6q Biathlon

Biathlon is an event combining cross-country skiing and rifle marks-manship. In most races the competitor cross country skis stopping several times to shoot at a series of 5 targets before heading back on course. There are many descriptions of how difficult this task is (one comparison has you trying to thread a needle after running the 100 meter dash). Unfortunately, many of these descriptions make biathlon seem almost impossible and very intimidating. The truth is, biathlon is fun and accessible to everyone who is willing to try. There are even biathlon events in areas where it doesn’t snow. In these events, competitors either run (the rifle remains on a rack at the shooting range) or roller ski.

Don’t allow the specter of a super human effort dissuade you from trying biathlon. Most clubs in the US have loaner rifles and coaching allowing anyone to try. A mandatory safety briefing for novices is all that is needed and is usually held on race days and before training sessions.
A typical novice class has the competitors shooting from the prone (on your belly) position and shooting at the offhand (standing) targets. The offhand target is 11 cm in diameter which is about the size of a compact disc. The prone target is 4 cm diameter which is about the size of a half dollar. As you advance your skills you can try shooting at the regulation targets. Remember, each miss results in a time added penalty or a lap around the penalty loop; one lap per missed target.

Growing up in Connecticut, Kevin had an interest in trying biathlon but had no idea where to go. The advent of the internet has made these clubs and venues more visible but you still have to remember to perform the search!
Here is the link to the US Biathlon Association’s page of places to go.

Now living in Vermont he is fortunate enough to train with the Ethan Allen Biathlon Club whose home is at the Ethan Allen Biathlon Range, which is a US Center for Excellence and associated with the Olympic training centers in the US. EABR is a world-class facility having hosted several military biathlon world championships, Olympic trials, National Championships, NorAm Cup races in addition to club level events. The range is on a military base and civilians are allowed to use the facility as guests of the Vermont National Guard.

Biathlon is a sport that captures the attention and imagination of every-one who sees it. In so many ways, it is a typical Olympic endeavor - combining the most physically demanding sport of cross-country skiing with the intense precision of rifle marksmanship. These opposing disciplines collide at the shooting range. With their hearts pounding nearly three times a second, the athletes struggle to control their breathing as they shoot, knowing that every shot and the number of seconds it takes to make it, will determine who stands on the podium that day. It is this drama, combined with wonderful visual images of the competitors, which has lead biathlon to be the top rated winter sport on European TV.

Although US Biathletes are relatively unknown in North America, they are well respected and have been producing strong results in Europe. Our Junior Team is among the strongest in the world with numerous medals at World Junior Championships and European Cup, including the best World Junior results for an American team in 2002. These athletes have graduated into the senior ranks and will be competing for spots on the 2010 Olympic Team with a solid core of Olympic veterans. Those veteran athletes include Rachel Steer who currently ranked 36th in the world and had four top-twenty World Cup finishes in 2004; and Jay Hakkinen who has three top-ten finishes in his World Cup career and had the third-fastest time in the Pursuit competition at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. They also include Jeremy Teela who has finished in the top-10 at World Championships twice.

Other Biathlon Disciplines: Summer biathlon combines rifle marks-manship and running and has a large following in the USA. Though not yet an Olympic sport, World Championships are held every year. There are also national championships and a series of over twenty competitions throughout the USA.