First we have a MN Cup schedule change. The MN Cup race at Snowflake scheduled for the 14th of Feb will be moved to the 21st of February due to cold weather. The forecast for next Sunday is –11F overnight with a high of +4 at 3:00 in the pm with windchills still at –10F at 3:00. Then for those familiar with that range it is exposed to a long sweep of wind from the W—and the winds in the pm are forecast at 10 mph from the WNW plus gusts—so not fun. Please let John Gould and me know if you will be attending on Sunday, the 21st of Feb.
Date: Sunday, February 21, 2021 (originally scheduled for Feb 14th)
Location: Snowflake Nordic, 4348 Rice Lake Road, Duluth (one mile north of the intersection of the Rice Lake and Arrowhead Roads)
Race Format: Mass Start (PPSS)
Distance: 10 km: All M, F
Registration: 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM at Snowflake Chalet/Lower Level
Zero: 10:00 AM to 10:45 AM
Race Start: 11:00 AM
Cost: $20 (cash or check payable to John Gould)
There will not be a Novice Race this year.
Covid-19: Do not attend the race if you have or recently have had flu symptoms and/or a fever. Masks should be worn unless you are out skiing or on the firing line.
Race Format: Saturday: Sprint 7.5k – All M, F Sunday: Mass Start 10k- All M, F
Registration: Both Days- 9:30 AM – 9:55 AM Zero: 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM Race Start: 10:45 AM
Cost: $20/race (cash or check payable to MINSA)
COVID-19: Do not attend the race if you have, or recently have had, flu symptoms and/or a fever.
Masks should be worn unless you are out skiing or on the firing line. Wax building will be close except for the coaches waxing athlete skis.
Same Wax policy: Athletes trying for the JYWCH MUST use the wax provided by the organizers! Wax will be available on Friday afternoon and in the morning on Saturday. For the Sunday race we will wax the skis on Saturday afternoon. I pair skis per athlete!
The distances are not correct—but all in each class raced the same course for that class. Conditions yesterday were tough at 35F with a lot of sloppy new snow. Today was much improved with 28F and just a touch of snow coming down.. Great grooming and really good race organization!!
Below please find the Invitation to the first Midwest Regional Race to be held at the Blackhawk Ski Area near Madison WI on the 16th and 17th of Jan, 2021. Signup information is below and please note: You must sign up online!
I really hope we can get a good turnout from MN. The results from these races will be sent in to USBA for consideration along with other results from Dec and Jan as to selection for the US Team to the Youth and Junior World Championships. Hope you can make it!! Bill Meyer, Coach
On Saturday and Sunday, January 16th & 17th, Blackhawk Ski Club will host the second set of WI Biathlon races of the 2020/2021 season! These will be USBA Midwest Regional Open Biathlon races for USBA safety certified athletes.
Note that you must register for these races online prior to Noon on Friday, January 15th. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and other practical issues, there will be no same-day registration. All Open race participants are required to supply their own rifle and ammunition unless you make prior arrangements with one of the race organizers.
No fees will be collected online during the registration process so we have no concerns if you register for the race but are unable to attend the race for whatever reason. Please register online immediately if you have even the slightest thought of racing!
Note four important points:
No same day registrations will be offered on Saturday or Sunday. Register online at Webscorer before Friday, January 15th or do not race.
Arrive with your USBA membership current (see below) or do not race.
Read and understand the COVID-19 adaptations in the Webscorer event announcements below. If these are unacceptable to you in some way, do not race.
Do not attend the race if you have, or recently have had, flu symptoms and/or a fever.
Important: For the OPEN races, athletes 15 and over (calculated on 31 Dec 2020) must select the 10K “Distance” (7.5K for females entering the Saturday Sprint race) of the race when registering online with Webscorer and athletes 14 and under must select the 2.5K (Saturday) and/or 4K (Sunday) “Distance”.
For Open racers, the USBA membership number entry is optional in Webscorer, please enter your membership number if you are a Competitor level USBA member. If you are not a USBA member, arrange your USBA Member-for-a-Day purchase in advance of race day. Annual USBA memberships expire in October every year so be sure to renew your membership for this season, if necessary.
Biathlon liability insurance is provided by the USBA for race participants so USBA membership is mandatory on race day.
The links to USBA membership options are on the Webscorer registration page.
When you complete your online Webscorer registration, it is important to email the registration to yourself as proof that you are registered properly in case of last minute IT issues with the Webscorer web site.
Important: After registering on Webscorer, scroll down the Webscorer page to verify that your registration was accepted by Webscorer (and to access the “email to self” option).
Bib exchange and race fee payment will take place at the Biathlon Range Shelter according to the times posted in Webscorer. Here are the materials that are required for the bib exchange on race day:
Online registration printout (email to yourself by scrolling down after “Submitting” your online registration)
Exact cash or check payment (to “Blackhawk Ski Club”, see fee schedule on Webscorer registration page)
USBA Red Book (received at your USBA safety training class) (Open Racers Only)
USBA Membership Card (if you are a Competitor member of USBA) OR Online USBA receipt confirmation (online at USBA web site)
Volunteers are needed to facilitate the running and scoring of the race.
I look forward to seeing you at Blackhawk! Best regards, Mike Larsen WI Biathlon
Proposed weekend schedule from Mark Torresani
After receiving comments the below race format and schedule is proposed. I will work with Mike Larsen to get the sign up for races live on Webscorer. All races will be in a time trial fashion due to Covd restrictions with approximately 30 seconds between racers at the start.
Saturday January 16th 10:00 AM Set up and Registration [payment!] See note above!! Must sign up online! 11:00 Sight in U15, U19, U22 12:00: Sprint U19 and U22, 7.5K Women, 10K Men, PS 1:00, Sprint U15, 2.5K, 75M penalty lap PP (first prone shooting on standing target) 1:30 Masters, Seniors: site in/zero 2:15: Masters, Seniors, 10K PS 4:00 4K 4 person “fun” relay, PPSS (two skiers shoot prone, two skiers shoot standing, with 3 extra rounds for misses for all racers) 30 second penalty for missed targets. Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Rifle?
Sunday January 17th 8:00 AM Set up and Registration 9:00 Sight in U15, U19 ,U22 10:00 U19 & U22, 10 K PPSS 11:00 U15, 4K PPPP, 75M penalty (two prone on standing targets and two prone on prone targets) 12:00, Seniors, Masters Site in/zero 12:45 Seniors, Masters 10K PPSS 2:00 Awards
Below is an email from Sara Studebaker at USBA regarding the list of candidates for the US Youth and Junior World Championships.
I believe it is self explanatory , but if you have any questions please get in touch with me. If you are not on the list and wish to be, also get in touch with me. Bill Meyer, Coach MNBiathlon
Dear Coaches,
As you know, Youth and Junior World Championship Trials have been cancelled and a discretionary selection process has been set forth and approved (more info here, if you missed it). The initial list of athletes for consideration to the Youth/Junior World Championships Team has been posted. If you have athletes that should be on this list and are not, please email Tim Burke (tburke@usbiathlon.org). Additions and changes to the list must be received by Jan. 23 at 11pm ET.
Please note that ALL ATHLETES ON THE LIST, including those added now, must fill out the form agreeing to the USBA Covid Travel policies. The form can be found at the link below. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Tim, Danika or me.
