Due to new policies in MN, limiting gatherings and concerns for high rates of Covid, the Midwest Region Biathlon race scheduled to be held at MT Itasca on December 5th and 6th has been postponed. Bill Meyer and VladCervenka will be monitoring the situation closely and rescheduling the race when it is considered safe to do so.
Please pass this information on to the clubs and biathletes you work with.
Stay safe and healthy!
Good Afternoon All!!!
Ok—top of the news is that the USBA Youth and Junior Worlds Team Trials have been moved from Anchorage to Mt Itasca, and the dates changed to 28th-31st of Jan. All biathletes in the Jr, Youth and <17 age class should participate. I am checking for eligibility ages for the US team on the <17, but the experience is invaluable for all!!
We will have the first Midwest Regional races or MN Cups the first weekend in Dec at Mt Itasca. More to be announced soon on that schedule—and of course both are subject to COVID and snowmaking temps!!
We are also going to change the dates of some of the MN Cup races in Dec and early Jan. For sure we will have MN Cup races or makeup Midwest Regional races during Christmas Holiday—likely on the 2nd and 3rd of Jan at Mt Itasca. The MN Cup #3 scheduled for the 13th at Mt Itasca will be one of those now and the 13th race will be cancelled.
CXC has moved the Michigan JNQ qualifier to Duluth on the 12th and 13th of Dec. I would suggest you jump into that or the one the following weekend at Mt Itasca for the upper level ski experience.
Ok—now as to the upcoming daycamp at Elk River on the 31st of Oct and the last roller ski biathlon race there on the 1st of Nov. So far response has been heavy! If you want to participate in the daycamp or the race you need to let me know ASAP. We have 20 slots for the daycamp and I think 13 are taken. We have a cap of 25 for the race and have about 20 signed up so far.
So again, please let me know if you want to attend!!
Thanks,
Bill Meyer, Coach
MNBiathlon
All Athletes, Coaches and Parents,
The Saga continues.
Yesterday we received notice from the USBA office that both the Vermont camp and races there plus the follow-up elite camp at Lake Placid have been cancelled due to the virus concerns and inability to host large numbers of people safely. For those who were looking at the scheduled races as part of the Trials for IBU or World Cup Team positions, USBA will be scheduling some additional events later in the summer/fall for a fair trials contest.
In MN our plans will be to continue to hold Daycamps around the state, and localized weekly training practices; along with 3 or 4 rollerski races at Elk River as scheduled pending any changes in the rules. Currently MN is one of the few states where the numbers of new cases are declining.
With all this in mind, it is even more important that you do your own training as planned, work at improving your own Personal Records and keep up with the tests and times we are asking you to do. And keep reporting those back to me. At the end of the upcoming Mt Itasca Day camp, I will circulate some of the up to date spreadsheets so you can compare yourself with others. Collectively we have made equal or better gains in the basics this year than we have in normal years!! We are stronger, skiing better, and shooting better than ever before!!
Stay safe and practice good personal habits, even if those around you are careless or don’t recognize their obligation to other people!
Bill Meyer, Coach
MNBiathlon
Please find below the tentative schedule of training events and day camps around the state. All these events are subject to any new rules by the Governor, or other unforeseen changes. Note: the RR grade at Elk River is closed to roller skiing until 1 July. Access to the range is open. Please bring a facemask to all training. Masks are mandatory for rifle fitting for both coach and athlete! Hand sanitizer is also recommended. Limited ammo will be available for sale at $35 a brick [500 rds]. Also note: helmets are mandatory for all roller skiing. Knee pads, elbow guards, and gloves are optional but recommended for beginners.
Rifle fitting focus- by invitation only:
Daycamps- day long training–9:00 am to 4:00 pm—bring your own lunch and water! Max group size 10.
Shooting practices-
Races-
The Elk River event scheduled for the 25th of June is cancelled due to the RR grade construction. Local events running or biking can be scheduled by the local coach as long as the starts are well spread out and the event has no more than 10 total participants counting both coaches and athletes.
16 July, 13 August, and 17/18 October- Elk River. These events are tentatively scheduled pending completion of the construction work. We will get an invitation out when closer to those dates.
For further information, please contact me or one of the coaches listed above. Stay safe, be careful, and encourage others to do the same!!
Bill Meyer,
MN Biathlon Coach
Good Morning Everyone,
Attached is a Policy/Guidelines for all Biathlon Training and Racing for June 2020 in MN under the auspices of MN Biathlon, but subject to the Governor’s rules and any guidelines scheduled to be coming out on June 1 from his office.
Based on the Policy and the underlying considerations, the two Camps scheduled for June [Mt Itasca and Elk River] are both cancelled. MN Biathlon will be putting together a new schedule for June to include Beginner rifle fitting/ indoctrination, Day Camps, and hopefully a race. Elk River is closed to roller skiing until July 1st to allow for a pipeline construction down the RR grade near the range. The range and other trails are open yet.
This Policy/Guideline is predicated on the assumption, and subject to our obligation to each other, that we practice safe habits to avoid spreading the Covid 19 virus. II is critical that we live up to this obligation.
Sincerely,
Bill Meyer, Coach
MNBiathlon
Good Morning!
Attached please find the annual MN Biathlon Membership form for this training year. This is due each spring—US Biathlon membership is due in Oct each year.
While many athletes from the Twin Cities area are using the range at Elk River periodically, at this point we have been unable to organize weekly coached practices. I do anticipate I will be down once every couple of weeks, and we will hopefully have a camp there in June along with 4 summer races scheduled there. We will send notices and invitations out as those get closer to fruition.
As to everyone across the state, if you plan to lease a rifle from MN Biathlon this year—and I have talked to most of those folks recently, you do need to be a MN Biathlon member even if you belong to one of the subsidiary clubs.
Thanks for your interest in Biathlon!
Bill Meyer, Coach