June 10, 2013 (Whistler, B.C.) – The Callaghan Winter Sports Club (the “CWSC”) is seeking applications for the role of Head Coach. This is a contract position with a two year renewable term. CWSC is an active full service Nordic ski club based in Squamish, British Columbia. Incorporated in 2008, the club has a long history of organizing and delivering programs geared towards cross-country skiers and biathletes of all ages and performance levels.

The club offers cross-country (X-C) and biathlon programming through seven training groups. Our biathletes primarily train out of Whistler Olympic Park and the Squamish Valley Rod & Gun Club. Approximately sixty biathletes are enrolled in our biathlon programs during the winter season.

Qualifications
• Certified at a minimum of Level 2 in Biathlon from the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) or possess equivalent training
• Certified at a minimum of Intro to community coaching (X-C)
• Experience with a High Performance Cross Country and/or Biathlon program
• Willing to travel on weekends for races (mostly within British Columbia)
• Must have transportation to fulfill the travel duties
• Experience maintaining biathlon rifles
• Fluency in French an asset
• University physical education degree or other sport specialized post secondary degree

Primary Responsibilities
• Provide coaching expertise to all CWSC biathlon and X-C groups
• Implementation of our programs:
o Developing and implementing monthly training plans, reviewing training logs for all development and high performance athletes.
o On snow and dryland coaching which consists of 5 directed sessions per week (Saturday to Wednesday)
• Direction and assignment of the Assistant Coaches
• Race coverage including direction and assignment of the Assistant Coaches
• Custodian of the club’s biathlon rifles
• Represents the club on technical matters with Provincial and National Sport Organizations
• Coordinate range/facility bookings for all CWSC training sessions
• Communication with program participants or parents with regards to programs
• Reporting to CWSC board or director responsible for programs
• Develop event qualification procedures

Hours of Work
The nature of the coaching assignment requires flexibility in the hours of work. Generally, the work week will run from Saturday to Wednesday with days off on Thursday and Friday. Monday to Wednesday training sessions are scheduled in late afternoon and early evening. The Head Coach is expected to be available for coaching duties during race weekends. This includes official training days (usually Friday of race weekend) and race days (Saturday and Sunday). There is no training during the month of April and there are one week breaks in September and over Christmas. The Head Coach is expected to schedule vacation during these breaks.

Starting Date
The starting date is October 1, 2013. Winter training starts on November 2, 2013.

Application Deadline
Please submit a resume indicating your qualifications and experience and a cover letter that includes your reasons for this application to info@callaghanwintersportsclub.ca by June 30, 2013.

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.

February 06, 2013 (Nove Mesto, CZE)  – To commemorate tomorrow’s one year countdown to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia and to kick-off its Road to Sochi campaign, the United States Olympic Committee, in partnership with NBC Sports and the U.S. Biathlon Association, will air two hours of same-day coverage of the 2013 IBU World Championships from Nove Mesto on the NBC Sports Network Feb 9 and 10 at 6 PM EST.  Universal Sports will air additional coverage of the opening weekend on Feb. 11 and 12 at 7 PM EST.

“Same day coverage of the IBU Biathlon World Championships on the NBC Sports Network is a profound step forward for biathlon in America,” said Max Cobb, US Biathlon President & CEO. “Biathlon has long been Europe’s most watched winter sport and now Americans will get a chance to enjoy the great drama and excitement that is biathlon.  It is a wonderful one year to go preview of the 2014 Olympics.”

Veteran play-by-play announcer Steve Schlanger, who provided commentary for the London 2012 Olympic Games and has experience in nearly 30 sports over his 15-year career, will work with biathlon expert Chad Salmela who will serve as the program’s analyst. Salmela, a biathlon coach and former competitor, was NBC’s biathlon commentator during the Torino and  Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.

“The Road to Sochi is about sharing our athletes’ journeys to the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and with just one year until the Games, we are thrilled to bring Olympic winter sport competition into living rooms across the country,” said USOC Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Baird. “America’s athletes are incredibly inspiring, determined and talented, and these Road to Sochi telecasts will help introduce their stories and their sports to the American public ahead of the Games.”

NBC Sports Network and Universal Sports “Road to Sochi” 2013 IBU Biathlon World Championship Schedule

Team USA Arrives in Nove Mesto for 2013 IBU World Championships 

2013 IBU World Championship Schedule
(all times CET, +6 hours ahead of EST)
Livestream webcast of all races will be available here

February 01, 2013 (Obertilliach, Austria) – The Canadian squad finished an impressive 7th in the Junior men’s 4×7.5km relay at the IBU Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships in Obertilliach, Austria, while their women’s teammates placed 10th in the Junior momen’s 3x6km event.

The Norwegian men’s squad took the top spot in a time of 1:18:33.2 with a total of 13 shooting penalties. The second place French team shot much cleaner with only six penalties, but they had to settle for silver at only 14s back from the leaders. Team Russia grabbed the bronze with 16 penalties and trailed by 50s.

The Canadians, Menno Arendz, Christian Gow, Jasper Mackenzie, and Macx Davies, amassed nine penalties and finished 4:55.2 behind.

In the Junior women’s race, the Germans were in a league of their own, acquiring only one penalty to finish in a time of 52:39.4, a whopping 2:03.4 ahead of second place, Ukraine, with eight shooting penalties. The Russians finished third with 11 penalties and a 2:24.8 deficit.

The Canadian team of Rose-Marie Cote, Julia Ransom, and Emma Lodge were 3:52.1 behind with 10 penalties. No Americans completed in either relay.

Results
Junior men HERE.
Junior women HERE.

January 25, 2013 (Obertilliach, Austria) – USA’s Sean Doherty, 17, won a silver medal in the Youth men’s 7.5km sprint as the 2013 IBU Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships kicked off today in Obertilliach, Austria. Fabien Claude (FRA) won the race in a time of 21:12.4. Doherty trailed by 3.6s. Both competitors logged two shooting penalties.

This is the first World Championship podium for Doherty had the fourth fastest skiing time, and climbed five positions on the last lap of the race to finish second. “It is hard to believe that I have worked all of this time towards this goal but now it is here I am still a little bit in shock,” said Doherty at his third trip to the IBU Youth/Junior World Championships.

“My strategy today was no different than any other race. I stared the two laps skiing well but under control. On the last lap I got a split from my coach that I was in fifth, really close to third, and I just gave it my all on the last lap. My main goal is to keep calm in the pursuit and have a really good race.” Doherty will race in Sunday’s 10-kilometer pursuit.

“We are very exited about Sean’s race today,” said U.S. Biathlon Coach Vladimir Cervenka. “He did great and according his plan he saved his best for the last loop. It will be fun to watch the pursuit on Sunday.”

The fastest Canuck of the day was Stuart Harden in 20th place, while teammates Carsten Campbell and Arthur Roots finished 30th and 59th, respectively. Other North Americans include USA’s Jakob Ellingson in 62nd, Matthew Strum (CAN) in 69th, Jordan McElroy (USA) in 79th, and Brian Halligan (USA) in 88th.

Uliana Kaisheva (RUS) won gold in the Youth women’s 6km sprint in a time of 18:08.7 with only one shooting penalty. Anna Kubek (USA) was the top North American woman in 34th spot, followed by Canadian Sarah Beaudry in 36th. Mikaela Paluszek (USA) finished 65th and Leilani Tam Von Burg (CAN) tied for 71st place. Canada’s Emily Dickson was 75th, Charlotte Hamel (CAN) finished 80th, and Aleksandra Zakrzewska (USA) placed 84th.

Youth Women results HERE.
Youth Men results HERE.

January 21, 2013 (New Gloucester, ME) – US Biathlon‘s  International Competition Committee is pleased to announce the 2013 World Championships Team.  Team USA will travel to Nove Mesto, Czech Republic for the IBU World Championships Biathlon, which opens with the mixed relay on February 7th.  A complete event schedule and links to the 2013 World Championships can be found HERE. Congratulations, and good luck Team USA.

2013 US Biathlon World Championships Team

Men
– Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY)
– Tim Burke (Paul Smits, NY)
– Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME)
– Leif Nordgren (Marine, MN)

Women
– Annelies Cook (Saranac Lake, NY)
– Hannah Dreissigacker ( Morrisville, VT)
– Susan Dunklee (Barton, VT)
– Sara Studebaker (Boise, ID)

2013 IBU World Championships Biathlon, Nove Mesto, CZE
– 07 Feb – 11:30 – Mixed 2×6+2×7.5 km Relay
– 09 Feb – 07:00 – Men 10 km Sprint
– 09 Feb – 10:15 – Women 7.5 km Sprint
– 10 Feb – 07:00 – Men 12.5 km Pursuit
– 10 Feb – 10:15 – Women 10 km Pursuit
– 13 Feb – 11:15 – Women 15 km Individual
– 14 Feb – 11:15 – Men 20 km Individual
– 15 Feb – 11:15 – Women 4×6 km Relay
– 16 Feb – 09:15 – Men 4×7.5 km Relay
– 17 Feb – 06:00 – Women 12.5 km Mass Start
– 17 Feb – 09:00 – Men 15 km Mass Start

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 07, 2013 – US Biathlete Tim Burke celebrated his first World Cup podium this season in Pokljuka, Slovenia, with a third-place finish in the men’s 15km mass start – his first podium since his incredible 2009-10 campaign when he scored three podiums and became the first American to wear the World Cup leader’s bib.

Just prior to the start of the second half of the E.ON World Cup Biathlon season in Oberhof, Germany this past weekend, SkiTrax touched base with American Tim Burke to get his thoughts on the initial World Cups, what he was up to over the holiday break, his thoughts on his recent WCup podium, and what he expects for the upcoming World Championships.

How satisfied are you with your performance for the 1st third of the season? Has your skiing been what you expected, and how well you’ve been shooting?
Tim Burke: I was very pleased with my results from the first world cup period, especially considering that I did not feel 100% for most of the period. I expected to feel better on the skis during the first period but after struggling a bit with my health at the start of the season, I was forced to more or less race into shape. The biggest difference with my results during the first world cups was that I was much more consistent on the shooting range. This was something that I have worked very hard on and I hope to continue this for the remainder of the season.

You podiumed in the 15km mass start WCup race in Pokljuka, Slovenia reminiscent of your 2009/10 season. How did it feel and how important is it for your confidence going forward ?
TB: I think the most important thing about my podium in Pokljuka was what it did for my shooting confidence.  I never had any doubt that my skiing was strong enough to get back to the podium over the last few seasons but I struggled a lot on the shooting range.  Coming through under pressure like in Pokljuka is absolutely the best shooting training that I could have.  I hope to carry this confidence through the rest of the season.

What have you been up to since round three in Pokljuka, Slovenia?
TB: I went back to Lake Placid for the holidays. This was my last chance to go home before the end of the season, so it was important for me to see my family and friends and also to get a little mental break. Unfortunately, the snow was not so good at home so I had to spend a lot of time roller skiing on the treadmill. Of course this gets a little boring but I was able to get in some good training.

What are your expectations heading into the World Championships in Nove Mesto, CZE from Feb. 7-17?
TB: I am very excited about the Nove Mesto World Champs. I feel that this course suits me well and I will put a big focus  on these Championships even if that means training through some of the other World Cups.

Good luck in the rest of your season.
TB: Thanks.

December 18, 2012 (New Gloucester, ME) – The International Competition Committee of US Biathlon met today and would like to announce the women’s and men’s teams for World Cup 4 in Oberhof, GER, Jan. 1-6, and IBU Cup 4 in Otepää, EST, Jan. 4-6, 2013.

World Cup 4
Women:
– Susan Dunklee (Barton, VT)
– Sara Studebaker (Boise, ID)
– Annelies Cook (Saranac Lake, NY) – discretionary selection based on ranking as the 3rd women in WC points and second fastest ski times.

Men:
– Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY)
– Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY)
– Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME)
– Leif Nordgren (Marine, MN) – discretionary selection based on two top 60 WC finishes and fourth best skiing among the World Cup team members

IBU Cup 4
Women:
– Lanny Barnes (Durango, CO) – from World Cup qualification
– Tracy Barnes (Durango, CO) – from Nov/Dec IBU Cup qualification
– Hannah Dreissigacker (Craftsbury, Vermont) – IBU Cup trials winner
– Katrina Howe (Gilford, New Hampshire) – discretionary selection from IBU Cup trials*

Men:
– Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK) – from World Cup qualification
– Jeremy Teela (Heber City, UT)- from Nov/Dec IBU Cup qualification
– Bill Bowler (Wausau, Wisconsin) – IBU Cup trials winner
– Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN) – discretionary selection from IBU Cup trials*

* Due to US Biathlon financial constraints participation by the additional athletes selected by discretion from the IBU Cup trials will be on a self-pay basis.

December 14, 2012 (Pokljuka, Slovenia) – Canada’s Rosanna Crawford leaped up the field in the women’s 7.5k Sprint at the IBU World Cup in Slovenia today, cutting her PB result earned last weekend in half finishing a stellar 12th with a perfect shooting record to trail winner Gabriela Soukalova (CZE) by only 52.1s.

“Yep new PB!! I am really excited about todays results. It’s always nice to shoot clean, but to also place a personal best in the top 12 is fantastic! Shooting has always been my strong point. I am also pretty fast in the range, shooting time and getting in and out. I feel like this makes up a little bit for not being as fast on the skis,” Crawford told Trax.

“I didn’t feel very good in my warm up this morning so I didn’t go as hard as I normally would in my warm up. My first loop was pretty slow and I got faster as the race went on and had my best loop my last loop. The opposite to last weekend where it was really hard to get to the finish line!

“The snow was tricky, the track was much slower than it had been in training days, but it was pretty even for the whole field. The range was also pretty calm which was nice. Defiantly the shooting made my race for me. It’s hard to be in the mix for top 15 with missed targets,” she added.

Soukalova also earned a big PB – her career-first World Cup victory. She out-gunned second place, Miriam Goessner (GER), who faced two penalties in the second round of shooting, to win by 2.1s. Nadezhda Skardino (BLR) scored the bronze, accumulating zero penalties and trailing by 30.1s.

Susan Dunklee (USA) was the top U.S. finisher, placing 14th and 53.2s back. Teammate Annelies Cook was 40th. Canadians Megan Heinike and Megan Imrie finished 45th and 90th, respectively.

“Today was a great day for me and for the team.  We had three women not only qualify for tomorrow’s pursuit but also score World Cup points. After years training together and putting in lots of hard work, it is nice to see that pay off. There was heavy snow falling during the race making the skiing a little tough.  I didn’t quite have my highest gear, but I don’t think
most of the field did,” Dunklee told us.

“Hitting 90% of my targets was awesome.  I been struggling a lot on the range the last couple weeks but had a few really good training days earlier this week that helped me regain confidence.  Tomorrow is another day to practice what we do everyday- skiing and shooting.  I’m looking forward to it and we’ll see what happens,” she concluded.

For tomorrow’s Pursuit Crawford is optimistic but realistic… “For the pursuit tomorrow I am just going to take it one shot at a time! It’s supposed to snow 40cm over night which could make things even tougher tomorrow,” offered Crawford.

Results
1. Gabriela Soukalova (CZE) 22:09.8
2. Miriam Goessner (GER) 2.1
3. Nadezhda Skardino (BLR) 30.1

12. Rosanna Crawford (CAN) 52.1
14. Susan Dunklee (USA) 53.2
40. Annelies Cook (USA) 1:45.2
45. Megan Heinike (CAN) 1:57.9
90. Megan Imrie (CAN) 4:17.9

Full results HERE.

December 13, 2012 (Pokljuka, Slovenia) – US Biathlon’s Tim Burke (USA) placed just outside the medals in fourth spot for a superb performance shooting clean in the men’s 10km sprint at round 3 of the IBU World Cup in Pokljukain, SLO today. Local star Jakov Fak (SLO) took the win on home turf, besting rivals Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) and Martin Fourcade (FRA) to the delight of Slovenian fans.

“I am really happy with today’s result,” said Burke in a team release. “Of course it would have been nice to find a few more seconds to get onto the podium, but I really did everything I could out there today so I am very happy with that. I felt very solid on the shooting range today.

“I was able to execute the techniques that I have been working on in practice. I am still missing my top gear on the skis, but hopefully that will show up at World Championships in February. Now I am looking forward to Saturdays Pursuit. I will be starting only 15 seconds behind first place so everything is still possible!”

Fak posted a time of 24:41.7 and a spotless shooting record to nab the victory by a mere 0.8s over Svendsen, who suffered a penalty on the second round of shooting. Fourcade finished 6.1s behind after shooting clean in both rounds. Burke who also shot clean finished 15.2s back.

Scott Perras was the fastest Canuck on the day, sprinting into 34th place, with Lowell Bailey (USA) close behind in 36th. Other North American results include Scott Gow (CAN) in a tie for 50th, Jean Philippe LeGuellec (CAN) in 83rd, Russell Currier (USA) in 89th, and Jay Hakkinen (USA) in 92nd.

Results
1. Jakov Fak (SLO) 24:41.7
2. Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) 0.8
3. Martin Fourcade (FRA) 6.1

4. Tim Burke (USA) 15.2

Full results HERE.

November 27, 2012 – Biathlon Canada’s online auction is now live just in time for your holiday shopping! Shop for great deals on apparel and equipment, including National Team items only available through Biathlon Canada and Vancouver 2010 memorabilia. Click HERE to start bidding! Auction runs from November 15th to 29th.

November 06, 2012 (Ottawa, ON) – Biathlon Canada, the national governing body for the sport of biathlon in Canada, is seeking applicants to fill a part time position at the national office in Ottawa. The successful candidate will assist the Executive Director with a number of projects including* but not limited to:

– General administrative functions
– Filling materials and supplies orders
– Web postings and website review
– Assist with production of promotional materials
– Meeting planning and preparation
– Membership registration and club database processes
– Entry level bookkeeping duties as assigned
– Other tasks as assigned
*Please refer to the complete job description for further details

The successful candidate will have the following attributes:
– Post secondary education in Sport Administration, Physical and Health Education, Business or a combination of related education and experience
– The ability to work with a high degree of independence in a fast-paced environment and respond quickly and efficiently to inquiries
– Excellent organization skills and attention to detail
– Good communication skills including the ability to produce polished communication in written and oral form in English (essential) and French (highly desirable)
– Ability to use Microsoft Office software and to learn other systems quickly
– Ability to take direction on assigned projects
– Ability to work as a team player in a volunteer-based organization
– Bilingualism is considered a strong asset
– Knowledge of the sport of biathlon or cross country skiing is considered an asset
– Flexibility to work varying days and hours depending on the workload at the various times of the year

Position: Administrative Assistant

Job Description:
Position: Administrative Assistant (part time contract) Location: Ottawa, Ontario (Biathlon Canada Head Office) Hours: 16-24 hours per week depending on the season (week-day time between 8:30am and 5pm- flexibility required by applicant and flexibility given by employer) Contract Dates: 15 months (January 7, 2013 – March 31, 2014) + training days Rate of Pay: $15-$18/hour (to be determined based on qualifications and experience) Benefits: none

Application Deadline: 16 November, 2012
Starting Date: 2-3 training days between Dec 10-21, 2012
with a formal start date of January 7, 2013.

Applications with a résumé and 3 references will be accepted by email at the address below until Friday, November 16, 2012.

Joanne Thomson, Executive Director
Email: jthomson@biathloncanada.ca

Biathlon Canada is an equal opportunity employer.

Salary Range: $15-$18/hour

Type of Position: Part Time – Employee

View Attachment: Administrative Assistant Job Description HERE.

Contact Information:
Joanne Thomson
Biathlon Canada
Suite 111, 2197 Riverside Dr.
Ottawa , ON, Canada
K1H 7X3
E-mail: jthomson@biathloncanada.ca
Tel. 613-748-5608 x3
www.biathloncanada.ca

October 26, 2012 – “It’s been 26 years running that we’ve had early season ski camps on the mountain,” said Guy Paulsen, Nordic Manager at Silver Star Mountain Resort.

For the first time in the history, Canada’s longest running early season cross country ski camp will be co-hosted by the two neighbouring Nordic operators, Silver Star Mountain Resort and Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre. “We believe by combining the camps, we are bringing the best of both to our skiing guests.” said Guy Paulsen.

As Silver Star Mountain Resort and Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre prepare to co-host the early season “XC Supercamp” running November 19th to December 2, they are looking back to their respective ski roots on the mountain.

Largest Early Season Trail System
“Skiing on the mountain started in the 1930’s when the pioneer skiers would catch the bus to the end of the road by the school house, which was near the bottom of the hill, then they would ski up the mountain. It was an all-day event,” said Don Wylie of Sovereign Lake. “Back then, you could ski the whole mountain because it was bare. Today we have first class groomed trails to follow and between the two areas we have the largest early season trail system in Western Canada.”

European Spa and 5-Star Dining
We’re really excited about the added features that  XC Supercamp can offer that are unique to our area. Campers may spend a relaxing afternoon at Sparkling Hill Resort, the only European spa of it’s kind in North America, where they will have access to seven unique aromatherapy sauna and steam rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, and hydrotherapy pool. The evening will finish with a five-star dinning experience overlooking Okanagan Lake.

Popular Biathlon Experience
XC Supercamp is pleased to offer biathlon as an option to the five-day and weekend camps. “It was such a hit at the Sovereign Lake camps last year that we decided to include it in this year’s program,” said Darren Derochie, senior coach at XC Supercamp. “For some it’s something they have never tried before. This allows them the opportunity to experience biathlon.  For others, they may have experience shooting, the new experience is doing it on skis.”

Skiers across Canada and the U.S. have come to trust the early season snow and excellent coaching to start their season at Silver Star and Sovereign Lake. “With significant snow on the mountain already, we are on track for our forecasted opening November 9th and possibly sooner.”

October 04, 2012 (Fort Kent, ME) – Over the weekend of September 21-23 junior athletes from throughout the county came to the 10th Mountain Center in Fort Kent to participate in a 3-day shooting camp. During the camp athletes learned the skills needed to begin training in the sport of biathlon. They participated in a variety of shooting practices, running, strength and roller ski sessions over the long weekend in preparation for the 2012-13 winter season.

Focused sessions like this are great prior to the winter to help young athletes hone their skills while the weather is warm. This winter the Maine Winter Sports Center is excited to announce the 10th Mountain Center will be hosting the 2013 USBA National Championship over March 7th through 10th.. We hope to see many of these young athletes competing there. These athletes will also have an opportunity to participate in biathlon evens as part of the North American Cup races in Valcartier and La Patrie Quebec, and Jericho Vermont.

What is next? Junior athletes from throughout Maine are currently training outside Cody, Wyoming with MWSC Head Nordic Coach Will Sweetser. Here in Maine a group is enjoying fall training on Mount Desert Island, and we are preparing to start our regular weekly fall/winter sessions.

Parent information sessions will be held on October 2nd in Presque Isle at the Nordic Heritage center at 7:30pm as well as on October 4th in Fort Kent at the 10th Mountain Center at 7:30pm. Come and learn more about these programs. We look forward to seeing you all out this fall.

October 02, 2012 (Calgary, AB) – Biathlete Robin Clegg, 35, who competed for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, was hit by a vehicle, apparently deliberately by an angry driver, while he and two friends were cycling near Calgary on Sunday, reported the Toronto Star. Clegg suffered a broken collarbone and elbow and underwent surgery for his injuries. Read the full article HERE.

April 04, 2012 – The book titled “Wild Shot” is now available. Wild Shot is outwardly about the external physical demands and internal mental demands of the winter sports of Cross Country Skiing and Biathlon. Author Andy Liebner discovers that sport is not just about training and competition; it’s a metaphor for a deeper aspect of life. Sport is a quest! To rise to the top requires a heroic journey to encounter and overcome external and internal barriers, and Andy runs into far more of them than you might think possible. The barriers are relentless. But he learns that his biggest enemy is inside his head and if he masters his fears then he wins.

Author Biography of Andy Liebner – Wild Shot

Andy Liebner is a fast young Alaskan who went from top junior and collegiate XC ski racing results to signing up for the military the day after 9-11 to then racing around the world to see how far he could go in XC skiing and biathlon. He had many surprising adventures along the way and learned what it means to go it alone (with help from friends). Breakthroughs and frustrations alike abound in his story. The barriers were ENDLESS and only got BIGGER, yet Andy persevered. The finale is fascinating with major twists.

Andy particularly enjoys training with various pals, including some of the best athletes in the world — such as the #1 all-time biathlete, “King Ole,” Ole Einar Bjorndalen. He’s trying to see what they do that makes them so good and he passes along what he learns. Andy includes practical insights on the factors separating skiers who are on their way up, including his best tips for technique, and advice on the toughest challenge: the mind game. His races give us heat-of-the-moment action ranging from DQ’s to big wins.

There’s business and marketing, too, when Andy starts repping for a wax company in the middle of racing and then becomes in demand as a winning wax tech. But he just wants to race!

It’s 250 pages of page-burning fun — with nail-biting cliffhangers.

In 2010 Andy won the US Marathon series and in 2011 he won the U.S. National College Cup and added two more All-American certificates to his resume. Nowadays he’s back to globetrotting, coaching Olympians, and working in the ski industry.

March 01, 2012 (Rupholding, Germany) – The 2012 IBU World Championships open Mar. 1 in Ruhpolding, Germany with the 2×6+2×7.5 km Mixed Relay featuring a team of two women & two men. Sara Studebaker (Boise, ID), Susan Dunklee (Barton, VT), Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY) and Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY) will start for Team USA.

“The team arrived here in Ruhpolding on Monday after our final preparation in Ridaun, Italy. We think that we have done everything we can now, and everybody is looking forward to the start of the races ,” said US Biathlon Head Coach Per Nilsson. “The team has had an up-going trend in January and February, which we wanted due to the late date for the World Championships, so we know that we have a good capacity. The key is to continue to stay with the routine that every athlete has. They should just do the normal work and focus on things that they can impact. Then we will have some good results over the next 10 days.”

“The team really feels at home here in Ruhpolding. We’ve had several summer camps here, so it feels natural for them to be here,” said Bernd Eisenbichler, US Biathlon High Performance Director. “Everyone has done their work – the athletes, coaches, wax technicians, the physiotherapists – and now it’s time to go ahead and execute what we’ve been working on over the last year.”

The World Championships continue through March 11th. Ruhpolding has a 34 year history of hosting of World Cup and World Championship event. Ticket sales have reached 30,000 per day and the TV audience is expected to exceed 25 million viewers per competition.

Competition begins at 9:30 am (EST) Mar. 1 and will be webcast live HERE.
Please visit HERE for a link to the complete World Championship schedule and results.

2012 U.S. Biathlon IBU World Championship Team

Men
– Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY) – World Cup Ranking: 13th – two 5th place finishes
– Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY) – World Cup Ranking: 22nd – 6th & 8th place finishes
– Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME) – World Cup Ranking: 47th – two 6th place finishes
– Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK) – World Cup Ranking: 33rd – 9th & 14th place finishes
– Leif Nordgren (Marine, MN) – World Cup Ranking: 94th – 33rd & 48th place finishes

Women
– Lanny Barnes (Durango, CO) – 2nd & 4th place finishes in IBU Cup 7, Canmore
– Annelies Cook (Saranac Lake, NY) – World Cup Ranking: 76th – 33rd & 39th place finishes
– Susan Dunklee (Barton, VT) – World Cup Ranking: 48th – 17th & 27th place finishes
– Sara Studebaker (Boise, ID) – World Cup Ranking: 55th – 15th & 23rd place finishes

February 28, 2012 – The Finnish Nordic Sports brand ONE WAY and the French Ski Federation (FFS) began their successful cooperation for the exclusive supply of textiles and footwear for the Nordic Ski Teams two years ago. The new designs and technical wear for the team have created a lot of attention for the French Nordic Teams.

Due to the successful and good cooperation, both parties agreed to extend the cooperation in a long term contract until 2018.

ONE WAY will enlarge their development in supporting the French Nordic Ski Team with the newest standard and innovations for racing apparel and footwear.

The French Nordic team is today one of the most successful ski nation with the leader in the IBU Biathlon WC Martin Fourcade, the leader in the Nordic Combined WC Lamy Chapuis and many other athletes in the top ten rankings for all Nordic disciplines.

The French national team with their athletes will be core program of the ONE WAY marketing program.

We are proud being partner of one of the most successful and exciting Nordic Ski Team in the World.

February 21, 2012 (Kontiolahti, Finland) – The IBU World Junior Championships got underway in Finland yesterday and Canada’s Julia Ransom led all North Americans with an eighth-place finish in the Youth Women’s 10km Individual competition. The 19-year-old Ransom, from Kelowna, B.C., missed only three shots in four rounds of shooting, and finished with a time of 41:38.1.

Germany’s Julia Bartolmaes captured the first gold medal while Galina Vishnevskaya of Kazakhstan won the silver medal, with Norway’s Hilde Fenne grabbing the bronze.

Three other Canadians and three American women also hit the start line. Anna Kubek (USA) was 30th while Sarah Beudry (CAN) was 33rd; Tara Geraghty-Moats (USA) placed 44th, while Rose-Marie Cote (CAN) finished in 47th place. Erin Oliver-Beebe (CAN) finished in 50th, with Melissa Manning (USA) and Mikaela Paluszek (USA) finishing up in 58th and 72nd place, respectively.

Youth Men 12.5 km Individual Pursuit
France’s Aristide Begne missed just one shot on his way to gold ahead of Maksim Romanouski from Belarus, with the Ukraine’s Artem Tyshchenko finishing in the bronze medal position.

Calgary’s Christian Gow led the North American men in the 12.5-kilometre individual pursuit competition. The 18-year-old missed one shot in each of his four bouts on the range to finish in 11th overall.

Following Gow was Sean Doherty (USA) and Samuel Dougherty (USA), finishing in 26th and 28th position. Canadians Albert Bouchard, Stuart Harden, and Carsen Campbell finished mid-back (36th, 38th, and 41st place), while Nicholas Proell (USA) finished 55th and Jacob Prince (USA) ended up in 83rd place.

Women’s 10k Individual results HERE.
Men’s 12.5k Individual results HERE.

February 16, 2012 – Russell Currier, 24, a rising star on the US men’s biathlon squad, surprised even himself when he scored a career-best sixth place in the 10k sprint at the IBU Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic last month – read more HERE. He then proved he could do it again when he matched his sixth place in Kontiolahti, Finland last weekend. It was an historic day for the entire US squad, with the team’s best showing ever in a World Cup. Lowell Bailey finished 5th, while Tim Burke placed 13th and Jay Hakkinen was 16th. SkiTrax caught up with Currier after his breakthrough results and here’s what he had to say:

The coaches and I had no idea what to expect out of the sprint race on Saturday. I came down with what I think was food poisoning the day before and wasn’t even sure if I should race. I didn’t feel 100% Saturday morning, but I was close, and with the way shooting and ski speed had been going lately, I made the call and decided to go for it.

I like the course profile in Kontiolahti. It’s very basic and has a good variety of climbs. The -15 Celsius weather wasn’t as fun. I’m not a fan of racing in a buff or with tape on the face, but I didn’t have much choice in the sprint race.

My shooting has felt good the past couple of weeks. Our coach and I worked on bringing my range times down a little bit. I was able to shave off a few seconds for the race on Saturday, which ended up making a huge difference.

Ski speed felt decent considering I had to duck out of the mixed relay the day before. I don’t know what food it was, but this is not the first time this has happened to me in Finland. I didn’t have anyone that I knew was fast around me. All I could do was break the course down into increments and do each one as best as I could. On the last loop, I only had a few splits. Hearing that I was in the top eight helped get me through the last flat section before the finish.

The whole race felt surreal. My goal was to get in the top 40. With the way I had been feeling the day before, I was just hoping to make the top 60 for a pursuit start. The whole day for the men’s team was a tremendous success. It was officially the best day the US men had ever had. I was honored to be able to say that I was part of it.

The pursuit was another good day for our team. I moved down to 23rd, but it was still a good race for me. Prone was decent with one in each stage. I would have liked to have shot a little better in standing, but I wasn’t the only one struggling with shooting that day. Pacing and tactics were much more professional in Sunday’s pursuit than the pursuit in Nove Mesto. My legs felt a little heavy and stiff so I was very surprised when I found out afterwords that I had the 10th fastest ski time.

The IBU Cup field is more competitive than ever. You could say the same thing about the WC field to, but the IBU field has taken the biggest increase the past couple of years. Biathlon is such an up and down sport it’s not always fair to compare results from day to day. I can finish a race and give a better analysis of how it went than the result list can. I’ve had a few mediocre days on the IBU and WCup circuit this season. The sprint race in Kontiolahti was just one of the very good days.

Both races this past weekend were a confidence boost for the athletes and staff. We’re not working any less hard or professionally than the Euros. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be up on the result list. The weekend was simply a good example of this and our organization as a team.

February 13, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – Canada’s Nathan Smith made history on Saturday in the Rockies when he won the men’s IBU Cup sprint race, becoming the first Canadian male to win an IBU Cup tour competition. Then on Sunday, he did it again, scoring gold in the 10k. Hear what the 26-year-old Canmore local has to say about his recent success.

January 31, 2012 – US Biathlon is raffling off four tickets to this year’s Superbowl! This is an all-expenses paid trip for you and three guests for two nights in Indianapolis! The raffle tickets are only $2 a piece, but the contest ends at 1pm EST on Thursday, February 2. Thanks for the support and good luck!

Buy your tickets HERE.

January 31, 2012 (Brezno-Osrblie, Slovakia) – Russia’s Alexey Volkov only missed one shot in the Men’s 12.5k Pursuit at the IBU Open European Championships that run Jan. 27-Feb. 2 in Slovakia to secure the win in a time of 31:48.0, +16.2 faster than second place, Serhiy Semenov (UKR). Daniel Bohm (GER) finished a further +2.3 back for the bronze medal. The top three only received one shooting penalty each.

The race within the race, however, was headlined by USA’s Leif Nordgren, who stormed from a 45th-place starting position to finish a phenomenal 21st, logging a time of 35:01.6 with only two shooting penalties. Team mate Russell Currier (USA) finished an impressive 24th despite a whopping five penalties. Mark Johnson (USA) finished 44th with two missed shots and a time of 37:39.9. No Canadian men competed.

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.

January 17, 2012 (Innsbruck, Austria) – The inaugural Youth Olympic Winter Games are underway in Innsbruck and Canadian and U.S. athletes are already making headlines. Here are the latest Team USA and Team Canada updates from the Youth Olympic Games newsroom.

Canada’s Chef de Mission Beckie Scott visits Seefeld Venue
Beckie Scott, who was the first Canadian to win a Cross-Country Olympic Gold medal, has paid a visit to Seefeld Arena to support her nation’s athletes and also check out the track.

Describing her experience as Chef de Mission of the Canadian Team at the Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games as “mellow so far”, Scott was accompanied by her husband and their four-year-old son Teo, who was kitted out for some fun on the slopes.

Scott enjoyed time on the track, testing the challenging hills at Seefeld as Innsbruck 2012 athletes trained in preparation for the start of the Cross-Country on Tuesday.

Read full story HERE.

Selyaninov Grabs Gold in 10km Classic, USA’s Caldwell 16th
Alexander Selyaninov (RUS) took victory in a time of 29:28.8, gaining a +11.4 advantage over Kentaro Ishikawa (JPN). Bronze went to Kazakhstan’s Sergey Malyshev, who finished +28.7 behind. Conditions were ideal, with packed snow, partly cloudy skies, and temperatures hovering around -7 C.

Patrick Caldwell (USA) was the top North American finisher in 16th place and +2:01.3 back. Matthew Saurette (CAN) finished 29th.

Results HERE.

Sedova Scores in 5km Classic, USA’s Mooney 13th
Anastasia Sedova (RUS), sister of World Cup racer Peter Sedov (RUS), won gold in the women’s 5km Classic at the Youth Olympic Games. Sedova won in 14:18, nearly +20s faster than silver medalist Anamaria Lampic (SLO). Lea Einfalt (SLO) made it a double-medal day for Slovenia when she secured the bronze.

Team USA’s Heather Mooney logged the best North American result with a 13th-place finish at +2:00.8. Maya MacIsaac-Jones (CAN) finished 17th.

Results HERE.

Takanashi Wins WSJ, Canada’s Henrich 5th
Sara Takanashi (JPN) won the Women’s Individual Ski Jump event with two jumps of 76.5m. Germany’s Katharina Althaus finished second with jumps of 71.0m and 72.5m. and Ursa Bogataj (SLO) took home bronze with a pair of 71.5m jumps.

Canada’s Taylor Henrich finished fifth with a leap of 64m in her first run and 66m in her second. Emilee Anderson (USA) completed the competition in ninth place after a first-round jump of 59.5m on the HS75 hill. She fought back to jump 65.5m in the second round.

Results HERE.

Lanisek Tops in Men’s Ski Jumping, Canada’s Korek 8th
Anze Lanisek (SLO) won the Men’s Individual Ski Jump competition in Innsbruck with two solid jumps. The first was 78.2m and the second 77.5m. Mats Berggaard (NOR) took home the silver medal, with Yukiya Sato (JPN) earning the bronze.

Canada’s Dusty Korek was the top North American with an eighth-place finish and two consistent jumps of 77.5m and 77.3m each. Team USA’s William Rhoads finished 19th.

Results HERE.

January 13, 2012 (Nove Mesto, Czech Republic) – Olga Zaitseva (RUS) took the win in the women’s 7.5km sprint event at the IBU Biathlon World Cup in Nove Mesto on Friday with a time of 23:08.1 and a perfect shooting score, despite conditions that went from bright to stormy during the competition.

Tora Berger (NOR) finished second with two shooting penalties and +25.5 behind the winner, while Magdalena Neuner (GER) raced into third spot with three penalties and a deficit of +34.5.

Canada’s Zina Kocher (CAN) was the top North American finisher in 23rd spot. Teammate Megan Imrie (CAN) finished 44th, Susan Dunklee (USA) was 45th, Annalies Cook (USA) 51st, Sara Studebaker (USA) 54th, and Tracy Barnes (USA) 87th.

Full results HERE.

January 06, 2012 (Oberhof, Germany) – The Russian and Italian teams won gold in the women’s 4x6km and men’s 4×7.5km relay, respectively, at IBU World Cup #4 in Oberhof, Germany.

In the women’s race, Olga Vilukhina (RUS) anchored the Russian team to bring home gold with an overall time of 1:19:32 and 13 shooting penalties. Team Norway cruised in +5.9 later for the silver medal, and the French team grabbed bronze.

The Italian squad put together a fantastic race in the 4×7.5km men’s race with only five shooting penalties opposed to second place Russia’s 13. Italy won by a +6.1 margin, while Sweden scooped up bronze with six penalties and a +32.7 gap.

Team USA’s Lowell Bailey, Jay Hakkinen, Tim Burke, and Leif Nordgren opened the World Cup competition with a 11th-place finish, trailing the leaders by +5:42.3 and racking up 19 penalties.

“With the rain training has not been easy, but the organizers have been doing everything they can to put a good track together, ” said U.S. Biathlon High Performance Director Bernd Eisenbichler. “In the Relay, it’s always tricky in these conditions with both skiing and waxing….”

Results
Women 4×6 km Relay HERE.
Men 4×7.5 km Relay HERE.

December 21, 2011 (Early Winters, WA) – This year, the Methow Valley Nordic Team has no less than four graduates who are skiing at an elite level in international competitions. Sadie Bjornsen and her younger brother Erik Bjornsen are members of the U.S. Ski Team, hoping to make the 2014 Olympic Games.

Brian Gregg, ranked among the 10 fastest skiers in the country, has been invited by the U.S. Ski Team to compete in Europa Cup races and has earned World Cup Start rights by leading the overall Super Tour.

Casey Smith, named Junior Biathlete of the Year by the U.S. Biathlon Team, and is near qualifying for the U.S. Biathlon European Championship Team

All four of these elite athletes will be giving back to the community and their home team, by giving a free ski clinic on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at the Mazama Community Center, for members of the Methow Valley Nordic Team. Over 30 kids have pre-registered!

Click HERE to view the announcement on Sadie Bjornsen’s blog.

December 16, 2011 (Obertilliach, Austria) – Two young Calgary biathletes shocked the world by finishing third and fourth in a men’s 10-kilometre sprint competition at the IBU Biathlon Cup in Obertilliach, Austria on Friday.

Nathan Smith put his name in the history books as one of a handful of Canadian biathletes to win a medal in international racing after capturing the bronze with a time of 24 minutes, 18.1 seconds, while senior team rookie, Scott Gow, narrowly missed the podium placing fourth at 24:31.4 against a deep field of nearly 100 athletes – many of whom compete regularly on the World Cup circuit.

“It feels great. Only a few other Canadians have had top-four results on the IBU Cup so two in one day is exceptional,” said Smith, who turns 26 on Christmas Day and becomes the sixth Canadian biathlete to medal on the IBU Cup over the last decade. The Canadian squad also finished fourth in Wednesday’s mixed relay.

“During the training season I made some strong improvements in both skiing and shooting and I was hoping to carry those over to the competition season. This result is affirmation the work is paying off in actual results.”

Both Smith and Gow shot clean with light winds blowing through the range, and took advantage of good skis on the hard-packed, fast Austrian course.

“Our coaching and waxing team have been doing an awesome job. I’m fairly certain our skis in Obertilliach have been the best of all the teams thus far,” added Smith. “So far this winter four men have put down top results on both the IBU and World Cup. This shows that our team is building depth. I also hope younger biathletes in Canada will see our results and strive to match and exceed them.”

Russia’s Evgeniy Garanichev won the gold medal with a time of 24:09.7 despite missing one shot in his first round of shooting. Germany’s Daniel Bohm snagged the silver with a time of 24:11.4.

Despite finishing just shy of the podium, it was a stellar day for the 21-year-old Scott Gow who made the climb to the senior ranks this year where he has split time on the World Cup and IBU Cup Circuit – a feeder series to the World Cup.

“The race today felt amazing. It was one of those rare days where great skiing with perfect shooting came together, and I’m more than ecstatic it happened today on the IBU Cup,” said Gow, who was clean in his two rounds of shooting. “The skis were the difference today. I have felt great the last two weeks on the boards and they were really good today which gave us an edge on our competitors.”

Equally brilliant off the snow, the sharp-shooting biathlete was an honours student at the National Sport School where he was one of a small group of students selected from around the world to attend United States Space School four years ago at NASA in Houston. An incredible experience for the young Canuck, Gow’s mission has since been focused on achieving his Olympic dream. He enjoyed a memorable campaign in 2011 where he carried the Alberta flag into the closing ceremonies of the Canada Winter Games after winning four gold medals in as many competitions, one week following a ninth-place finish at the Junior World Championships.

“This result is important for me because I feel like it validates my training over the past year, and gives me the confidence going forward to know that I am competitive on the IBU Cup,” said Gow. “Doing as well as I did today against the competition I had is a real boost of confidence because they guys we’re finishing with have good results on the World Cup and are considered World Cup caliber athletes, so it’s another major boost for sure.”

Two other Canadian men suited up on Friday. Calgary’s Tyson Smith shot clean to finish tied for 50th at 26:23.5. Aaron Gillmor was 96th (28:05.9).

Quebec’s Claude Godbout finished as the top Canadian in the women’s 7.5-kilometre sprint, placing 32nd at 24:32.2. Yolaine Oddou, of Val Belair, Que., was 34th (24:44.8), while Melanie Schultz, of Camrose, Alta., finished 53rd (25:43.1).

Russia’s Ekaterina Glazyrina shot clean to win the women’s competition with a time of 22:30.8.

Meanwhile, the top women’s biathletes in the country also had a solid outing on the World Cup circuit down the road in Hochfilzen, Austria.

Megan Imrie, of Falcon Lake, Man., skied to the final spot in the top-25 for the best result of her career. The 25-year-oldImrie, who represented Canada at the 2010 Olympics, missed two shots in her first of two bouts of shooting to clock a time of 22:18.1 in the women’s 7.5-kilometre sprint competition.

Zina Kocher, of Red Deer, Alta., will join Imrie in the pursuit competition with the top-60 athletes after placing 50th with a time of 23:08.0. Rosanna Crawford, of Canmore, Alta., rounded out the Canadian performances in 73rd (24:05.7).

Russia’s Olga Zaitseva won the women’s sprint with a time of 20:36.6. Darya Domracheva, of Belarus, settled for the silver medal at 20:%0.5, while Sweden’s Helena Ekholm locked up the bronze after clocking-in at 21:06.8.

The IBU Cup and World Cup events continue on Saturday in Austria with the pursuit competitions.

FOR COMPLETE RESULTS: www.biathlonworld.com

IBU Men
1. Evgeniy Garanichev, RUS, (1+0), 24:09.7
2. Daniel Bohm, GER, (0+0), 24:11.4
3. Nathan Smith, Calgary, CAN, (0+0), 24:18.1
4. Scott Gow, Calgary, CAN, (0+0), 24:31.4
5. Johannes Kuhn, GER, (0+1), 24:36.1

IBU Women
1. Ekaterina Glazyrina, RUS, (0+0), 22:30.8
2. Juliya Dzyhma, UKR, (0+0), 22:40.4
3. Sabrina Buchholz, GER, (1+0), 22:44.8
4. Ekaterina Shumilova, RUS, (0+2), 22:53.8
5. Roberta Fiandino, ITA, (0+0), 23:03.2.

32. Claude Godbout, Quebec, (0+1), 24:32.2
34. Yolaine Oddou, Val Belair, Que., (2+0), 24:44.8
53. Melanie Schultz, Camrose, Alta., (2+2), 25:43.1

World Cup Women
1. Olga Zaitseva, RUS, (0+1), 20:36.6
2. Darya Domracheva, BLR, (1+1), 20:50.5
3. Helena Ekholm, SWE, (1+0), 21:06.8
4. Magdalena Neuner, GER, (1+1), 21:21.5
5. Vita Semerenko, UKR, (0+1), 21:32.2.

25. Megan Imrie, Falcon Lake, Man., (2+0), 22:18.1
50. Zina Kocher, Red Deer, Alta., (1+3), 23:08.0
73. Rosanna Crawford, Canmore, Alta., (3+0), 24:05.7

December 10, 2011 (Hochfilzen, Austria) – It was a Norwegian showdown in the men’s 12.5km pursuit in Hochfilzen this morning in the men’s 15km IBU WCup pursuit, with Emil Hegle Svendsen besting fellow countryman Tarjei Boe in a final sprint to line with a time of 33:09.0 and a winning margin of only 0.1s. It was a nailbiter, with Svendsen racking up two shooting penalties and Boe only holding one. Switzerland’s Benjamin Weger claimed third place at 4.9 seconds back and only one penalty.

The top North American result was logged by USA’s Lowell Bailey, who finished 17th. He trailed by +57.4 and amassed two penalties. Canada’s Brendan Green finished 33rd at +2:00.5 back with three penalties. Jay Hakkinen (USA) landed 45th spot with four penalties.

In the 10km women’s pursuit, Darya Domracheva (BLR) showed an impressive display of determination to snag her victory over second place, Olga Zaitseva (RUS), and third place, Magdalena Neuner (GER). Domracheva came from behind, trailing by 55s after the third shooting stage, to claim the victory on the final round. She finished her race in 29:34.4 with two penalties, while Zaitseva finished only +0.3 back with a single penalty.

Zina Kocher (CAN) scored the best North American result with a solid 23rd place, trailing by 3:09.5 and logging two penalties. Susan Dunklee (USA) finished 43rd, followed by team mate Sara Studebaker (USA) in 44th.

Men’s results HERE.
Women’s results HERE.

November 21, 2011 (Caribou, ME) – The Maine Winter Sports Center is pleased to host the 10th Mountain Division Junior Nordic and Junior Biathlon Championships in 2012. These events serve as Maine’s state-wide junior championships and offer Maine’s best young cross-country skiers and biathletes the opportunity to show their skills at the highest level of junior racing. For the 2012 season, the 10th Mountain Division Championships have been slated for Rumford and Fort Kent, Maine.

The Chisholm Ski Club will host the 10th Mountain Division Nordic Championships in conjunction with the USSA Cross-Country Skiing Championship junior 10km set for January 6th, at Black Mountain in Rumford, Maine. In the men’s division, look for Tom Rabon (Burke Mountain Academy) and Nick Michaud (Bates College) to battle it out for the title of Maine’s fastest junior man. If either should falter, Cam Reagan (Bates College) will be waiting. On the women’s side, Rachel Hall (Middlebury College) is the one to beat. Shelby Aseltine (Bowdoin College) should offer challenge.

The 10th Mountain Division Biathlon Championship will be run in conjunction with the January 21st Biathlon NorAm competitions hosted by the 10th Mountain Center in Fort Kent, Maine. The field is open on both the men’s and women’s side in this competition as a young crew of biathletes begins to grow. Chester Jacobs (Yarmouth) has the most experience on the men’s side, but Presque Isle natives Jesse and Jon Rochester will be hunting their first victory. The women’s field is crowded with young talent: Tara Humphries (Yarmouth), Danni Anderson (Mapleton), Emelie and Zoe Chace-Donahue (Freeport), and Anna Soderberg (Caribou) may all stake their claim to the title.

In hosting these championships for our young nordic athletes, the Maine Winter Sports Center looks to honor the role that the 10th Mountain Division played in not only helping to win the second world war, but also helping to found the modern ski industry in the United States. For more information, please contact the Maine Winter Sports Center at (207) 492-1442.

www.Mainewsc.org

June 22, 2011 – Biathlon Canada, the national governing body for the sport of biathlon in Canada, is seeking an energetic and motivated individual to serve as Technical Programs Coordinator. The Technical Programs Coordinator is a key staff position within the organization and as such provides the overall coordination aspect of all biathlon sport development programs (coaching, officials and competition programs). The TPC ensures that Sport Development programs apply sound business practices, operates according to Biathlon Canada, IBU, Sport Canada and COC policies and consistently delivers a high standard of athlete, coach and officials satisfaction.

For full details of the position and job description, please click HERE.

The applicant should have the following experience / abilities:
– Formal Education at the university level in Physical Education or Physical Activity Sciences, or Sport Administration or the equivalent experience in the field of amateur sport;
– Coaching and Officiating certification or experience in biathlon and/or in other sports;
– A proven record of success coordinating programs and personnel in their efforts for International success;
– Good leadership abilities, and an ability to organize and administer complex programs;
– An understanding of short-term and long-term planning necessary to develop clubs, athletes, coaches and officials;
– The ability to represent Biathlon Canada professionally to its partners and stakeholders;
– Be a team player;
– The ability to communicate effectively;
– Bilingualism is considered a strong asset;
– Fluency in written English;
– Excellent computer skills including knowledge of use of Microsoft Office products
– Ability to create and present PowerPoint presentations; ability to prepare reports for funding partners, Executive and Board Members.

TRAVEL
The TPC will be required to travel on a regular basis. This includes attending the National Championships as well as selection competitions and various Biathlon Canada meetings. The TPC will, from time to time, be required to travel outside Canada.

APPLICATIONS
The planned location of the position is at the national office in Ottawa, Ontario. The anticipated start date is August 8, 2011. In the event that there are no suitable applicants who are resident in the Ottawa area, persons from other locations may be considered based on the ability of the applicant to demonstrate the ability to perform all tasks from a dispersed location. Office support will only be available from the Ottawa office location.

Salary is commensurate with experience. Applications with a résumé and 3 references will be accepted at the address below until July 8, 2011. Starting Date: August 8, 2011.

We thank all applicants but only those invited for an interview will be contacted. This position is made possible with partial financial support from Sport Canada.

Type of Position: Full Time – Employee

Contact Information:
Joanne Thomson
Biathlon Canada
2197 Riverside Dr., Suite 111
Ottawa , ON, Canada
K2C 4A2
E-mail: jthomson@biathloncanada.ca
Tel. 613-748-5608 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 613-748-5608 end_of_the_skype_highlighting x3
Fax. 613-748-5762
www.biathloncanada.ca

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 09, 2011 – Check out this great interview with Canadian Para-Biathlete Jody Barber at the IPC Nordic Skiing World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, where she logged three fourth-place finishes. She shared her observations with the IPC Worlds Press Centre about how the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver opened the world’s eyes to athletes with disabilities and commented on the facilities and attractions of the IPC Nordic World Championship Winter Sports Centre in Russia.

Read the interview HERE.

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.

April 05, 2011 (Ketchum, ID) – Fast and Female hosted its third and final X-Country SkiFest of the year on American snow this past Sunday in Ketchum, Idaho. Held under clear and sunny skies, the event was highlighted by the participation of 70 female ski enthusiasts between the ages of 7 to 19 years who had the opportunity to spend a morning of inspiration with 23 ambassadors – 7 of which are Olympians.

As part of the unique event, Fast and Female event participants kicked off their day with first-hand ski tips from some of the world’s best cross-country ski racers including Kikkan Randall, Liz Stephen, Holly Brooks, Caitlin Compton, Morgan Arritola, Chandra Crawford (Canada), and Biathlete Sara Studebaker. All ambassadors volunteered their time to the event and dressed the part to ensure a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

“It was super awesome,” said 17 year-old participant Emily Williams. “We had so much fun dancing, singing and learning new technique drills. It was amazing to spend the day with these great athletes.”

After the skiing, all girls enjoyed a healthy lunch, took part in an inspirational speech, and concluded the day with a fun yoga/dance session.

“The speeches were really inspirational and not just for cross country skiers,” admitted Kailey Wilt, age 14.

In keeping with Fast and Female’s vision, each event segment served a specific purpose to motivate girls to stay involved in sports as a tremendous vehicle for reaching one’s personal and athletic best.

“The looks we saw on our athletes’ faces today showed us what an important message Fast and Female sends to young women,” added Kelley Sinnott from the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. Sinnott played a key role in coordinating the event along with colleague Ashley McQueen.

Throughout the 2011 winter, Fast and Female hosted three events in the USA, reaching a total of 470 girls in Maine, Alaska and now Idaho. Historically, events are not only inspiring for the young participants but even ambassadors leave the day feeling energized.

“It’s always refreshing to be reminded of kids’ energy and enjoyment of whatever they are part of,” said World Cup racer Liz Stephen. “Fast and Female is a wicked program and the local community and Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation did an awesome job with all the work!”

Parent volunteer, Gretchen Wagner, also commented on the impact of the day: “What an amazing group of women! It was great to see all of the girls inspired by these fast female heroes. Smiles from ear to ear!”

All event participants left with a Fast and Female t-shirt, Buff and autographed poster.

This activity was made possible thanks to valuable local partners such as the Works of Grace Foundation, the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, Cheatwood Photography, and many parent volunteers. Fast and Female’s national sponsors – including Best Buy, Buff Multifunctional Headwear, lululemon athletica, and Cold-FX – are also providing resources to make this event possible. For a complete list of Fast and Female national program supporters and sponsors, please click HERE.

Fast and Female will be releasing more event information shortly. Until then, continue to visit www.fastandfemale.com.

March 30, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – Last Friday, Fast and Female hosted its maiden biathlon day and its first ever event in Charlo, New Brunswick at the Club Les Aventuriers. Held in conjunction with the 2011 Kia Biathlon Canadian Championships, the Fast and Female Biathlon Day presented by Best Buy hosted more than 40 female athletes between the ages of 9 to 19 from across Canada for a sunny morning of inspiration on and off snow.

The young participants – some of whom were already on site to compete in the National Championship – had the opportunity to get first hand tips from National Biathlon stars Zina Kocher, Megan Imrie, Melanie Schultz, and Claude Godbout. They were joined by a handful of eager local girls involved in cross-country skiing programs and beginner biathlon racing from across the Maritimes.

The morning event featured an introductory presentation on the sport of biathlon, followed by on-snow ski drills, target shooting, Zumba dancing and an inspirational presentation by Zina Kocher who took part in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. In keeping with Fast and Female’s vision, the intent of the event was to inspire girls to stick the unique sport of Biathlon which combines cross-country skiing and target shooting.

“We had a GREAT day,” said Megan Imrie, a Fast and Female ambassador from Falcon Lake, Manitoba and a 2010 Olympian. “It was fabulous! We had plenty of wonderful feedback from both girls and parents. We even had some cross-country girls who now want to join biathlon. Needless to say that all ambassadors were very happy to hear that!”

According to Biathlon Canada officials, girls represent 45% of all biathletes in Canada.

“Girls competing at the local and provincial levels don’t often get the chance to ski besides Zina, Megan, Melanie and Claude because those girls are racing in Europe all winter,” explained Marie-Hélène Thibeault, Executive Director for Fast and Female. “Through the Fast and Female programming, we are able to bring everyone together in a non-competitive, fun and inspiring environment to allow for the optimal personal and athletic growth of the participants. We are very fortunate to be able to count on the volunteer time of such high quality ambassadors who have so much to give back.”

This activity was made possible thanks to valuable local partners such as Marion Heppel, the organizing committee for the Kia Biathlon Canadian Championships, Le Club Les Aventuriers, and Biathlon New Brunswick. The event also enjoyed the support of many caring volunteers. Fast and Female’s national sponsors – including Best Buy, Buff Multifunctional Headwear, Cold-FX, Clarins and Biathlon Canada – also providing key resources for the event. For a complete list of Fast and Female national program supporters and sponsors, please click HERE.

Watch a photo montage from the event:

To learn more about Fast and Female’s upcoming events, please visit www.fastandfemale.com.

Follow Fast and Female on Facebook HERE.

March 22, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – Brian McKeever will lean on childhood ski friend, Erik Carleton, to guide him to the top of the podium at the IPC Cross-Country Skiing and Biathlon World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, March 30 to April 10, Cross Country Canada announced today.

With Robin McKeever, who has guided Brian to 10 Paralympic medals including seven gold and three at the 2010 Games in Vancouver-Whistler, forced to the sidelines with a torn ACL, the legendary brother tandem tapped on the shoulder of the 33-year-old Carleton to carry the torch and lead the visually-impaired Brian in the cross-country skiing events at the 2011 World Championships.

“I was surprised and shocked when the McKeevers first asked me, but this is a great opportunity for me and one that I could never turn down,” said Carleton. “It is an honour to race with Brian. He and Robin have done so much for Para-Nordic sport, and I just hope to do whatever I can tohelp continue to build on what they have already accomplished.”

While Robin will return to guide his brother along the road to the 2014 Games, the elder McKeever was also named coach of Canada’s Para-Nordic Team this fall.

“Erik is a very talented, and dedicated athlete and a great friend who I know will do everything he can to ensure we have the opportunity to hear the Canadian anthem being played at the World Championships,” said Brian McKeever who has never worked with another guide other than his older brother since he began competing in Para-Nordic skiing prior to the 2002 Paralympics. “This is obviously a new beginning, but our goals will not change. We are focused on gold, and I’m excited to be heading to Russia knowing I have a great friend and hard-working athlete guiding me to the podium.”

Carleton and the younger McKeever are longtime friends who were introduced to skiing at the same time when they signed up at the same time for a Jackrabbit ski program in Calgary. The two began racing together at the age of 13, and the friends became roommates when they moved to Canmore after eventually qualifying for the National Development Team.

While McKeever’s accomplishments are well documented having won everything on the table in Para-Nordic sport including earning a spot on Canada’s 2010 Olympic Team, Carleton has had numerous top-10’s as recently as this season while mucking it out on the Haywood NorAm Series throughout hiscareer. A part-time database administrator with a degree in computer science from the University of Calgary, Carleton’s best results as a senior racer came at the 2000 National Championships when he won two bronze medals.

“This is a new experience for me racing internationally so I’m nervous about maintaining my form through the travel and time zone changes, but I am also extremely excited,” said Carleton. “Brian and Robin are connected in a way that I will never be able to replace, but I am confident I can ski a pace that will help Brian perform at his best and reach his goals.”

The newly-formed McKeever-Carleton duo will lead a high-powered Canadian contingent into the showcase event on the 2011 IPC calendar. The Canadian squad will include a group of six athletes who have combined to win medals at the Paralympics, World Championships or World Cups.

Six-time Paralympic medallist, Colette Bourgonje will be the lone athlete entered in the women’s sit-ski category. Saskatoon’s Bourgonje, who has competed in six Paralympics in both winter and summer sport, captured a silver and bronze medal at the Vancouver-Whistler Paralympics. Chris Klebl, of Canmore, Alta., who sits fourth overall in the men’s sitting class, has a World Cup bronze medal to his credit this year.

Rising young star, Mark Arendz of Springton, P.E.I., who has enjoyed a dream season in 2011 where he finished second overall in the IPC Biathlon World Cup standings in the men’s standing division will be gunning for his first World Championship medal. With a goal of following the legendary path set by Brian McKeever, the 21-year-old Paralympian shocked the world by winning three gold medals, two silver and two bronze medals this year.

Jody Barber, of Smithers, B.C., who has five IPC World Cup medals to her credit, rounds out the Canadian squad. Barber, who is a 2010 Paralympian and also an accomplished Para-Triathlete where she won a bronze medal for Canada at the 2010 Triathlon World Championships, will compete in the women’s standing category in cross-country skiing.

The Canadian contingent will depart for the IPC World Championships on March 23 where they will take part in a training camp prior to the weeklong competition, which kicks off March 30, 2011.

March 21, 2011 (Oslo, Norway) – Check out this great photo gallery of the action, drama, and emotion at Sunday’s Mass Start event, the final IBU World Cup of the season, in Oslo, Norway. Darya Domracheva (BLR) won the women’s 10km race – more here – while Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) took top honours in the men’s competition – more here.

March 17, 2011 – Lowell Bailey is a two-time Olympian, and the top-ranked US biathlete in this year’s overall World Cup standings in 37th. The Lake Placid native is in the midst of a career-best year, which includes a personal best 9th place finish in the Fort Kent Mass Start, as well as a 12th place effort in the Antholz Sprints. He was also part of the team’s historic 6th place relay finish at the IBU World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. The 29 year-old University of Vermont graduate has accrued four top-20 finishes so far this season with one final World Cup remaining in Oslo, Sweden. Bailey, who has been a member of the National team since 2001, talked to SkiTrax about this year’s World Cup circuit, also touching on the direction he hopes to see US Biathlon take in building towards the 2014 Sochi Olympics

This has quite possibly been the best season of your World Cup career – what do you attribute your success to?
Lowell Bailey: It has been a good season so far. Perhaps the biggest change was that I was able to stay relatively healthy throughout the training and racing season. Last season, I was hit with Swine Flu at the beginning of the race season, and a mixture of other minor ailments throughout the year. Secondly, after last season, my coaches and I decided to make a few adjustments to my training plan. Generally speaking, I did more low-intensity endurance sessions at the beginning of the year and added more intensity later in the training season.

The US relay team finished 6th place at the IBU World Championships…what does this say about the future of US Biathlon?
LB: I think we’ve all known that we could perform at this level – it was just a matter of executing. It’s a really important step for the team. We proved that we can compete with the best teams in the world. We were in medal contention throughout the entire race. With a few less extra rounds, we will be on the podium.

As a veteran on the US team, what advice have you given to the younger athletes such as Leif Nordgren, who has had a breakout season at the World Champs?
LB: Biathlon is such a competitive sport now. The level of competition is higher than I have ever seen it. As such, the difference between 10th and 60th place is often only a matter of one or two missed shots. In order to have success over the long term, you have to be patient. Simple as that.

Where do you hope to see US Biathlon by the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi?
LB: On the podium!

You’re a two-time Olympian – what do you hope to accomplish that you haven’t already?
LB: Simply put – to reach the World Cup podium.

How do you plan to achieve your goal?
LB: I want to improve my shooting consistency. I made a big step this year, but I also missed a lot of significant opportunities because of poor shooting – most notably, moving up to 18th midway through the World Champs Pursuit, only to fall back to 42nd after missing 6 targets over the last two shooting stages. Every athlete has good days and bad days on the shooting range. I want to do everything over the next three years to maximize those good days!

How long do you plan to stay in the sport of biathlon?
LB: Right now, my short-term focus is to finish the season on a high note at the WC final in Oslo. I am motivated for next year and Sochi is definitely in my sights. However, I’ve found that if I put too much focus on the distant future, I lose the grip on the present.

Thanks for your time and all the best in Oslo.
LB: Right

March 15, 2011 (Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia) – Sara Studebaker has had a breakout season during this year’s World Cup circuit. The 2010 Olympian, who scored top-20 finishes at both the Presque Isle WCup and the IBU World Championships, entered the season as the top ranked US woman and the 26 year old has shown she’s a force to be reckoned with.

The Dartmouth College graduate, who has been training with the US Biathlon team since 2007, was the only US woman to qualify for the pursuit race at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, and has since been developing her skills towards what she hopes will produce top results in the coming seasons. SkiTrax caught up with the Boise, Idaho native at the IBU Worlds in Russia just before the final event, the women’s relay, to talk about her success on this year’s circuit, and what we can expect from her and the United States down the road.

You’ve had some impressive results this World Cup season including a 17th place finish in the Individual 15km at the IBU Worlds. What do you attribute your success to and has it changed your overall perspective?
Sara Studebaker: I think my success this year has been the result of several years of hard work and training. It takes time to develop as an athlete, and especially with biathlon you need experience at the high level before you can do well consistently. This year has been much more relaxed for me and I’ve felt comfortable competing at the World Cup level and I think that allowed me to really take a step forward. My successes haven’t really changed my perspective so much as verified things for me. I always believed that with hard work I could be in the mix of things, and seeing how this year has gone just gives me confidence that I can get to that top level.

Nine of your career top 10 World Cup finishes have come this year – what’s different this season?
SS: I think the atmosphere is just more relaxed for me. Of course, the stress of the Olympics was tough last year, but it was also my first season on the World Cup and it can be stressful just being in such a new and crazy situation all season. I think that after having a couple of good results, rather than feeling pressure, I felt confident that I could continue to perform. It’s really been fun to see how all the training is paying off, and it makes me look forward to the next few years as we head towards Sochi.

With success do you feel more pressure to maintain a higher level of performance?
SS: Not right now. I think this year has been such a break-out season for me that it’s just been more enjoyable to see my results and look forward to the next races. I hope that I’ll always be able to have the perspective that keeps pressure off, but I know it will get tougher as I get better. For me, I just have to remember that this is biathlon, and anything can happen. You have great days and hopefully those days come more often – but even the best have bad days, and that’s ok.

This is your first IBU World Championships – what were your expectations going in and have you achieved them so far?
SS: After the US World Cups I definitely had higher expectations for myself. I knew that if I had a good race I could be in the top 20. The sprint race was really a tough one for me, and I had to really focus and re-group after that [she placed 48th]. Having a decent pursuit [Studebaker finished 38th] and getting back into World Cup points was really good for me mentally and I was able to stay relaxed for the individual, despite the conditions, and have a great race. Even though I had hoped to do better in the sprint, having such a good Individual on such a tough day was really exciting for me and has certainly made my World Champs so far!

What do you expect from the US foursome at the upcoming relay event on Sunday?
SS: I think we have a really solid women’s team and that we can have a great relay. We’re not quite at the level yet where we can expect to do great all the time, but we’re getting there and I think if we all have a decent day we can have a good result. Right now it’s a lot about experience for us, and hopefully by Sochi we can be right in the mix of things. Of course it’s really motivating to see the men’s team have such a great result here [the US men finished 6th] – it really shows us what is possible!

What do you hope to accomplish going forward after these World Championship races?
SS: This season in general has been an amazing learning experience. I got to race in my first World Cup Mass Start in Fort Kent, and being right in the mix of things in a few pursuits really gave me the opportunity to see the level of the women I’m chasing. I know I still have a lot of work to do before I can stand on that podium, but it’s possible, and I’m really excited about that potential.

How far away do you think the US Biathlon team women are from medaling at a World Cup…?
SS: Our goal for sure is to be in contention in 2014. With several top-20 and top-30 finishes this year from our team I think we’re not too far from that goal. It’s definitely going to require a lot of work, but I think we’re all motivated and excited to make that happen.

Thanks for your time, all the best on Sunday and good luck with the rest of the season.
SS: Thanks

The US Women’s Relay team finished 14th overall out of 20 teams on Sunday – read more HERE.

March 10, 2011 (Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia) – Leif Nordgren of the US Biathlon team has had a pair of breakout races at the 2011 IBU World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Placing 26th and 21st in the Sprint and Individual competitions respectively, the young American pulled off consecutive career bests on the most important stage of the Biathlon World Cup circuit. SkiTrax caught up with Nordgren to talk about everything biathlon, including his results, the team, and the future.

Congrats on your great result in 20km individual race – tell us how things unfolded and how your race went.
Leif Nordgren: This week has been pretty crazy. After my 26th place in the Sprint race, I thought for sure that was it, I wasn’t going to get any higher. But I put a good race together in the Individual too so that was cool. My race was almost perfect – I had good enough skiing, I was just taking it easy behind Lars Berger for a few loops, and through the first three shooting stages I had hit all my targets. I was starting to get a little tired going into the last stage though, I got away with only one penalty. But it was definitely a fight for each shot.

You’re in your first full year on the World Cup Circuit – what do you attribute to your fast development?
LN: I’ve been steered in a good direction by my coaches Per [Nillson] and Armin the last couple of years. I have great teammates like Tim [Burke] and Lowell [Bailey] to train with, they are 100% professional the way they go about their training. I’ve learned a lot of things just watching them, and they’re always keen to give me any advice when I need it. But even with all that help, you still have to have a desire to work hard. I love training and improving myself, but when the good results come, it makes it a lot more fun to train even harder.

Your results at the IBU World Championships are your best by far this season. Did you make any changes or approach these races differently than the others?
LN: I think with me it’s just a process. I’ve had a few good results this year, but I would always be eager for more. A little high strung maybe. I think I’m just now realizing there are a lot of things that it takes to put a good biathlon race together. I’ve seen those things here and there this season, but this week I’ve been able to combine them all.

Being the youngest member of the men’s team, what kind of advice have you received from the veterans who have experienced every level?
LN: Most of the time if I have a bad race I will freak out about it and spend hours analyzing and searching the places where I can improve. Possibly the most important thing I’ve learned this year from the older guys is just to chill out… there will be more races, more opportunities. Of course it’s good to look at your race and analyze your mistakes, but it’s also smart to keep everything in its place.

With these great results have your expectations changed going forward…?
LN: No, not really. I’ve a had a few ok results yes, but for me there’s still a long way to go – a lot of development and hard work that needs to take place. I don’t want to just win a race and have that be the highlight of my career… I want to be at the top for a long time, to be consistent. That’s the most important thing I think, consistency. It will still be a few years until I get to that level. And biathlon is only going to get more competitive, so who knows, I may never make it there. Perhaps it’s more about the journey you take than the final outcome…

What do you hope to accomplish in your career in the sport of biathlon?
LN: To be the best and to inspire people the same way I’ve been inspired.

Good luck with the rest of the championships and this season.
LN: Thanks Clark!

March 10, 2011 – The 2012 Nordic World Championships proved to be one of the best championships in Nordic history. Great crowds, spectacular racing and beautiful tracks. The Nordic community expected nothing less when the event took place in the acclaimed birth place of skiing. We contacted Atomic’s Nordic Race Director, the outrageous Roman Toferer, to get his perspectives on what it is like to be a technician at the World Championships.

Congratulations, you turned in some pretty impressive results. Your boys and girls from Norway, Sweden, Germany and Finland won Gold, Silver and Bronze. Are you happy with your results?
Roman Toferer: Sure, we are happy with the results. The Atomic athletes we thought would win medals did win medals except for Hanna Falk in the Sprint. It means that selection of athletes has been well done, that we need more is clear but that is in progress.

Roman, a lot of people wonder what it is that company reps do at an event like the World Championships. The national teams have their own wax technicians and equipment coaches. What did you and your team actually do at Oslo?
RT: It is Nordic skiing. The conditions change every day. The job of our team is clearly to test new things like adjustments in wax pockets, new bases, new grindings every day. We react on change of conditions and we are in close contact with the National teams to adapt to those changes.

So, we will primarily test grinds and choice of wax. This is done first within the staff of Atomic. When we have data and decisions, we meet with the national team coaches. We discuss what is working best. Of course, the technicians from Atomic and the national teams will ski together and test what is working. But you know, the final decision is the athletes. They ski and test one more time, they choose what is working best for them.

Tell us about the facilities that the organizers provide for the ski companies for waxing and working on skis?
RT: Was done very good in Oslo. We worked in a 30-square ft room with air-conditioning, cleaning equipment already there, we brought our own measuring instruments, waxing facilities and approximately 400 pairs of skies with us.

400 pairs?! Was that really necessary?
RT: Yes, we have developed a new Hard Track Skating ski and this was our opportunity to put athletes on this ski. We also have a new classic ski with synthetic kick material. This ski was very popular with athletes.

So you brought the new Skintec waxless skis to Oslo. What were some of the reactions by coaches and athletes to this new waxless technology?
RT: They want us to provide them with these skis as soon as possible. Spring classic races are soon, very hard to wax for. But Skintec is for all conditions, not just Spring.

Did any of the wax technicians react negatively to Skintec because no more kick waxing might jeopardize their jobs?
RT: No. Much classic racing will still be on waxable skis.

It was the World Championships. Not only was it a very major event, but it takes place toward the end of the year. It must be very difficult to get athletes to try new gear at such a major event at the end of the season.
RT: No not at all, skiers always want to test when there is new things, especially now when everyone saw what skis Tord had at 50km.

It is a pretty amazing setting with the world’s best athletes on perfect tracks as well as the most knowledgeable equipment coaches. Can you take advantage of all of this to test new designs and technology?
RT: That’s the reason why I spend so long time up there as well, this is the place where a lot of new experiences get born to develop further. This is why I just arrived to Khanty (Russia for the IBU Worlds) today directly from Oslo. It must go on!!!!!!!!!!

Did you learn anything at these World Championships about the new gear that you did not already know?
RT: Yes this is a never ending process, anyway conditions were really not easy, I think everyone saw how difficult some races were. Details out from new experiences need to be worked out now after season.

What is the next event for you and your team?
RT: Like I mentioned above, I am in Khanty now for IBU Biathlon World Championships. Our Nordic service team is testing at home and then they will go to the finals in Falun, Sweden next week. Then, the whole team will again go to Scandinavia after the season, recruitment and testing goes on!

March 09, 2011 – One Way is pleased with its athletes’ performances at the 2011 FIS Nordic Ski Worlds in Oslo, Norway and IBU Championships in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia, with five gold medals and even more hardware, courtesy of Martin Fourcade, Vibeke Skofterud, Kristin Stoermer-Steira, the French Nordic Combined team with Jason Lamy Chappuis, Tord Asle Gjerdalen, and many more.

After the launch of the Diamond Storm PREMIO poles, all of One Way’s athletes switched immediately to the new technology. The new generation of stiffness in this high end racing pole created a lot of excitement at the World Championships.

Congratulations to all athletes.

February 17, 2011 – The Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) announced the 12 recipients of the WISE Fund grants, each valued at $900. The Women in Sport Encouragement (WISE) Fund was created to help finance sport initiatives and assist members of the sport community in Canada. The annual grant is primarily to support women leaders develop and organizations that are currently offering or creating sport programs targeted to girls and women.

“CAAWS is pleased to support the WISE Fund grant recipients and recognize their efforts in developing their own leadership skills as coaches or officials, and in offering sport programs that will give girls and women an opportunity to be actively engaged,“ said CAAWS Executive Director, Karin Lofstrom.

The 2011 WISE Fund marks the eighth time CAAWS has offered the grant program. Since the program’s inception in 2004, CAAWS has now supported 92 individuals and organizations, dispersing over $82,800 to members of the sport community.

This year’s recipients include seven organizations, four coaches and one official. The following have been selected:

2011 WISE Fund Recipients
– Cowichan Storm Women’s Lacrosse – Cowichan Valley, BC (Supported by Canadian Lacrosse Association)
– Muskoka Girls Hockey Association – The District of Muskoka, ON (Supported by Hockey Canada)
– Ottawa Carleton Wheelchair Sports Association – Ottawa, ON (Supported by Wheelchair Basketball Canada)
– Cyclo Bellas – Calgary, AB (Supported by Canadian Cycling Association)
– Metepenagiag First Nation Recreation and Sport Committee – Red Bank, NB (Supported by Aboriginal Sport Circle)
– South Niagara Rowing Club – Welland, ON (Supported by Rowing Canada)
– L’Échappée Belle – Montreal, QC (Supported by Canadian Cycling Association)
– Joy Ang – Toronto, ON (Supported by Karate Canada)
– Candace Bloomquist – Saskatoon, SK (Supported by Football Canada )
– Vanessa Bonk – Regina, SK (Supported by Biathlon Canada)
– Katrina Couch – Whitehorse, YT (Supported by Canada Snowboard)
– Andrea Valois – Hamilton, ON (Supported by Rowing Canada)

For detailed bios of the grant recipients, please visit the CAAWS website HERE.

February 12, 2011 (Fort Kent, Maine) – Emile Hegle Svendsen of Norway took the men’s 12.5km pursuit competition today after a thrilling final lap duel with Martin Fourcade (Fra) than ended in a photo finish. Both men had a single penalty and were timed at 35:46. Third went to Tarjei Boe of Norway, with three penalties, 1:00.3 back.

From the outset, the battle was between Svendsen and Fourcade. Although both shot clean in the first prone stage, Svendsen held a 9-second lead leaving the stadium. Fourcade quickly closed the gap and was locked on the Norwegian’s shoulder for the next two loops. They both shot clean simultaneously in the second prone. Their initial tight battle ended when Fourcade had a penalty in the first standing stage, while Svendsen shot clean and got a gap.

The tables reversed in the final standing stage, when Svendsen had to tour the penalty loop and Fourcade was perfect. They went back into the Maine woods separated by just 2 seconds. Fourcade quickly closed the gap and they were elbow-to-elbow for the next 2.2km. They entered the stadium in a full sprint side-by-side. Fourcade seemed to have the edge until the final five meters when Svendsen pulled up just a bit and out-leaned Fourcade who tumbled to the ground.

Svendsen almost seemed relieved that he won the competition after the battle with Fourcade. “I saw Martin shoot clean as I was on the penalty loop and thought, ‘Oh my god’. We were not actually skiing that fast in the first part of the final loop. I knew he was a very strong skier and I knew he was there with me.

“I tried to save some energy for one last attempt. I tried to do that over by the wax cabins and hold it until the finish. But he was super strong and stayed with me. It came to a sprint and I was sure he was before me at some point. But I think I was stronger in the final meters. I managed to pull it off and am very happy about that.”

Fourcade had similar feelings to Svendsen as they approached the final loop. “I saw Emil on the penalty loop and had to make a decision, take it easy and go on the final loop by myself or try to catch him. I decided to go after him and hit all five.”

He was philosophical about second place. “This is a strange weekend. In the sprint I missed the podium by a half second and today miss the win. I hope tomorrow to reverse that trend.”

Boe retained the yellow Jersey, but said he let down a bit in the final standing stage, missing two shots while knowing he could not move up. “I saw Martin hitting all of the targets and knew Emil was away. I thought ‘no chance to take the top two.’ I knew there was a big gap and I had no chance so I took it too easy.”

Lowell Bailey of the US continued his run of strong performances with a move from 31st at the start to 25th at the finish despite a rookie move as he came into his third shooting stage two clips short losing about 40 seconds. Despite the blunder, which likely cost him a top-20 result, he maintained his composure shooting clean and missed only two shots – one in the first prone stage and the second in the final standing stage – to finish 3:23.7 behind Svendsen.

“That was such a stupid mistake. I can’t blame anyone but myself,” said Bailey in a US Biathlon release. “I just took two out of the four needed clips with me. I had some troubles zeroing and focused more on the wind and my problems in prone. I simply forgot to take the two other clips with me. I waved at the coach but I probably lost more than 40 seconds waiting for some extra clips. Of course it’s not their fault. Something like that shouldn’t happen in the first place.”

American Jay Hakkinen also had another solid day, as he got away with just three penalties to finish 34th at 4:35.5 back. Beyond those two men, it was another less-than-stellar day for North Americans.

Canada’s Brendan Green had three penalties in 39th place at 4:51.1 back, just ahead of the USA’s Leif Nordgren, with five penalties. Canuck JP Le Guellec finished 44th, while Scott Perras was 48th, one place ahead of Tim Burke of the USA.

Michal Slesingr of the Czech Republic after falling back in the middle of the competition had a brilliant last 2.5km to move into fourth, with three penalties, at 1:19.6 back, just ahead of Sweden’s clean-shooting Carl Johan Bergman, 1:20.1 back. Sixth went to Christoph Sumann of Austria, with three penalties, 1:56.2 back.

Full results HERE.

February 07, 2011 (Presque Isle, Maine) – SkiTrax talked with US biathlete, Lowell Bailey, after his 16th place finish in Sunday’s Pursuit competition in Presque Isle, Maine. Bailey talked about his solid set of results this season, attributing his mental approach to his success. The two-time Olympian also discussed the hopeful return of his flu-ridden teammate, Tim Burke, in time for the IBU World Cup in Fort Kent this coming weekend.