Trials Update and Races to Come
Standing with teammate and fellow Kellogg award recipient Amanda, and coach Sydney
Happy Thanksgiving!
(almost…)
In the last post I promised an update after the trials races about 3 weeks ago. Fall has flown by to say the least and I am sending it now. Below is my account from trials and what the rest of 2022 might look like for me. But first an announcement and some things I forgot in the last email! Plus, my Team USA profile is now live, check it out!
First, the announcement: During the week of trials races in UT, US Biathlon holds an athlete award ceremony to acknowledge a few athletes of note for the past season. I am honored to have received the Charlie Kellogg award based on my success last season. In short, it is awarded to athletes who have shown huge potential - I switched to biathlon full time 1 ½ years ago and ended last season with a top 30 international finish and 4th overall at National Championships. US Biathlon felt this represented the intent for the Charlie Kellogg male recipient, a major honor. It was especially exciting to have my fellow teammate Amanda Kautzer be the female recipient of the same award as well. Our team, Crosscut, has shown very strong performances and I’m proud to be a part of them.
Secondly, I forgot to mention in the last email my 2nd place finish in the Golden Leaf Half Marathon. It is a local race here in Aspen, which has blown up into an official trail race on the national circuit of distance trail running and is always a fun race. Though I have typically finished around 10th each time I have raced it, against professional runners, this September I snagged a podium finish with 2nd place! It was very cool to see my ski training fitness come into play with the strongest running performance I have ever had and I am proud to represent the local community against a ton of out-of-towners. Unfortunately, the only photo I have of the race is from the start, and not the sweaty, gritty finish or awards podium.
Third, I bought my own biathlon rifle and it’s pretty sweet! The rifles used in biathlon are very sport specific, precision engineered and expensive! A new biathlon rifle is over $5,000. To enter the sport, it is common to use a club rifle and save the cost of buying your own until you decide you are ready for that investment. The past 2 years I have been using a club rifle from my club, Crosscut, in Bozeman. This past summer it was clear I am no longer dabbling in biathlon and so came the right of passage of purchasing my very own rifle. I am officially all in! It is an exciting step to take, but again, very expensive. And unlike skis and other gear, there is no rifle sponsorship program, so every biathlete at some point is faced with this cost.
Speaking of costs, I unfortunately rely on my community for some funding support as well as a cheering squad. As much as I wish these emails could solely be updates, international racing and full time training adds up requiring resourceful funding efforts, especially with the addition of a rifle purchase this year as well. I cannot thank those of you who have already supported me enough, it makes a very real difference and I wouldn’t be where I am today without you. If you can, any support you can offer goes a long way and I would be honored to have you on the team.
Enough said, lots of exciting things and trials update/upcoming races below.
Celebrating owning my own rifle on the first wintry day
Waving at the start of the Golden Leaf half marathon
Training this fall in CO, in all its glory
My new, personal biathlon rifle
Trials report and upcoming races
This year, US Biathlon changed the first round of European team selection to be based on two races, on rollerskis, in Soldier Hollow, UT in late October. This system has pros and cons, but ultimately leaves no room for error. About 2 weeks before the races, I was feeling confident in my summer training and excited to race. Then I got a cold the week before the races… The first cold I have gotten in years of full time training and racing.
Luckily! I got healthy within days of the races and am actually very proud of my skiing in both races. My training has been productive and I skied fast considering it’s October. There is no doubt the cold took a toll with nearly a week of no training but I was reminded of how much fun it is to race at this level and it instilled confidence in my physical abilities. Though, in biathlon, shooting is also a critical component of racing. I shot poorly in the first race which led to a lower placement than my goal. In the 2nd race I shot well and saw my first ever 4 stage biathlon race where I shot 80% or better, my goal standard.
The selection for the international team ranks the athletes based on a combination of the two races with top athletes headed to Europe, this week actually. Unfortunately with poor shooting in the first race, and no margin for error in the 2 race qualifier, I was unable to secure a guaranteed qualification. I ended up with a near tie for the last spot, which is always a discretionary pick by the International Competition Committee (ICC). In the end, they chose the athlete who shot better overall, whereas I skied faster overall. A bummer, but none-the-less I was excited to be in the mix given the external factors of fatigue from sickness and poor shooting in the first race.
I then planned to head to some NorAm (North American Series) races in Canada around Thanksgiving before racing in the on-snow trials in VT mid December where I qualified to go abroad last year. However, a week ago I found out I am now asked to prepare for Europe due to a team re-shuffling and will likely be heading to Oslo, Norway this Saturday. Though I am awaiting the final go-ahead, I have been asked to book flights and pack my bags. Never a dull moment!!! I am very excited for the race season to start and even more excited to be a part of biathlon growing in the US with the most competitive men’s field ever!
Either way, my skis are waxed and my passport's packed. Cheers!