minnesota biathlon :: Archives 2002/3

Jay MacNeil Memorial Ski Festival
Mt Itasca, Coleraine, MN Sunday March 16th
In what could be called perfect spring skiing conditions, several races were held as part of the Jay MacNeil Memorial Ski Festival at MT Itasca in Coleraine, MN. Temps rocketed to the 60's, but the manmade snow made earlier this season helped the track to keep in great condition.
::results
0003-0016-2003

U.S. Biathletes Competing in Norwegian Junior National Championships
Seven youth biathletes are on a two-week competition trip to Norway. They just finished competing at the Norwegian Junior National Championships in Dombas. Having arrived only two days before, the group was still a bit jet-lagged, but there were some results to be proud of.

Standouts were Kelsy Bouchard of Ft Kent, ME finishing 6th in both the Sprint and Pursuit in the "Younger Junior" category (age 16-17), and Sonne Nordgren, finishing 7th in the Pursuit (age 18-20). Complete results for the Norwegian Junior Nationals can be found at http://www.dombaas-il.no/skiskyting/.

The team is looking forward to 5 days of training and sightseeing in Lillehammer, March 10-14. They will resume competition next weekend in a Sprint and Pursuit competition at the Olympic venue in Lillehammer. Petra Cervenka is the Youth coach. She is currently coaching at MT Itasca, MN with her husband Vladimir. Petra spent 6 years on the Czech World Cup team and is a 1992 Olympian in biathlon.

Youth Roster:
Sonne Nordgren, Marine on St Croix, MN
Brit Salmela, Duluth, MN
Kelsy Bouchard, Ft Kent, ME
Emilia Demarchis, Burlington, VT
Brandon Ostroot, Columbia Heights, MN
Aaron Nistler, Bemidji, MN
Scottie Scott, St Paul, MN

0003-0014-2003

Jill Krause of St Cloud, gets 20th in World Cup Race.
Read all about this and more in the USBiathlon Press Release. :: details
0002-0009-2003

Biathlon on OLN Next 10 Weeks
Chad Salmela has been involved in the OLN replaying World Cup Biathlon races for those of us not in Europe. The time slot is every Friday for the next 10 weeks at 1 p.m. Central time. Check your local cable listings or check www.olntv.com. :: link
0002-0003-2003

Thanksgiving Camp Update
We have been skiing lots of classic- cold -5 F in the mornings, well packed powder. Vladimir is here with a big group- so there are approximately 25 MN Biathletes from Grand Rapids, Duluth, Bemidji, Battle Lake, and the Twin Cities. The NMU group, All Guard Team, and a number of biathletes from Boise and Bozeman.

We have been doing long classic workouts with video in the mornings, and short skate combo sessions in the afternoons. The juniors are really making some big improvments in classic- conditions are really good. On Thursday we will be racing in a Super Sprint biathlon event- 400m loop, prone, standing, and shoot until you clean (as many extra rounds as it takes). Top 10 athletes from the preliminary round go to the mass start final!

I will probably race in the 10km Classic NorAm race on Friday. All the big guns are hear from the U.S. and Canada! There's a lot of prize money on the line. I'll try to stay out of the way. ::Piotr
0011-0027-2002

Duluth Biathlon Education Association Memberships
Duluth Biathlon Education Association is now offering Adult competitor memberships and Supporter memberships. Membership periods will run January 1 - December 31.

Adult Competitor will be $150 - This fee covers the range fee which every athlete must pay. In addition, members are able to purchase ammo at discounted prices and have access to Minnesota Biathlons other ranges. Members will also receive discounts on future clinics and lectures.
Supporter Memberships will be $50 - This is a tax-deductible donation that goes to supporting the future Champions in this wonderful sport.

0012-0026-2002

Steve Scott of St Paul qualifies
for the XC World Junior Team.

Steve Scott Qualifies for XC World Junior Team
The U.S. Ski team named their World Junior Championships teams this evening. St. Paul's own Steve Scott was named to the team as a sprint specialist. Steve came to U.S. Nationals just for this event, and posted a fast enough qualifying time to make the knock out rounds. Even though he crashed in his first knock out heat and did not advance, his impressive performance in the qualifying earned him enough points to be named to the team. ::More
0001-0011-2003

Pioneer Press Article on Trials Races and Dan Campbell
If you have a chance, pick up Wednesday's St. Paul Pioneer Press. There's a super article on the Trials races at Mt Itasca, as well as a half page photo of Danny Campbell. Its quite well written as well. You can also see the article at http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/sports/4809937.htm

PLEASE take the time to send a short email to Marcus Fuller at the Pioneer Press mfuller@pioneerpress.com or call him at 651-228-5558 to compliment him on the article. Marcus told me he plans on being at Mt Itasca to report on the races.
0012-0026-2002

Jr World Team / World University GamesTrials / North American Cup - Preview

Mount Itasca to Host U.S. National Biathlon Team Trials Coleraine, Minn. The big event is almost here. From December 30 to January 2, Mount Itasca will host Olympic athletes, local competitors and visitors from around the United States and Canada for what will be North America's largest biathlon event this winter - the U.S. National Biathlon Team Trials.

The crowning event of the season, the team trials will determine which of more than 150 competitors will represent the U.S. and Canada in international competitions like the World University Games in Forni Avoltri, Italy, in late January 2003, and the World Junior Championships in Zakopane, Poland, February 4-9, 2003. ::more plus schedule
0012-0026-2002

Minnesota Biathlon Cup Races 1 & 2 at Mt Itasca:
Saturday's race was run under clear skies and on artificial snow, over a 1.5km loop. The format was relay style, and the start was in waves of ten. In this format, competitors have the usual five shots to hit five targets, but have the opportunity to use three "bonus" rounds to hit any missed targets. Ben Kremer of Minneapolis took the first win of the season, with Ben Byrne of Bovey and Ryan Cameron of Minneapolis in second and third.
The women's race included an increase in wind, but that didn't slow down Sonne Nordgren from Marine who made up for poor shooting by skiing fast and taking first, followed by Brynden Manbeck of Grand Rapids and Emelia DeMarchis of Burlington, VT.

Sunday's race traveled over the same course as on Saturday, but this time the format was pursuit style with random order of starts. In this race biathletes shoot four stages, including twice in the prone position and twice standing up with 150m penalty laps for missed targets. On the Men's side Ben Byrne outshot the competition to land in first place followed by Ryan Cameron and Ben Kremer.
Brit Samela, of Duluth, took the best shooting of the day, with only 4 of 20 shots missed in windy conditions, on her way to winning the women's field followed by Sonne Nordgren from Marine and Brynden Manbeck of Grand Rapids. A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to all the volunteers who made the race possible with especially shovelling and timing. Full results are up, photos will be posted as soon as they are received. ::results
0012-0015-2002

Thanksgiving Camp Recap
Piotr Bednarski took a group of junior biathletes to West Yellowstone for a week of early on-snow training. (17-hour van ride) Conditions locally were not as agreeable as the forecasts in West Yellowstone, a mecca for hundreds of early-snow skiers during the week of Thanksgiving.
::update from Piotr
0011-0027-2002

USBA Leads The Way as International Biathlon Union Adopts Stronger Anti-Doping Rules

NICE, FRANCE. The International Biathlon Union on Friday passed stronger penalties for violations of its anti-doping rules, highlighted by lifetime bans, at its 5th annual Congress held this past Thursday through Saturday. (Note of interest- Biathlon is now the only sport which has a lifetime ban for blood doping.) -Webmeister

The IBU, the world's governing body for the Winter Olympic Sport of Biathlon has been a leader in the fight against all types of performance enhancing drugs and treatments. To strengthen their position and to add extra deterrents the IBU passed additional penalties at their Congress. Athletes found guilty of trafficking or using banned substances face lifetime bans from the sport. Like wise, to further discourage the use of blood doping (a practice known to be used in many endurance sports) the IBU Congress delegates unanimously supported by motions from the USBA to both make doping harder and make the penalties tougher. Procedures for testing were tightened by requiring escorts for pre-competition blood control tests. Athletes found guilty for any kind of blood doping or manipulation face annulment of all results during that event AND a lifetime ban. Similarly, coaches and doctors implicated in such cases also face the lifetime ban. These steps were taken as it was felt that many athletes did not fear any previous enforcement or punishments.

In addition to the strong support of the United States Biathlon Association, the IBU Athletes Committee endorsed the new rules. Following the presentation on the motion from the USBA, multiple World Biathlon Champion Magdalena Forsberg, of Sweden spoke on behalf of the other athletes, Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway as well as, Uschi Disl, and Rico Gross of Germany who make up this committee. She stated," Our committee is all against doping and supports the strongest fight against these practices."

After the new rules had been passed, Max Cobb, the USBA Program Director and a newly elected member of the IBU Technical Committee, commented on the outcome. He stated, "By this vote today Biathlon is leading the way in the fight against doping. This is the toughest stance on blood doping in the Olympic movement. I believe we are acting now to close the door on blood doping and to raise the stakes for any athletes who dare to try. Maybe by the Games in Torino we can achieve our goal of making the sport truly fair for all."

The discussion and the adoption of these new anti doping rules and penalties took a large portion of the Congress' time. Many other competition rules were changed and officers were elected. After being contested for the presidency by 2 others, Anders Besseberg of Norway was re-elected. Janez Vodicar of Slovenia after failing unseat Besseberg was unanimously reelected as Vice-President for Sport. Vodicar oversees the IBU's World Cup, World Championships, and Olympic competitions and has brought these competitions to the highest levels of efficiency, competitiveness, and spectator appeal. The next IBU Congress will be held in Varna, Bulgaria in June 2004.

More information on the IBU Congress' actions can be found at www.IBU.at. The US Biathlon Association, based in Colchester Vermont is the National Governing Body for the Olympic Sport of Biathlon. LL Bean, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Federal Cartridge and Exel Ski Poles sponsor the USBA and the US Biathlon Team.
0007-0004-2002

Fall Fest at Camp Ripley - Photos up!
The 6th Annual Fall Rollerski Biathlon Festival moved to Camp Ripley from Elk River to accommodate the growing size of the event. The first day of competition was an "Individual" format race- 12.5 km rollerskiing with 4 bouts of shooting and time penalty for misses. The second day was a "Mass Start" event. The same distance as the Individual, but with penalty loops for missed shots. ::results and photos
0010-0020-2002

SBRS5 - Final Summer Biathlon Results
The Fifth and Final Summer Biathlon Race was on Saturday, September 28th in Duluth, MN, with Jacob Smith edging out Adam van Straten on the men's side and Annalise Cook and Beth Ann Ellingson taking the top spots in the women's race. ::results and photos
0009-0029-2002

SBRS4 at Elk River Results
The fourth race of the Summer Biathlon Race Series was this past Saturday in Elk River. Ben Kremer came from the second wave to take the win with Ryan Cameron a minute back in second. In the women's race, a Grand Rapids area sweep of Brynden Manbeck, Katie Zupan and Kari Lunemana. Results are up. ::results
0008-0013-2002

Tom Secord rides across Minnesota for Multiple Sclerosis
Tom will be riding in The Ride Across Minnesota (TRAM) for Multiple Sclerosis on July 21 -26. Each rider is required to raise a minimum of $200.00 is pledges. TRAM
0007-0002-2002

SBRS2 at Grand Rapids - MTBike
Wynn Roberts Disrespects His Elders!!
Wynn Roberts, 14, from Battle Lake, MN moved to the front with Hasting's Eric Lewanski on the first lap of the Mt Itasca Mnt Bike Biathlon race. The mass start field was quickly broken up by the steep hills of the Mt Itasca biathlon trails. Wynn went on to hit three prone and two standing, and with some blazing biking on the hilly 12 km loop, it was enough to lock in a comfortable 1:16 margin of victory over Aaron Roessler of Grand Rapids, MN, and 1:32 over Ben Byrne of Bovey, MN. Wynn took on the substantially older field of juniors and seniors and came out with a decisive victory- we will see if this win on the bike will carry over to the skis come December!

In the Women's race, Jill Troutner kept the junior women in their place with 70% shooting and fast cycling to overcome Beth Ann Ellingson by 1:17. Jesse Lang, another 14 year old, overcame a fast biking field in the novice race with good cycling and 90% shooting, beating out a rather exasperated Nick Reichenbach of Hastings by 27 seconds. Sonya Erlandson of Grand Rapids won the women's novice race with 70% shooting. ::results
0007-0001-2002

Doping Offenses During The Olympics
The International Ski Federation (FIS) gave rulings on doping cases from the past year on June 3rd, 2002. The FIS Council dealt with a number of doping cases and submitted sanctions according to the FIS Doping Rules. ::fasterskier.com ::FIS-press releases
0006-0006-2002

SBRS1 at Elk River
The first race of the Minnesota Summer Series took place on June 1. This was the first scoring race of five races in the Minnesota Summer Series. A small but enthusiastic field competed on a 5km course on the paved loops of Woodland Trails Park. In the Elite Race, Tom Secord showed the old men of biathlon who was boss, winning the event by 30 seconds and shooting 2,1. ::results
0006-0003-2002

MT Itasca Vetoed From Bonding Bill
Ventura slashes $357 million from bonding bill. MT Itasca gets vetoed. Related Star Tribune articles. ::link1 ::link2
0005-0027-2002

Recruiting Camp Weekend Recap
Minnesota Biathlon held it's annual recruiting camp this past weekend in Grand Rapids MN showing over 30 new recruits the excitement of biathlon. The weather was cool, the skies stayed dry and ultimate frisbee was played. :::mnb
0004-0023-2002

Ryan Cameron at 2001 Nationals in West Yellowstone.

Bjorn Bakken Submits More Translations
Bjorn has submitted a few more translations, concerning goings on at Biathlon World Champs, held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. ::More
0004-0006-2003

Songs to Dryfire By
Songs that will enliven your dryfiring experience. ::songlist
0012-0015-2002
Bjorn Bakken Poet ::link
0001-0020-2002
Bjorn Bakken Sings Unplugged and Over the Phone ::link
0012-0026-2002
Biathlon Sonnet by Megan Peterson ::read
0005-0011-2002
Ben Kremer's Olympic Trials Experience ::read
0005-0002-2002

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