October 26, 2018 (Midway, Utah) – The snow may not be flying yet at Utah Olympic Park, but next week’s biathlon team trials competition at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, will have a mid-season World Cup competition feel to it. That’s because starting spots will be on the line for US Biathlon’s World Cup and IBU Cup teams for the upcoming season as the Olympic venue plays host to the US Biathlon rollerski trials Oct. 30-Nov. 2.

“Being at Soldier Hollow for team trials this year means athletes get to compete on a range where we’ll actually be racing on the World Cup this season,” said US Biathlon Sport Program Coordinator Danika Frisbie. “It’s pretty huge for us since we don’t get to compete regularly throughout the summer and fall on European venues. It’s great practice for the pre-qualified athletes and adds a level of realness for those looking to claim a starting spot.”

The results from Soldier Hollow will be combined with results from the first part of the rollerski trials held in August in Jericho, Vt., to determine the World Cup and IBU cup rosters for Team USA. Each athlete’s three best races will count toward their point totals.

“We’re also looking forward to having some of our nation’s top junior biathletes join us from California, Colorado, Utah and Alaska to take advantage of the high-level racing atmosphere of these trials,” added Frisbie.

The IBU Cup season begins in Irde, Sweden, on Nov. 26, while the BMW IBU World Cup campaign kicks off Dec. 3 in Pokljuka, Slovenia. Both circuits have eight races on the docket for the 2018-19 season, including the penultimate World Cup event of the year taking place at Soldier Hollow, Feb. 11-17. The U.S. has not hosted a World Cup event since February 2016 in Presque Isle, Maine.

Rollerski team trials race formats and dates are as follows:

– Tuesday, October 30: Sprint Race #1. Women start 9:30am; men start 10:20am.
– Wednesday, October 31: Sprint Race #2. Men start 9:30am; women start 10:20am.
– Friday, November 2: Mass Start Race, shortened: Women start 9:30am; men start 10:20am