December 13, 2012 (Ottawa, ON) – 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.

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;
– Knowledge and understanding of the LTAD Program is considered an asset
– A proven record of success coordinating programs and personnel in their efforts for national 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.
– Experience with social media would be considered an asset.

TRAVEL: The TPC will be required to travel from time to time. This includes attending committee meetings, some events and various Biathlon Canada national meetings.

APPLICATIONS: The location of the position is at the national office in Ottawa, Ontario.

Application Deadline: December 21, 2012. Starting Date: January 28, 2013. Term Dates: January 28, 2013 – February 28, 2014

Salary is commensurate with experience. Applications with a résumé and 3 references will be accepted at the address below until 21 December 2012.

Joanne Thomson
Executive Director, Biathlon Canada
jthomson@biathloncanada.ca

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

Full 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

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

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.

January 13, 2011 (Ruhpolding, Germany) – Russia’s Olga Zaitseva battled through torrential rain and sloppy racing conditions on Thursday to win the women’s 15km Individual race at the IBU World Cup in Ruhpolding. Zaitseva, who was one of only three racers to shoot clean on the day, grabbing the ninth win of her career, and first of the season, in a time of 41:46.1.

“I felt very good today, [I] had a good performance today both on the shooting range and skiing,” said Zaitseva in an IBU report, “Starting early was a big help. It maybe was a little bit easier for me than some of the athletes who started later. I also had good skis for this kind of weather.”

The rain, which began early in the morning and persisted throughout the competition, made the snow incredibly slushy, namely on the downhill portion of the course.

“The downhill was not the best part of my race today,” said Andrea Henkel of Germany, “In the final loop, I went out with 6 seconds to make up. By the top of the hill, it was 5 seconds; I knew when I left the shooting range that if I did not have the lead by the top of the hill I would never have it.”

Henkel grabbed her second silver medal of the season, shooting clean in all four stages for a time of 42:00.6, and Sweden’s Helena Ekholm took the last podium spot also with clean shooting and a time of 42:23.5.

Megan Imrie of Canada posted the top North American result placing 35th – a career-best for the 24 year-old Alberta native who missed just one shot on her way to a finishing time of 47:17. “I knew shooting would be critical because of the difficulty of the course and the insane amount of water dumping from the sky,” said Imrie who hails from Falcon Lake. Man. in a Biathlon Canada release, “Shooting is always the difference for me. Finally today I realized I don’t have to think about each target, but I just have to see every target and it worked out.”

Melanie Schultz, also from Canada, placed 70th after a 2-miss performance, and Zina Kocher hit 11 of 20 to finish 82nd.

The top US biathlete of the the competition was Sara Studebaker, who made 17 of her 20 shots to finish 55th. Fellow American Haley Johnson finished 62nd with 4 misses and a time of 50:21.2, and Laura Spector, who is coming off a record performance in the previous world cup, placed 67th after hitting 15 of 20 in the range.

Full Results HERE.

Results (Brief)

1. Olga Zaitseva, RUS (0+0+0+0) 41:46.1
2. Andrea Henkel, GER (0+0+0+0) 42:00.6
3. Helena Ekholm, SWE (0+0+0+0) 42:23.5

35. Megan Imrie, CAN (0+1+0+0) 47:17.0
55. Sara Studebaker, USA (0+2+1+0) 49:14.7
62. Haley Johnson, USA (1+0+1+2) 50:21.2
67. Laura Spector, USA (1+2+0+1) 50:49.4
70. Melanie Schultz, CAN (1+0+0+1) 51:02.1
82. Zina Kocher, CAN (3+2+2+2) 54:27.6

January 10, 2011 (Oberhof, Germany) – Canada’s Jean-Philippe Le Guellec followed up his 16th place effort in Friday’s sprint by placing 20th in the men’s 15km Mass Start on Sunday, the final event of IBU WCup round #4 in Oberhof, Germany, won by Norway’s Tarjei Boe.

Le Guellec, a two-time Olympian, had a day to remember in the shooting range, coming away with just one miss in four trips through the stadium. “That was one heck of a hard race. The conditions were super soft and the snow was wet in places,” said Le Guellec in a Biathlon Canada release, “I had nothing left in my legs, but it was a great day for shooting. I established a tactic in training yesterday that worked well today.”

Canadian teammate Brendan Green also followed up a strong sprint race with a 25th place effort on Sunday, finishing with a time of 42:11.1 after missing a pair of targets. No Americans qualified for the men’s mass start as only the top 30 skiers advanced from the previous races.

Norway placed two skiers on the podium with Boe scoring his fourth race of the season, and Emile Hegle Svedsen capturing second with 3 misses and a time of 35:55.4. Ivan Tcherezov of Russia rounded out the top three with a pair of misses on his way to finishing with a time of 39:55.4.

Boe, who also won this week’s sprint competition, helped to strengthen his grip on the yellow leader’s bib, awarded to the best biathlete in the world. The 23 year-old Norwegian showed poise on the final lap, after missing a shot in the last shooting stage of the day.

“Usually, you do not win a mass start with a penalty in the final stage. But I had a strategy going into that stage,” said Boe, according to the IBU report, “I knew I had to shoot fast, so that if I missed one I could get around the loop before the others. I missed the first shot and just went on. The last one took some mental strength, because I knew the victory depended on hitting it.”

Full results HERE.

Results (Brief)

1. Tarjei Boe, NOR (0+1+0+1) 39:51.3
2. Emile Hegle Svedsen, NOR (1+0+2+0) 39:53.7
3. Ivan Tcherezov, RUS (0+0+1+1) 39:55.4
4. Martin Fourcade, FRA (0+1+0+1) 40:05.6
5. Michael Greis, GER (1+0+1+1) 40:10.4

20. Jean-Philippe Le Guellec, CAN (0+0+0+1) 41:41.7
25. Brenden Green, CAN (0+1+1+0) 42:11.1