US Biathlon Nationals, Jericho

Last weekend the US Biathlon nation wrapped up the biathlon season with the national championships, a series of three races in Jericho, Vermont.

To save you time and the misery of reading my literary jargon, here is a three-sentence reflection on my season:

This year in biathlon was a bumpy one for me, with mixed, low-level results. I never had that breakthrough race; I performed respectably on skis but always limited my potential on the range, whether it was shooting too slowly or missing targets again and again. My year in biathlon may have been bumpy on the results sheet, but boy did I learn a lot about post-collegiate athletics, travel, a new sport, and the balancing act of life.

Similarly, my results at US Nationals were unsatisfying (results here). I did have glimpses of promise during the races: multiple clean shooting stages, strong finishes on the skis, and proving to myself I had the tenacity to dig deep when it counted (both on the range and on course).

However, this weekend wasn't about results or even improvement. I was about the present success and future movement of US biathlon. This past weekend I saw a thriving, growing biathlon family in the United States reflect on its success and enjoy the moment, all while keeping an eye toward to future and the hard work to come. Maybe it was just me, but for the first time I felt Jericho pulse with excitement. Lowell and Susan's World Cup excitement wasn't just contagious; it was invigorating, enabling. Each US biathlete out there now knows its possible to succeed on the world stage - there is potential for achievement and there is hope for permanent success for the US in biathlon. That hope that we all share was palpable in Jericho. There's even a camaraderie around that hope, one that I didn't sense at season's start. US Biathlon is a team with one dream. The only chance we have to keep achieving that dream is to keep the team alive, supporting each other. Hopefully in the years to come, the hope we have can be realized for our biathlon generation, and in turn spur new hope among the generations to come.

I'm extremely lucky to be able to pursue this sport, and I'm grateful for all those who've helped me this year. To my family, both nuclear and extended, US Biathlon with Bernd Eisenbichler and Max Cobb, Salomon Nordic with Jenny Beckman and Bryan Cook, Finn Sisu store with Ahvo, the Gilbert bros and especially Devin Arenz, the athletes I've trained with who've pushed me to keep working smarter and harder, the Duluth high school thanksgiving trip, Eastern Mountain Sports, the many people who helped me have a place to stay and abide (my parents, the Sellers' family, Ed and Bev Hammond, Shannon and Pete Van Klaveren, Matt Kreyer, the Tesch family, the Gillis family, the Dartmouth Ski Team, Liam John, Evan Kendall, Luke Brown and the Forge, the Craftsbury GRP, and Max Forton), those who made it possible to train (ORDA, Jackson Biathlon, John Madigan #forMadigan, and Craftsbury Outdoors Center), some fantastic waxmen in Klaus, Mattias, Sam Dougherty, Brayton Osgood, and (potentially premature, but I'll take the risk:) Bryan Cook, and those who have provided coaching: Erik Lewish, Sam Dougherty of Craftsbury, and my primary coach Jean Paquet - to all of you and all those I should've mentioned but did not, thank you. My first year in biathlon was an investment. Here's to year two.

There's a great photoset by Dave Priganc of the races in Jericho online here.