Sprint gave me the unique opportunity of racing the Individual in the Red Leader’s bib. Things heated up as the World Cup circuit headed to its third and final site. The weather in Germany was much warmer, but that wasn’t the only thing hot. My second in the Swedish Individual had dropped me to second in the overall, a mere ten points back. It was going to be a tight battle for first place in the overall and would be decided by the two remaining races. The first German Biathlon race was a Pursuit. Shooting clean in the qualifier would hand me the fastest time in the qualifier and a great start for the afternoon’s final. I took full advantage of that, closing the gap in half over the first loop, dropping five targets and closed the gap as I entered the range for the second time. Dropping five targets again, I got up and went for it. I took my third victory of the season and a commanding 40 point lead in the overall. But it was not to be. Illness struck hard the day before the final Biathlon race and I had to make a choice; either don’t start and settle for second or go in fighting and see how things shake up. In the end it was a bit of both. I started the race and hit all ten targets but could not ski a competitive time and finished 10th, second overall by four points. I did everything I could in that race. Sure I was disappointed but there was no reason to be. At 21, I had just finished second overall for Biathlon, heck I was 12th the year before. I was racing amongst guys that could all double my years on the circuit. It also didn’t come down to the last race; I could have sealed the deal by simply missing one less shot earlier in the season. To finish the year with three victories (one in each race format), two second place finishes and a third. Six out of seven Biathlon races found me on the podium. An incredible season!

It was time to get back to Canmore for a few weeks for training for the final event of the year, World Championships in Khnaty-Mansiysk, Russia. The first race was the Biathlon Pursuit, a miss in the qualifier set me back to finishing fourth in the morning and it would go on to hinder my afternoon. I would fight to get back onto the podium but would end up just short. The podium was separated by 5.4 seconds and I would finish ten seconds behind the winner. I was pleased with that start to the World Championships. My second race in Russia was the 20km classic. The weather would play a huge role in this race as the conditions were quite difficult to wax for. Our boys got it right and I skied to a 10th finish which was one of my best Long distance races. I struggled to find my speed for my third race, the Biathlon Sprint. A single miss dropped me from a possible third to sixth. I was disappointed with that. After a pretty deep heart to heart with my coach I changed my approach. I had been too caught up in the results. I wanted the result, I wanted a World Championship medal badly and I was unfortunately allowing that to distract my performance. In the final race, the Biathlon Individual, I still struggled to find my top speed but I gave it everything I had in the challenging slushy conditions. I found my edge again in the range, I had been one of the better shooters over the World Championships but I wasn’t 100% myself (probably 99% or so). Shooting 20 for 20, I would ski myself to a very satisfying fourth place. I left Khanty-Mansiysk without any hardware but a lot of lessons learned and an incredible experience. My worst Biathlon result this year was my best from the last World Championships. I would have loved to be bringing home some bling but it was my best World Champs. It took four years at least to get to where I am now and I just have to be patience, it will come when I’m ready.

As important as the results at the end of the year are how you got there is far more crucial. Training with Rocky Mountain Racers has been such a huge benefit to me. The results I was able to achieve this year are in large part due to the training, support and motivation I received from RMR. I mentioned earlier this year, the two ways of getting better; one is consistently being chased so in order to stay on top to you push yourself ahead. The other way is to fight your way from behind to catch up. That was exactly what I did this year. Right away when I started training with the club I knew that it was going to make a huge difference. I was just another athlete; I didn’t have a disability just a different way to do some things. Working with the club wasn’t just a benefit for me but for the other athletes as well. I can remember during the spring when we were doing a lot of strength work. Everyone else could do chin ups, I couldn’t. Just that simple fact made me want to try, even if it were just one at first I wanted to do a chin up. Then it came to one handed push-ups, I rocked those and it gave me the opportunity to help the others. One of the keys of this season’s success lies in the fact I could shoot almost every day. Sure we had tests and competitions during training where we all tried to be the best, but that also existed in the everyday training. One day one athlete would be the best on the next day it could be someone else. It’s not just that I trained with athletes my age, or able-bodied athletes it was that I was training with the best in Canada. Scott had an incredible season it started with fantastic results on the IBU Cup. Then he set records at Canada Games winning four Gold medals, the most any single athlete has ever done. Another teammate Aaron became the first skier to qualify for both Biathlon and Cross Country World Juniors in the same year. He then wrapped up his season with four National titles. These are only two of the many incredible athletes that I have the opportunity to train with. The club is extremely dedicated to its athlete. John and Luke do everything they can to offer the most competitive program in Canada. That doesn’t stop at the coaches, all the parents are always there helping out and cheering everyone in the club on. The parents and supporters are the ones that make the Rocky Mountain Racers’ program so successful. A big thanks to every one of them.

I give a lot of credit to this single year, but that’s not the truth either. My success is the accumulation of the past four years both training and competitions. The over 2000 hours I’ve trained has now built an endurance base. This allows me to train longer, harder which then allows me to get better. The racing experience has taught me a lot. How to react to the changing conditions, whether that is how to overtake another athlete or segment the course to discover the best plan of attack to gain seconds on others and not lose them. It has been four years of technique that I now have a satisfactory base upon which I can improve further on over the next few years. Six years of shooting has given me the confidence and skill to shoot clean in any circumstance. I can lie down on a mat and instantly judge whether I need to adjust my sights or not (which was required quite often in Khnaty-Mansiysk).

Support can come in some many different ways. Cross Country Canada has given incredible amount of support over the years and without them I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be where I am. They provide the resources and opportunities to train and succeed. Family support, we all know it’s there but I don’t think it’s recognized enough. Whether it’s encouraging words after a tough of race or training or a training partner for an intensity session (thanks Menno for that awesome intensity day on the Red Rec). Family is one of the biggest pillars that support the best athletes in the World. Being from the East Coast you are bought up helping each other out. In severe snow storms when one farmer helps out another, when neighbors come to together and help out in times of hardship (like the day after my accident several people showed up offering to help out in any way they could on the farm, most had never worked on a farm before). I again witnessed this kindness early this year. I was out East over Christmas and there happened to be an Atlantic Cup the first weekend in January in Charlo. I contacted the race organizers and asked if I could come and compete, as my brother and dad were already planning on going. They instantly said yes, no hesitation. I credit those races for the confidence I had at the first World Cup event. I had two great races there and that boost in confidence lasted I’m sure to the first Biathlon race in Finland.

As I wrap this review of the year up, I think it’s time for me to say my Thanks. But where do I beginning? My coaches Robin, Kaspar and John, your advice and countless years of knowledge have guided me to where I am now and I hope that we can continue and reach unthinkable heights. To the techs, you guys are the best! The skis are always fast and the grip solid, you work endlessly and deserve a huge Thanks. So to you Ian, Bruce and Laurent, Thanks. To Bjorn, first thanks for the skis in Sweden and Team Leader skills at World Champs. Thanks to Joanne for relieving all those sore muscles. It’s impossible to ski fast without the best boards, for that I trust in the red, blue and yellow of Salomon skis and boots. I may only use one pole but I rely on that one much more and I put all on weight on Leki poles. To everyone at RMR thank you and I want you to know I look forward to another year of working with you all. To every single person that has supported me in any way over the years I say THANK YOU, without you I could not do what I do.

I’m heading back to Canada for some time off, an opportunity to recover after a busy year. I will look back over the success of this past year and look forward to the next.

April 08, 2011 (Khanty Mansiysk, Russia) – Canada’s Jody Barber and Mark Arendz fired just short of the podium in the 7.5-kilometre biathlon competition on Thursday at the IPC World Championships in Khanty Mansiyski, Russia.

Barber, of Smithers, B.C., racked up her third fourth-place finish of the week. The 2010 Paralympian missed two shots in her second and final bout of shooting to clock a time of 27 minutes, 59.6 seconds in the women’s standing category.

Barber was 90 seconds off the podium pace. Oleksandra Kononova, of the Ukraine, posted a golden time of 24:43.7. Poland’s Katarzyna Rogowiec locked up the silver medal at 25:35.6, while Finland’s Maija Loytynoja finished ahead of Barber in third at 26:34.7.

Meanwhile, Canada’s Mark Arendz, continued his quest for his first World Championship medal. The 21-year-old, of Springton, P.E.I., who finished second overall on the IPC Biathlon circuit this year, posted a sixth-place time of 22:05.3 after missing just one shot in his first stop at the range.

Russia’s Kirill Mikhaylov set the time to beat at 20:41.5 to take the gold medal.

Results HERE.

January 24, 2011 (Vuokatti, Finland) – Canada’s Mark Arendz captured his first IPC World Cup victory after winning the gold medal in a biathlon individual race on Sunday in Vuokatti, Finland on Sunday.

Arendz shot clean to post a winning time of 39 minutes, 35.9 seconds in a tight sprint to the wire with Norway’s Nils-Erik Ulset and Russia’s Oleg Balukhto who he has been fighting for the medals with all week in the men’s standing division – one of the deepest on the IPC World Cup.

“That was amazing,” said Arendz. “My first World Cup victory and to shoot clean – nothing feels better.”

Ulset settled for the silver medal at 40:52.1, while Balukhto was third (41:56.1).

It was the third medal of the week for the 20-year-old Arendz, of Springton, P.E.I. The 2010 Paralympian won a silver and a bronze in the biathlon sprint and pursuit races respectively.

“I think the two podium finishes this week definitely gave me the confidence to know I deserve to be here with these guys,” said Arendz. “I woke up this morning and felt ready to go and said this is my day. I couldn’t be happier.”

Results (brief)

1.Erik Bransdal, NOR
2. Ola Vigen Hattestad, NOR
3. Nikita Kriukov, RUS
4. Emil Joensson, SWE
5. Daniel Rickardsson, SWE

31. Len Valjas, Toronto
61. Jesse Cockney, Calgary
66. Michael Somppi, Thunder Bay, Ont.
69. Graeme Killick, Fort McMurray, Alta.