Garrett Beckrich of the United States racing to at the IBU Junior Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, earlier this season. (Courtesy photo)
In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this week’s International Biathlon Union (IBU) 2018 Youth and Junior World Championships in Otepää, Estonia, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 17-year-old Garrett Beckrich, of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, who is representing the United States at his first World Youth Championships.
Today in Otepää, Beckrich finished 48th in the youth men’s 12.5 k individual, +6:03.9 with five penalties.
***
“My full name is Garrett Beckrich but you can call me Garrett.
I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MN and I learned to ski at Mt. Itasca Nordic Ski Center with Petra Cervenka.
I spent the time between World Youth/Junior trials and Worlds racing in Czechia and Slovenia in the Junior Cup and Open Euro Championships respectively. I also raced in Minnesota High School races.
The most brutal workout I did in the last training year to prepare for this was a 100 mile bike ride with the Midwest team and Vlad.
One thing I’m working on this season to improve my biathlon is to learn how to calm myself during shooting, because this is my first year in biathlon. I picked up shooting very quickly since I have been doing that since I was young. I have a hard time mentally switching between aggressive skiing and calm and relaxed shooting.
This is my first time in Estonia and second time racing internationally, and so far it’s been a great experience. The coaches are very knowledgeable and have everything well organized.
One difference I’ve noticed between Estonia and the United States is that skiing is very popular here. The Otepää stadium has lots of room for spectators.
One of the things I’m most excited about for World Youth/Junior Championships in Otepää is the youth relay. We have a good chance in placing well in that event if we all are feeling well.
One race I’m especially targeting there is the sprint. I want to make my first international pursuit race after missing out on that at the Open European Championships.
Watching the Olympics in the leadup to my own races was very inspiring. Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall winning the team sprint showed that the US can compete with other teams on cross country skis instead of downhill.
I want to be like Jessie Diggins, because we are both Minnesotans and state champions.
At Worlds, I really hope I can chat/make friends with someone from Brazil and ask them how they train for biathlon when they don’t have any snow.
My favorite thing at the breakfast where we are staying is the cucumber lemonade. It tasted weird at first but after awhile you learn to dig the taste.
Before this trip, if you said “Estonia”, the first thing I’d think of would have been where my grandma’s family originated from. They came to the US from Latvia and that is just south of us.
Now that I’m here, I’m pretty sure something I’ll always remember will be how similar it is to northern MN. There are lots of pine trees and it’s very cold.
If I had a totally free day here and didn’t have to worry about race fitness or training, I’d spend it going across the border to Latvia to say I had been there.
The best way to follow me on social media is Instagram @grbeckrich.”
Emma Stertz competing on home turf at Mount Itasca, Minnesota. (Courtesy photo)
In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this week’s International Biathlon Union (IBU) 2018 Youth and Junior World Championships in Otepää, Estonia, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 17-year-old Emma Stertz, of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, who is representing the United States at her first World Youth Championships.
***
“My full name is Emma Stertz but you can call me Stertzy.
I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MN, and I learned to ski at Mt Itasca Winter Sports Center.
I spent the time between World Youth/Junior trials and Worlds racing for my high school ski team.
The hardest workout I did in the last training year to prepare for this was a bike ride up Mt. Evans in Colorado with Minnesota Biathlon.
One thing I’m working on this season to improve my biathlon is staying focused while shooting.
This is my first time in Estonia and first time racing internationally, and so far it’s been full of learning experiences.
One difference I’ve noticed between Estonia and the United States is the buildings are triangular.
One of the things I’m most excited about for World Youth/Junior Championships in Otepää is meeting and competing with people from all over the world.
One race I’m especially targeting there is the sprint.
Watching the Olympics in the leadup to my own races was inspiring. One of my favorite moments of the Games was watching Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins win gold. I want to be like Jessie Diggins, because she brings so much excitement and positive energy to a team.
At Worlds, I really hope I can chat/make friends with someone from Denmark and ask them to trade clothes.
My favorite thing at the breakfast where we are staying is the Muesli.
Before this trip, if you said “Estonia”, the first thing I’d think of would have been it’s by Finland and Russia.
Now that I’m here, I’m pretty sure something I’ll always remember will be the people I’ve met.
If I had a totally free day here and didn’t have to worry about race fitness or training, I’d spend it exploring the town and trying all sorts of Estonian foods.
The best way to follow me on social media is on Instagram@emma_stertz.”
The United States Biathlon Association (USBA) has announced its World Cup and IBU Cup rosters for the second period of racing.
World Cup
The women’s World Cup team will remain the same, with Susan Dunklee leading the way. Dunklee earned her first podium of the season on Friday in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. After several top finishes she is ranked 11th overall on the World Cup. She is joined by Clare Egan, who had a top finish of 30th this season in the pursuit in Östersund, Sweden. In addition Joanne Reid, who finished 29th in the individual in Östersund, will stay on tour.
The men’s World Cup team is led by Lowell Bailey, who notched a top-ten in the Nove Mesto pursuit. As a result of Bailey’s consistency, he is currently ranked ninth in the overall rankings. He is joined by Tim Burke, who finished 16th in the Östersund individual, and Russell Currier, whose best mark of the season is 54th in the same race. Those three formed the World Cup squad for the first period of racing. Finally, 2014 Olympian Sean Doherty will join them after recovering from a bout of mono that kept him off the international circuit in December. And Leif Nordgren is qualified for the campaign but is still nursing a broken toe.
IBU Cup
In addition to the World Cup team, USBA also named a roster for the second-tier IBU Cup based on trials held at Mount Itasca, Minnesota, on December 15-19.
Women: Maddie Phaneuf (Old Forge, N.Y.) Emily Dreissigacker (Morrisville, Vt./Craftsbury Green Racing Project) Hallie Grossman (Craftsbury Green Racing Project, Vermont) Siena Ellingson (Minnetonka, Minn.)
Men:
Paul Schommer (Appleton, Wis./U.S. Biathlon X-Team) Alex Howe (Craftsbury Green Racing Project, Vermont) Jake Ellingson (Mt. Itasca Biathlon, Minn.) Max Durtschi (Ketchum, Idaho/U.S. Biathlon X-Team)
In the opening sprint at Mount Itasca, Schommer won a 1.5-second victory over Howe, with Durtschi just one more second back. Both Schommer and Howe had two penalties and Durtschi just one. Then in the women’s sprint, Phaneuf had a single penalty to collect a 37.3-second win over Dreissigacker, who had missed two shots. Siena Ellingson was third, +43.8 with one penalty.
In the mass start at Mount Itasca, Schommer won again over Howe, this time by 29.8 seconds. Doherty, there for the races but pre-qualified for the World Cup campaign, finished third, +30.8. Perhaps most noteworthy, Phaneuf was the only competitor, male or female, to clean all four shooting stages, and as a result picked up a huge win over Dreissigacker, crossing the line two minutes and 56 seconds ahead of her closest rival. That’s in part because Dreissigacker had six penalties. N ext across the line was third-place Grossman (+3:13.7) with seven missed shots.
Then in the final sprint competition Jakob Ellingson had just a single penalty for some of the best shooting of the day. As a result he got the men’s win by 35.9 seconds over Schommer, who missed four shots. Howe was third (+39.4), thanks to three penalties. Phaneuf completed her clean sweep of the women’s races by picking up a 25.9-second win over Dreissigacker, with two penalties to Dressigacker’s three. Grossman was again on the podium in third despite seven penalties (+2:14.2).
Jake Ellingson of Mount Itasca Biathlon shot a flawless race in the mass start of the North American Rollerski Cup in Jericho, Vermont, to place second overall and the top American. (Photo: Paul Bierman)
Editor’s Note: This ‘Pros of Tomorrow’ series, brought to you by the generous support of Fischer Sports, aims to highlight some of the most notable up-and-coming athletes around the world, which may or may not be Fischer-sponsored skiers. Have an idea for a top-notch skier you’re itching to read more about? Email info@fasterskier.com with the subject line: Pros of Tomorrow. Ideas for intriguing juniors or collegiate skiers, or lesser-known athletes are welcome as well — subject line: From the Pack.
Jakob Ellingson has made some changes this year. The 20-year-old biathlete from Minneapolis finished high school, switched to training full time, revamped his approach to shooting, and attended training camps in Lake Placid with the national team.
“I’m actually feeling really good at this point,” he said of a year where he’s increasing his training volume.
Seems like it. Ellingson turned heads last weekend in Jericho, Vermont, with a pair of strong finishes in the North American Rollerski Cup races.
Missing three shots in the sprint, he placed seventh; in the mass start the next day, he placed second behind World Championships silver medalist Nathan Smith. He two penalties over 20 shots represented the best shooting of any of the 80 or so athletes competing, male or female, in any age category.
Ellingson (center) on the U.S. podium in Jericho, flanked by 2014 Olympians Sean Doherty (left) and Leif Nordgren. (Photo: Jake Ellingson)
Landing as the top American in his first year competing as a senior surprised even Ellingson.
The last time he had talked to FasterSkier, it was after a frustrating sprint race at 2015 World Junior Championships, where he missed five shots and placed 65th, just outside the cutoff for the pursuit.
So the changes have certainly made a difference.
“Really, I shouldn’t have been surprised because all I did was that I didn’t rush it and just did what I had been practicing,” Ellingson said in a phone interview last week.
Part of the result came down to a specific race-day plan. The range approach in Jericho can be tricky, with a long but gradual uphill leading into the shooting range.
“Sometimes I think people go faster than they should because they don’t realize that it is, yeah, a pretty challenging approach,” Ellingson said. “Coming up that hill, Vlad [Cervenka, Ellingson’s coach] was telling me to just calm down and do what I had been training. To not worry about those other guys.”
But lots of athletes go into races with a plan. Having the ability and presence of mind to follow that plan – particularly in the psychologically tough sport of biathlon – shows a level of maturity.
“I was very impressed by his performance,” United States Biathlon Association Chief of Sport Bernd Eisenbichler said after the competitions.
Ellingson said that having trained with the national team athletes in the spring gave him confidence.
“I know that most of those guys will shoot faster than me,” he said. “But I know that when they shoot fast, especially early in the year like this, they can make mistakes. So it’s okay if I take my time and make sure I hit them.”
He also was grateful to end up skiing behind Sean Doherty, a World Junior Champion who has been on several international racing trips with Ellingson as a youth and a junior. A 2014 Olympian and now a World Cup racer, Doherty has experience that Ellingson doesn’t.
But he was a known quantity.
“Skiing behind Sean was nice,” Ellingson said. “He was trying to do the same thing, to control the range approach. And he’s obviously faster than I am and a stronger skier, but I’m getting closer.”
One of Ellingson’s photos from a training trip to Colorado. (Photo: Jake Ellingson/flickr)
Ellingson has been training primarily with Cervenka in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The longtime coach has offered his current star athlete a place in his house to live, and Ellingson only returns to the Twin Cities on rest weeks.
An avid and talented photographer, Ellingson doesn’t feel the need to cram any other pursuits into his schedule, so focusing on biathlon made sense.
“I don’t know what I’d study,” he laughed of the decision to defer college.
Despite training full time, he says his life is not getting dull.
“With Vlad we do a lot of different stuff,” he said of the shift to full-time training. “Not just too much skiing or too much running, we do a lot of biking and a little bit of swimming. We really spread it out and make it fun. It doesn’t seem too much like a job. Just going out and having fun training.”
As the oldest of Cervenka’s athletes, Ellingson knows that although he may be happy with his coach and enjoy helping out with the high school team, he needs a new challenge to continue his upward trajectory.
A group of Minnesota athletes who train with Vlad Cervenka on bagged the Grays and Torreys peaks in Colorao. Ellingson is at right and his sister Siena on the left. (Photo: Jake Ellingson)
“My goal is to get on the X Team or the Development Team so that I can be working with these guys more often,” he said of USBA’s two development programs. “I think that’s the next thing for me, is to spend more time training and racing with the top guys in the U.S.”
That’s very possible. Along with Russell Currier of the Maine Winter Sports Center, Ellingson has been invited to a testing week with the U.S. team in Lake Placid in September. (Casey Smith of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project was also invited, but will be training in Ramsau, Austria, with his team.)
There, it’s possible that either could get named to the American “B” team, which didn’t have any nominations this spring, or that Ellingson could be added to the X team.
“We are really pleased to see this,” Eisenbichler said of the level of all three of those athletes. “These guys showed now that they are ready to perform against the others… After that we see if we have a naming for the B team or what happens. But I think they see that if you perform, then you get a reward.”
And thanks to his strong finishes in Jericho, Ellingson is very much in the running for a pre-season camp in Utah (rescheduled from Canmore, where not enough snow is saved to guarantee skiing in late October). From there it’s possible, with more good performances, to move to a pre-World Cup camp in Sjusjøen, Norway.
The decision to focus on biathlon seems to be working out so far.
“I figure, school will still be there when I’m done,” Ellingson said. “And with biathlon it’s hard to really focus on it when you’re going to school because colleges in the U.S. don’t support it. It’s going well right now, so I don’t see any reason to stop.”
Want a blast from the past? Read some of our previous Pros of Tomorrow profiles:
The U.S. Biathlon Association (USBA) has completed its roster for World Youth and Junior Championships, to be held in Minsk, Belarus, in mid-February. After automatically selecting the top two competitors in each age/gender category immediately upon completion of trials racing, the federation’s International Competition Committee met on January 1 and added more discretionary selections.
The U.S. can start up to four athletes in each competition.
To the existing roster (which you can find here, along with a summary of the trials races held in Mount Itasca, Minnesota) USBA added two youth women: the third- and fourth-ranked athletes from the trials series, Hannah Streinz of the Maine Winter Sports Center (who won the sprint on the final day) and Amanda Kautzer or Loppet Nordic Racing.
In the junior women’s category no more than two women were competing, so the roster remained at just two.
In the youth men’s division, the third- and fourth-ranked men from the trials were added to the roster: Alexander Kilby of Skiku Biathlon, and Sam Zabell of the Auburn Ski Club.
Finally, in the junior men’s category, Jakob Ellingson of Mount Itasca joined the action. More junior men competed, but none surpassed the maximum percent-back requirement from Ellingson and trials winner Brian Halligan over the course of the trials series.
In addition, USBA named several juniors who will compete in the junior competitions at Open European Championships in Otepää, Estonia: Maddie Phaneuf, Mikaela Paluszek, and Halligan of the Maine Winter Sports Center, and Sean Doherty of the USBA “X” Team.
The full press release from USBA can be found here.
Lake Superior Biathlon coach Daniel Guay also shared some great photos of the action from December 28, the first day of competition at Mount Itasca. The shots are primarily of the men’s field, but a few of the women appear as well. Check out his photos below.
Hunter Wonders (Skiku)
Jake Pearson (Casper Mountain Biathlon Club)
Lochlan Baird (Mount Itasca)
Alexander Kilby (Skiku)
Vasek Cervenka (Mount Itasca)
Anders Hanson (Craftsbury) waiting in the start
Zean Baker (Nisswa)
Keegan Tremblay (Lake Superior) and Anders Hanson (Craftsbury)
Travis Cooper (Skiku) and Gerrit Garberich (Nisswa)
Brian Halligan (Maine Winter Sports Center/USBA Development Team) competing in the NorAm mass start in Canmore, Alberta, on December 7. Halligan swept all three junior men’s races at World Youth and Junior Trials in Mount Itasca, Minnesota, and earned a spot on the championships team. Photo: Jakob Ellingson.
The U.S. Biathlon Association (USBA) has concluded its trials series for World Youth and Junior Championships, to be held in mid-February in Minsk, Belarus. The trials were held in Mount Itasca, Minnesota, after being canceled from Anchorage, Alaska, due to a lack of snow.
USBA has named eight initial members of the team (press release below the story), and may name more athletes as discretionary picks after a meeting of its International Competition Committee on January 1.
The opening sprint was held on Sunday, with Brian Halligan (Maine Winter Sports Center, MWSC), Paul Everett (Methow Valley), Mikaela Paluszek (MWSC), and Chloe Levins (Mountain Top Nordic Ski Club) picking up wins.
On Monday, 10 k pursuit races were held on the basis of the first sprint. Cold temperatures reportedly made cold fingers ubiquitous and shooting difficult. In the youth men’s pursuit, Cam Christiansen of Nisswa Biathlon climbed from fourth place up to first thanks to only two penalties – by far the most impressive shooting in the field. He finished over a minute ahead of Everett, who had six penalties in total including a crushing four in the third shooting stage alone.
In a junior men’s field which struggled on the range, Halligan eked out a 9-second win over Jakob Ellingson of Mount Itasca, with seven penalties to Ellingson’s six. In the junior women’s field, the only entrant, Paluszek, nevertheless improved her performance, accruing only three penalties over the four-stage race.
The youth women’s pursuit came down to a battle between Levins and Siena Ellingson of Mount Itasca. Through three stages, Ellingson accumulated a big lead with only a single penalty to three by Levins. But in the final stage Ellingson missed four shots and Levins only one. After a furious final loop of skiing, Levins won by three seconds.
Temperatures were forecast to be so cold on Tuesday that racing was likely to be canceled, but race organizers were able to pull off a final set of sprint races. Halligan completed a sweep of the junior men’s series, winning the 7.5 k competition by a minute and 21 seconds over Jakob Ellingson. Zean Baker of Nisswa Biathlon placed third.
In the youth men’s 7.5 k sprint, Chistiansen again showed excellent shooting, picking up a single penalty to tally his second win of the weekend. He finished 22 seconds ahead of MWSC’s Brendan Cyr, who had two penalties, with Everett placing third with four missed shots.
Paluszek picked up four penalties in the 6 k sprint to again win her division. Two youth women, competing over the same distance, beat her: Hannah Streinz of MWSC, who had two penalties and won the youth competition, and Siena Ellingson, who had four penalties and finished 17 seconds behind Streinz. Amanda Kauzer of Loppet Nordic Racing finished third in the youth women’s field, also with four penalties.
December 30, 2014. Mt. Itasca, Coleraine, MN. The US Biathlon Youth / Junior World Team Trails were completed today at Mt. Itasca in Coleraine, MN despite sub-zero temperatures. US Biathlon congratulates the following athletes, as well as their families, coaches and clubs, on their qualification for the 2015 IBU Youth / Junior World Championships in Minsk-Raubichi, Belarus, Feb 17 to 24, 2015. US Biathlon’s International Competition Committee may announce additional team members in the evening of Jan 1, 2015. The Youth (under 19) and Junior (under 21) World Championships will attract the best age group athletes from over 30 nations.
Junior Women
Maddie Phaneuf, Maine Winter Sports Ctr, USBA X Team, Old Forge, NY, pre-qualified by her 4th place at the 2014 YWCH
Mikaela Paluszek, Maine Winter Sports Ctr, Saxtons River, VT. Top ranked Junior women at the trials.
Youth Women
Chloe Levins, Mtn Top Nordic Ski Club, Rutland, VT. Top ranked youth woman at the trials
Siena Ellingson, Mt. Itasca / MN Biathlon, Minnetonka, MN. Second ranked youth woman at the trials
Junior Men
Sean Doherty, USBA X-Team, Center Conway, NH, pre-qualified by medals at the 2014 YWCH
Brian Halligan, Maine Winter Sports Ctr, Gansevoort, NY Top ranked junior man at the trials
Youth Men
Cam Christiansen, Nisswa NW / MN Biathlon, Pequot Lakes, MN. Top ranked youth man at the trials
Paul Everett, Methow Valley Biathlon, Tacoma, WA Second ranked youth man at the trials
US Biathlon wishes to thank the Mt Itasca Biathlon Club for organizing the trials on short notice due to a lack of snow Anchorage, Alaska, where the trials were scheduled. Full results will be posted soon at: http://MinnesotaBiathlon.com/
Sean Doherty (USBA “X” Team) smiling after winning a NorAm mass start in Canmore, Alberta, earlier this season. Photo: Jake Ellingson.
After a four-race trials series in Mount Itasca, Minnesota, the United States Biathlon Association (USBA) has named its squad for IBU Cup racing for January, 2015.
Maddie Phaneuf (Maine Winter Sports Center/USBA “X” Team) and Casey Smith (Maine Winter Sports Center/USBA “B” Team) won the trials series.
Sean Doherty (USBA “X” Team) was pre-qualified for the January IBU Cups after earning, but then declining, a spot on the World Cup squad for the first period of racing. Doherty at that point decided to train and focus on the middle portion of the season, including World Youth and Junior Championships. Doherty swept all four races in the trials series.
Kelsey Dickinson (Maine Winter Sports Center/USBA Development Team), Clare Egan (Craftsbury Green Racing Project/USBA “X” Team), and Wynn Roberts (National Guard Biathlon) earned discretionary nominations based on results through the fall and early winter.
Dickinson won the sprint on Day 1 of trials; Phaneuf the sprint on Day 2 and the mass start on Day 3; and Egan the sprint on the final day of competition. Only the results from the first day of competition have been posted online so far.
In addition, Russell Currier (Maine Winter Sports Center/USBA “B” Team) will move down from the World Cup circuit. Currier failed to break into the top 60 in three weeks of competitions in Sweden, Austria, and Slovenia.
Notably, that leaves a World Cup squad of only three men (Tim Burke, Lowell Bailey, and Leif Nordgren) and three women (Susan Dunklee, Hannah Dreissigacker, and Annelies Cook). All six have scored World Cup points so far this season, but it means that neither team will be able to field a relay at the first race weekend of 2015 in Oberhof, Germany.
After that, some athletes from the IBU Cup may be moved up to the World Cup according to their team selection procedures based on initial IBU Cup results.
“The quick answer is that we have an option to bring athletes up from the IBU Cup for the World Cup in Ruhpolding, and will for sure have a full team in Antholz,” USBA CEO Max Cobb wrote in an e-mail to FasterSkier, referring to the second and third weekends of World Cup racing in January. “We updated our selection procedures and you can check that out on our website.”
Aleksandra Zakrzewska (Ethan Allen Biathlon) is part of a very Polish-sounding youth women’s squad, comprising herself, Anna Kubek, and Mikaela Paluszek. Photo: Gregory Haugen/Haugenphoto.com.
After a series of three trials races (which FasterSkier blogged the results of earlier), the United States Biathlon Association (USBA) has selected ten athletes to represent its cause at the World Youth and Junior Championships in Obertilliach, Austria, in late January.
In contrast to the selection system used by USSA for sking’s World Junior, J1, and U23 events, USBA does not fill all four possible quota spots in every division. Instead, they use a percent-back calculation to compare performances to the top three finishers in each race and have cutoff values for automatic qualification: a 99 % average in the best two of three races for juniors, or 97 % for youth.
While some choices were obvious – for example Anna Kubek of Mount Itasca and Sean Doherty of Vermont Collegiate Biathlon swept all of the races and topped the combined youth and junior standings, despite being youths – others were not.
Anna Kubek (Mount Itasca) decimated the women’s fields. Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
For example in the women’s division, youths Aleksandra Zakrsweska and Mikaela Paluszek (Ethan Allen Biathlon) were close enough to Kubek to make the 97 % cutoff, and Tara Geraghty-Moats, also of Vermont Ethan Allen, was ranked ahead of them. But as a junior, Geraghty-Moats had the higher, 99 % cutoff, and did not automatically qualify. A top-20 finisher in the youth division at the 2012 Championships who is now training at a ski gymnasium in Solleftea, Sweden, Geraghty-Moats was added as a discretionary selection, but will be the only junior woman representing the U.S.
“Whenever we have a fairly small field of juniors, we combine them with the youth in order to get a better perspective on the quality of field,” USBA Director of Athlete Development Piotr Bednarski wrote in an e-mail to FasterSkier. “We feel it’s important that we send athletes that have a legitimate chance of making the top 60 in the sprint (so they can qualify for the pursuit). We consider this an appropriate level of performance, and even if someone is the top athlete in their category, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are ready for the WJCH level of competition.”
In the men’s races, Doherty dominated, but not quite as thoroughly as Kubek had – while his female counterpart notched three and five minute victories, Doherty was limited to two and three minutes over a longer distance. As such, one junior, Casey Smith of Biathlon Elite, was able to sneak into the 99 % range for automatic selection. A top-30 finisher at previous Championships, Smith has also competed at Open European Championships and joined Doherty and Geraghty-Moats for a trip to Swedish National Championships last spring.
In the youth men’s division, National Guard Biathlon’s Jordan McElroy was the only athlete to qualify based on points. But Jacob Ellingson of TC Biathlon and Brian Halligan of the Saratoga Biathlon Club were also added as discretionary selections. Using the same reasoning, Jake Dalberg of National Guard Biathlon will join Smith in the junior races.
Sean Doherty (Vermont Collegiate Biathlon) led the men. Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
“In general one would expect the juniors to be stronger than the youth,” Bednarski wrote. “Of course, in this case, we have two very exceptional youth athletes in Sean and Anna. As you can imagine, we have some high hopes for WJCH’s (both Sean and Anna have one more year in the youth category!)… A junior athlete must be really close to the objective criteria, and exhibit really good ski speed, otherwise we won’t generally recommend a discretionary selection. With youth athletes, because they are younger, we give them more leeway, especially if they are showing some good ski speed. Most of the youth competitors are in their first or second year of shooting, so we expect a high level of variability in their shooting results.”
While it’s notable that only one segment of the squad, the youth boys, will have a full roster, this is certainly not the first time a dominating performance has left the rest of the American juniors out of the running. In 2010, Leif Nordgren crushed the trials field and was the only representative in the junior division, where he collected two top-ten performances. He’s gone on to World Cup success.
And that’s what Bednarski is hoping for with this next crop of young athletes.
“With WJCH in the United States next year, we really want to have a good team in all categories,” he concluded.
Honors are due to Algis Shalna, who coaches both the Vermont Collegiate Biathlon team and the Ethan Allen Biathlon club; of the ten athletes selected, four train with him in Jericho, Vermont. The National Guard biathlon program also made a strong showing, placing two athletes on the roster, showing their increasing focus on young biathletes.
The roster:
Junior Men
Casey Smith, Methow Valley, WA (Methow Valley Biathlon/Biathlon Elite)
Jake Dalberg, Ely, MN (National Guard Biathlon)
Junior Women:
Tara Geraghty-Moats, West Fairlee, VT (Ethan Allen Biathlon) Youth Women:
Anna Kubek, Duluth, MN (Mount Itasca)
Aleksandra Zakrzewska, Burlington, VT (Ethan Allen Biathlon)
Mikaela Paluszek, Farmington, NH (Ethan Allen Biathlon)
Youth Men:
Sean Doherty, Center Conway, NH (Vermont Collegiate Biathlon)
Jordan McElroy, Truckee, CA (National Guard Biathlon)
Jakob Ellingson, Minnetonka, MN (TC Biathlon)
Brian Halligan, Gansevoort, NY (Saratoga Biathlon Club)
Jordan McElroy (National Guard Biathlon). Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Mikaela Paluszek (Ethan Allen Biathlon). Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Anna Kubek (Mount Itasca) racing in the United States last year. Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Sean Doherty (Vermont Collegiate Biathlon) led the men. Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Jakob Ellingson (TC Biathlon). Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Aleksandra Zakrzewska (Ethan Allen Biathlon) is part of a very Polish-sounding youth women’s squad, comprising herself, Anna Kubek, and Mikaela Paluszek. Photo: Gregory Haugen/Haugenphoto.com.
Casey Smith (Biathlon Elite) was the lone automatic qualifier for the junior men’s team. Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Hannah Dreissigacker (Craftsbury GRP/U.S. National Team) and Katrina Howe (Maine Winter Sports Center) dueling on the range. Both were selected for IBU Cup races in Otepaa, Estonia, and Ostrov, Russia. Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
MOUNT ITASCA, Minnesota – After a winter which had already seen below zero (F) temperatures in Minnesota, no one really expected 33 degrees with rain for Saturday’s Sprint competition at the US IBU Cup Selection Trials, but that’s exactly what they got.
It rained for hours prior to the start, and only turned to huge, wet flakes of snow mid-way through the race. Conditions were predictably slow, but Wynn Roberts (National Guard) didn’t let that keep him off the top step of the podium. He finished the 10k course with a time of 23:35.0 after shooting clean in the prone stage, and only missing one in the standing.
Mark Johnson (Mt. Itasca Biathlon) was hard on his heels however, and if he had not missed one prone shot and another standing, the podium could have looked different as he was only 15 seconds behind (23:50.1).
Bill Bowler (Biathlon Alberta) was third at 23:54.7 after missing two prone and two standing.
Corrine Malcolm (US National Team) set the pace for the women as the wet snow continued to fall, with three total misses (2 prone, 1 standing), finishing the 7.5k course in 21:45.3.
1.1 seconds separated her from second-place Hannah Dreissigacker (Craftsbury GRP/US National Team), which was a great result considering she had one more miss in the shooting stage than Malcolm.
Also with four total misses, coming across the line in 22:06.3, was Katrina Howe (MWSC).
The snow continued into the night, and conditions for the Pursuit on Sunday were much more satisfying for athletes and coaches alike, as well as the Mt. Itasca course volunteers. Several inches of new snow had been worked into the trail surface for significantly faster conditions, and morning temps in the low 20s felt perfect.
Hannah Dreissigacker would be fastest for the women as she covered the 10k course in 31:36.4 and shot the best of any of the seniors, men or women, with only 4 misses over 4 shooting stages. Katrina Howe and Corrine Malcolm joined Dreissigacker on the podium again, with 5 and 7 misses respectively.
Bill Bowler stood on the top step Sunday with Wynn Roberts in second and Raleigh Goessling (MWSC) in third. Bowler had 7 misses to Robert’s 8 and Goessling’s 10, and finished the 12.5k course in 32:12.
Monday was make-or-break for the athletesm, as anyone who wanted to travel to Europe as part of the IBU Cup team for race 4 would likely need to notch the win today. Anyone lagging too far behind the first place finisher might be out of the running for a discretionary selection. The overall points winners for the weekend’s three races could count on a spot at the starting line for IBU Cup 4 in Otepaa Estonia on January 4th.
The format was a 15k Mass Start for the men and 12.5k for the women. Bill Bowler would be the victor today, shooting two better than Roberts, who missed 7 total. Wynn Roberts skied well though, and even with two more penalty loops than Bowler, only finished approximately 30 seconds off the pace. Mark Johnson followed him, with Michael Gibson (Vermont Biathlon) and Raleigh Goessling next.
Hannah Dreissigacker managed to hang on to first place and finish 8 seconds ahead of Katrina Howe, even with 3 misses compared with Howe’s exceptional results of only 2 misses over 4 stages. Corrine Malcolm joined them on the podium again in third but had a disappointing day on the range with 8 shots outside the black.
Based on results from all three events, USBA announced later Monday afternoon that the primary selections for the US IBU Cup Team would be Bill Bowler and Hannah Dreissigacker, with Wynn Roberts and Katrina Howe named as discretionary selections. Those athletes will join Jeremy Teela and Tracy Barnes, who qualified for the December period of IBU Cups, and Jay Hakkinen and Lanny Barnes, who raced the first period of World Cups but are moving down to the second tier of racing.
USBA announced that seven athletes will remain on the World Cup, based on results from the first period of racing: Tim Burke, Lowell Bailey, Russell Currier, Leif Nordgren, Susan Dunklee, Sara Studebaker, and Annelies Cook.
Full results for the weekend’s races, including Masters, Juniors, and Youth are available at www.minnesotabiathlon.com.
-Chelsea Little contributed reporting.
Hannah Dreissigacker (Craftsbury GRP/USBA) and Katrina Howe (MWSC) dueling on the range. Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Wynn Roberts (National Guard Biathlon). Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Bill Bowler (Biathlon Alberta). Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Bill Bowler (Biathlon Alberta), Wynn Roberts (Natinoal Guard Biathlon), Raleigh Goessling (MWSC), and Mark Johnson (Mount Itasca) rounding a corner. Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Athletes on the range in the sprint race. Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Hannah Dreissigacker (Craftsbury GRP/U.S. National Team) and Katrina Howe (Maine Winter Sports Center) dueling on the range. Both were selected for IBU Cup races in Otepaa, Estonia, and Ostrov, Russia. Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Wynn Roberts (National Guard Biathlon). Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Women’s podium in the sprint: Corrine Malcolm (USA) gets a high five from Petra Cervenka after winning, as Hannah Dreissigacker and Katrina Howe look on. Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Corrine Malcolm racing at trials in Mount Itasca, Minnesota, last December. Photo: Gregory Haugen/HaugenPhoto.com.
Anna Kubek (Mount Itasca) on her way to victory in the mass start. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
For the World Cup athletes, Thursday’s announcement by the U.S. Biathlon Association of team nominations for the second period of racing brought no surprises. Just as in the last weekend of World Cup racing in December, three women (Sara Studebaker, Annelies Cook, and Susan Dunklee) and four men (Lowell Bailey, Jay Hakkinen, Tim Burke, and Leif Nordgren) will represent the U.S. on the trails.
But the real excitement of the day came from the selection of the IBU Cup team. After a series of trials races in Mount Itasca, Minnesota, in which two different men and three women picked up victories, it was unclear which athletes would be picked to join the U.S. team for races in Forni Avoltri, Italy and Haute Maurienne, France in January.
Russell Currier (Maine Winter Sports Center) racing in the pursuit. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
On the men’s side, Russell Currier of the Maine Winter Sports Center made the cut after winning the pursuit competition by a minute and the mass start by more than two. Despite finishing third in the initial sprint – in which he had seven penalties out of only ten shots – Currier was able to clean up his shooting and make the team. He will be joining Bill Bowler and Jeremy Teela on the IBU Cup.
Other impressive performances at the trials came from Mark Johnson (Mount Itasca), who beat out national team member Wynn Roberts by 17 seconds for the title in the sprint, and from Sean Doherty, a New Hampshire junior who will be attending the Youth Olympic Games this year, who competed in the senior mass start and placed second.
On the women’s side, Hannah Dreissigacker of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project won the opening sprint, and appeared in good position to snag the trip to Europe. But after faltering on the range in the next two races, she left space for BethAnn Chamberlain (Maine Winter Sports Center) to win the pursuit and 16-year-old Anna Kubek (Mount Itasca) to claim the mass start.
Kubek, who like Doherty will be representing the U.S. at the Youth Olympic Games at the beginning of the month, ended up with the nomination, meaning that she will extend her time in Europe. She will join Tracy and Lanny Barnes and Laura Spector.
Katrina Howe (Maine Winter Sports Center) also picked up three podium finishes at the races in Minnesota, but was unable to translate any of them into a win.
Anna Kubek (Mount Itasca) on her way to victory in the mass start. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
Dreissigacker (in green) in a trials race in December. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
Corrine Malcolm (U.S. National Team) leads the women in the mass start race. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
The start of the women’s mass start race. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
The start of the men’s mass start race. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
Russell Currier (Maine Winter Sports Center) racing in the pursuit. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
Mark Johnson (Mount Itasca) leaves the range as the women’s leaders begin their prone shooting. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
BethAnn Chamberlain (Maine Winter Sports Center) en route to winning the pursuit. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
Anna Kubek (Mount Itasca) starts the pursuit as her competitors wait. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
Eventual winner Russell Currier (Maine Winter Sports Center) starting the pursuit. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
Wynn Roberts (U.S. National Team) leaves the start during the pursuit race. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
Mark Johnson (Mount Itasca) starts the pursuit. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.
Athletes shoot in the prone position. Photo: Ben Kremer.
Mark Johnson (Mount Itasca) straps his poles back on as he leaves the range. Photo: Ben Kremer.
Mark Johnson (Mount Itasca) out of the starting gate. Photo: Ben Kremer.
Men shooting in the mass start at U.S. Nationals. All photos by Gregory Haugen.
It may not have been the Olympics, but you couldn’t tell from the weather. Just like at Whistler Olympic Park last year, the weather for the US Biathlon Nationals at Mt. Itasca, MN had a little bit of everything, with some significant rain during the Sprint competitions on Thursday, gorgeous sunshine with firm snow during Saturday’s Pursuit, and light drizzle with heavy overcast for the Mass Start on Sunday.
The athletes had good attitudes however, and anyone who was asked about the rain and drizzle responded in generally the same way—“it is what it is”, or “you just deal with it”—and with a smile. The volunteers had similarly sunny attitudes, and after the flower ceremony for Saturday’s Pursuit was complete, the organizers treated them to their own “sprint” race. Coaches for several of the participating teams stayed around to show the volunteers just what it is like to shoot a biathlon rifle, and how difficult it is to hit the target after skiing a lap with your heart racing. The volunteers greatly appreciated this opportunity and came away with newfound respect for the challenges the athletes face.
12.5km/15km Mass Start
Currier.
Wynn Roberts (USBA), who won Saturday’s Pursuit ended the Mass Start in 4th place after missing three shots in the last standing. Russell Currier (MWSC) was the first man to leave the range after the final standing round, and had already completed his one penalty loop by the time Roberts and Mark Johnson (Mt. Itasca Biathlon) began their penalty laps with Bill Bowler (USBA) right on their heels. Currier would win by a 52.8 second margin.
Johnson had stellar shooting overall with only one miss in each of the standing rounds, and was well on his way to second place by the time Roberts finished his three trips around the loop. Bowler, who also missed one in the final standing followed Johnson to third place. All the more remarkable for Johnson is the fact that he has been racing cross-country all season, and only picked up the rifle again this past week for the Nationals. He admitted that his skiing was not what it could have been Sunday, but his shooting was clearly the deciding factor in his trip to the podium. Had the course been a few hundred meters longer Bowler might have had a chance to unseat Johnson. As it was he was only three seconds behind the Grand Rapids, MN native and would have to make do with third. Roberts’ three
final penalties clearly hurt and he was 1:22.1 off Currier’s winning time when he cruised over the finish line.
Roberts is off to California this coming week to provide some elite-level talent for the fledgling 4th Annual Mammoth Winter Biathlon. To finish the season he will head to Whistler for the North American Biathlon Championships.
Cook.
For the women, Tracy Barnes (Durango Biathlon) was the best shooter with three misses overall, which was good enough for third place. She shot clean in the second prone and first standing stages, while Annalies Cook (USBA + Team Cook) skied her way to the top of the podium, 1:09.5 over the second place finisher, Susan Dunklee (Craftsbury GRP). An impressive performance considering Cook’s seven total misses in the last three shooting stages. Dunklee distributed 6 total misses over the four shooting stages going 1-2-1-2, while Lanny Barnes (Durango Biathlon) suffered 6 misses as well and managed fourth place about 2-1/2 minutes behind her sister.
Masters
Sean Kato (Methow Valley Biathlon) swept the Sprint, Pursuit, and the Master Men’s 12.5km Mass Start, finishing 2:07.7 ahead of second place finisher Frank Gangi (National Guard). Wayne Peterson (J Bar) took third, ten seconds behind Gangi.
There was not an entrant for the Mass Start in the Master Women’s class.
Youth
Carly Wynn (Saratoga Biathlon) took the Youth Women’s 7.5km Mass Start title with a huge 4:17.4 gap between her and second place finisher Kelly Kjorlien (Mt. Itasca Biathlon). Tara Geraghty-Moats (Craftsbury GRP), who won the Sprint on Thursday suffered a very disappointing day at the range shooting 4-2-5-5 and ended up 13 seconds behind Kjorlien.
Tracy Barnes.
Casey Smith (Methow Valley Biathlon) dominated the Youth Men’s events all week and swept the top spots in the Sprint, Pursuit, and the 10km Mass Start. Sunday he shot clean in the first prone but then finished 1-2-2. Strong skiing earned him the win by over 49 seconds in front of Ray Wonders (Alaska Biathlon) who had one of the best shooting races of the day with three total misses (1-0-1-1). Kyle Rutar (Casper Mt. Biathlon Club) rounded out the podium 2:23.6 behind Smith having missed 9 shots on the day.
In news related to Methow Valley, many were surprised to learn this weekend that the public High School there actually has a biathlon range at the school! This has to be a first in the U.S., and it is exciting to imagine a pipeline of Olympic-caliber biathletes starting to flow from the Pacific Northwest. Great credit has to be given to all the biathlon enthusiasts in and around Winthrop for what must surely have been a herculean effort to see this accomplished.
Juniors
Corrine Malcolm (Hayward, WI) had almost nine minutes to wait at the finish line for second place finisher Andrea Mayo (MWSC) in the Jr. Women’s 1.5km event, having cleaned both prone stages while leaving two targets up on each of the standing rounds.
Raleigh Goessling (MWSC) didn’t have to wait quite as long for the second place athlete in the Jr. Men’s 15km, beating Ethan Dreissigacker (EABC/Crafttsbury) by 4:36.1. Goessling had a finishing time of 51:53.6, which would have landed him the 5th place spot behind Wynn Roberts had he been competing in the Men’s division. Keep an eye on Goessling in the next few years. Goessling clearly was dominant out on the skis, since he actually had one more penalty (5) than Dreissigacker.
Girls & Boys
Anna Kubek (Mt. Itasca Biathlon) was able to ski to a time of 34:02.8 with 6 penalties in the Girl’s 7.5km. Teammate Solveig Viren missed three more shots and wound up 2:15.9 behind her, but almost seven minutes ahead of third-place finisher Elise Putnam (Methow Valley Biathlon) who shot 3-1-3-3.
The Boy’s 10km event had the largest group with 17 starters, and once again Sean Doherty (Vermont Collegiate Biathlon) stood on top of the podium. He was able to overcome 9 missed shots to put 1:15.1 between him and second place Nick Proell (Nisswa / NW). Doherty completed the race in 36:36.6. Third place was taken by Jake Prince (Alaska Biathlon) who missed two shots in every stage and ended 2:37.9 behind Doherty.
Results can be found here, courtesy of Minnesota Biathlon.
Roberts, Currier, and Bowler duking it out in the men's race.
Wynn Roberts racing at North American Championships last March. Roberts annihilated the field at the Mount Itasca trials.
With eleven athletes already racing in Europe – that’s more than the U.S. Ski Team can say – what could the U.S. biathlon community possibly ask for from their governing body?
Well, if some is good, then more is better. After a second series of trials races in Mount Itasca, Minnesota, the U.S. Biathlon Association (USBA) named four more athletes to the IBU Cup roster (the series one level below the World Cup), as well as reconfiguring the teams across the pond.
Going into the Mount Itasca trials, USBA had said that they would name up to two more men and two more women. For the athletes, the pressure was on: there was a distinct possibility that only the winners would be sent to Europe, so standing atop the podium would be extremely important.
Wynn Roberts (USBA B-Team) did just that, winning all three trials races in convincing fashion. In Thursday’s 15 k mass start competition, he had the best shooting in the field and skied to a three-minute victory over Raleigh Goessling of the Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC). In Saturday’s 10 k sprint he beat Goessling by 15 seconds and in Sunday’s 12.5 k pursuit he led by a minute.
Roberts was a no-brainer to add to the IBU Cup team, and was named based on his trials results.
The other man added to the roster, though, didn’t even compete at Mount Itasca. Jay Hakkinen, a member of USBA’s A-Team, was a discretionary selection due to “force majeur” – he was sick for a long time this fall, and missed an entire training block. USBA decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and name him to the January IBU Cup squad without disrupting his December training.
“Normally this time of year I am traveling and racing on the World Cup,” Hakkinen said on his blog. “However, with the World Championships in March this year, I am glad to be in one place doing good solid training so I am in good shape at the end of the season when it counts.”
Haley Johnson in the sprint race. Photo: Seth Hubbard/MWSC.
In the women’s races, Haley Johnson (USBA B-Team) got off to a strong start, winning the opening 12.5 k mass start by a minute over Susan Dunklee (USBA B-Team / Craftsbury Green Racing Project). Then in the 7.5 k sprint, she bested MWSC’s Bethann Chamberlain by 22 seconds. It was obvious that Johnson would be heading to Europe.
“I actually felt great [at the first trials races] in Canmore and knew that absolutely everything was where I needed it to be to start the season, except for hitting the targets,” Johnson told FasterSkier.
“The primary change I made was with my rifle. I am using the team’s spare barrel. I was able to transfer over all of my custom pieces to make this temporary set-up work seamlessly. Changing my barrel enabled me to get back to positive shooting training and helped me rebuild my confidence on the range.”
Last year, Johnson was USBA’s golden girl early in the season, skiing to a top-30 World Cup result in December. This year, she didn’t even make the initial IBU Cup squad; things had changed. Now, Johnson is relieved to be back on track.
“I see being back in Europe as the next step, which is just one rung of many in this competition season. World Cups and World Championships still remain higher up in the ladder. I have raced in Nove Mesto before, so it will be familiar territory.”
But if Johnson was going to the IBU Cup races, who would join her? Would it be Dunklee or Chamberlain, or, perhaps, Lanny Barnes (USBA B-Team / Durango Biathlon), who had finished third both days? If Johnson simply skied to another decisive win, would USBA bother naming another woman?
Susan Dunklee in the sprint race. Photo: Seth Hubbard/MWSC.
The last day of competition would prove to be decisive. For the first time, “Johnson” wasn’t the first name on the results sheet. Instead, Dunklee skied to a 13-second victory in the 10 k race. She missed only three targets in four shooting stages, tying for the best shooting of the day.
“I had the ideal starting spot in that last race,” Dunklee said in an e-mail. “I love chasing people down and with only 15 second start intervals I could practically see everybody that I wanted to catch. I knew that I would have be deliberate about turning that mentally off once I got into the range so I would focus on hitting one target at a time and not be thinking about the people around me.”
Dunklee was a discretionary pick for the IBU Cup squad based on her second-best points ranking from the trials.
“The women’s team has so much positive momentum right now, and I’m excited for the chance to contribute to that,” Dunklee said. “Our entire group has been very close in races and time trials all fall, and so seeing the other girls tear it up on the World Cup and IBU Cup already has been very inspiring. On any given day, any of us can vie for those high finishes.”
Besides adding to its roster, USBA reorganized the teams in Europe. Russell Currier and Jeremy Teela were moved from the World Cup squad down to the IBU Cup circuit. Only five athletes will remain on the World Cup squad: Tim Burke, Leif Nordgren, Lowell Bailey, Sara Studebaker, and Laura Spector.
Even though Annelies Cook and Tracy Barnes had been bumped up to the World Cup circuit from the IBU Cups for one weekend, they will now return to the IBU Cup team, rejoining Zach Hall and Bill Bowler.
The World Cup will start the new year in Oberhof, Germany on January 5, while the IBU Cup will resume in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, on January 8.
![Jake Ellingson of Mount Itasca Biathlon shot a flawless race in the mass start of the North American Rollerski Cup in Jericho, Vermont, to place second overall and the top American. (Photo: Paul Bierman)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/08/Jakob-Ellingson-Loppet-Nordic-Racing-mass-start.jpg")
![Ellingson (center) on the U.S. podium in Jericho, flanked by 2014 Olympians Sean Doherty (left) and Leif Nordgren. (Photo: Jake Ellingson)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/08/JerichoPodium.jpg")
![One of Ellingson's photos from a training trip to Colorado. (Photo: Jake Ellingson)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/08/JakeEllingson.jpg")
![A group of Minnesota athletes who train with Vlad Cervenka on bagged the Grays and Torreys peaks in Colorao. Ellingson is at right and his sister Siena on the left. (Photo: Jake Ellingson)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/08/MtItascaGroupTorreys.jpg")
![Brian Halligan (Maine Winter Sports Center/USBA Development Team) competing in the NorAm mass start in Canmore, Alberta, on December 7. Halligan swept all three junior men's races at World Youth and Junior Trials in Mount Itasca, Minnesota, and earned a spot on the championships team. Photo: Jakob Ellingson.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/12/Halligan-Canmore-NorAm.jpg")
![Sean Doherty (USBA "X" Team) smiling after winning a NorAm mass start in Canmore, Alberta, earlier this season. Photo: Jake Ellingson.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/12/15786567359_9036f90c3d_k.jpg")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2011/12/DSC_3766-Copy.jpg" "Anna Kubek (Mount Itasca) on her way to victory in the mass start. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2011/12/DSC_3127.jpg" "Russell Currier (Maine Winter Sports Center) racing in the pursuit. Photo: Roy Kjorlien.")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2011/03/mass-start-shooting.jpg" "mass start shooting")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2011/03/Russell-Currier.jpg" "Russell Currier")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2011/03/Annelies-Cook2.jpg" "Annelies Cook")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2011/03/Tracy-Barnes.jpg" "Tracy Barnes")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2011/03/Wynn-Roberts-Russell-Currier-Bill-Bowler.jpg" "Wynn Roberts Russell Currier Bill Bowler")
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