First, I would like to take a moment to express my appreciation to Ski NH for their continued support of my biathlon endeavors!
After a bit more than a week on the road in Vermont and New York I am back in the county getting excited to take in some World Cup action in Presque Isle. Things are really ramping up around here with the races less than a week away now. Last night we drive into town just before midnight and got to read all the “Welcome Biathletes” signs at local businesses.
The last week + has been hectic and busy but also fun. We raced in Jericho, VT the first weekend where I took home a bronze and a gold in their sprint and pursuit races. My shooting went pretty smoothly but skiing still lacked a lot. It was my first weekend back racing hard after sick and feeling out a it for a couple of weeks so I was satisfied with the effort but hungry for more the following weekend in Lake Placid, NY.
During the week between races we stayed in Jericho to train instead of making the trek back to the county. Their range was in good shape and provided a nice quiet place to ski and focus for a few days. Highlights included the appearance of a deer carcass on the trails, a classic night skiing starting right from the barracks, dinner and lunch with my brother up in Burlington, a vicious game of Risk, and a day trip to ski at Craftsbury followed by a delicious lunch with my college roommate, Mary, at the Bakery/Deli at Trapps in Stowe.
In Lake Placid I had a great sprint race on the range, going 1, 1 (1 miss prone followed by 1 miss standing) for the day. Skiing again felt a little slow but Sunday promised to be better. Sunday was the first true pursuit of the season where I started 3rd, 1:08 back of Susan, Saturday’s winner. I started off a bit rough, missing 2 in my first prone stage but got a correction coming in the second time and cleaned, sending myself out on the course in a tight race. Susan, a Canadian and myself were all skiing within 20 seconds of one another and I was actually feeling pretty good on my skis for a change. My first standing didn’t go quite as planned, ending with three trips around the penalty lap. I would finish with two more penalties in my final standing and skiing into 4th place overall, 2nd American (Final shooting score 2, 0, 3, 2 – misses). Although I was skiing in a really good place during the race and didn’t manage to finish there, it was a good race for me. I finally felt good on my skis again after a month of feeling off.
Lake Placid was a short trip without much extra time for anything though I did get to spend some time with my parents who made the trip up to watch the races. They are coming up for the Fort Kent World Cups so I’m looking forward to sharing my MWSC surroundings with them.
The ice castle in Saranac Lake NY that I went to explore after a dinner out with my parents and some biathlete friends.
With my mom post-race in Lake Placid. All smiles....lots of snow!
After the race we hung out in Lake Placid long enough to eat, shower and pack up before taking on the +/- 9 hour drive back to the county. Now we await U26 results from the last two weekends and get ready to enjoy everything the World Cup has to offer!
