A little bit about me

Just in case anyone is wondering what my background is as it relates to Biathlon and fitness, I thought I'd supply a little bit of information about myself.

I first became interested in Biathlon around 2006 when I saw a photograph of Ole Einar Bjørndalen from the Torino Olympics in a newspaper article.  It was rare exposure for such a fringe sport (at least in Kanada), but as it turned out, a pivotal exposure.  From that moment, I thought Biathlon was the most wonderful sport in the world, and set out to find more about the sport and the people who participated in it.

After several years of following athletes like Michael Greis, Martina Glagow, and Andrea Henkel, a breakthrough opportunity presented itself to me.  My friend Joszef had obtained tickets for us to attend some Biathlon races at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver!  The experience was incredibly special, from camping out in the snow, to watching legends such as Bjørndalen and Magdalena Neuner ski past with immortal grace.

Shortly afterwards, I was able to try Biathlon shooting at the local range at Mt Washington. After this I was hooked.  I knew this was the sport for me, and set out to obtain my own Biathlon rifle and pursue training in this sport.   It wasn't an easy path.  From the time I set out getting my firearms licence, to waiting for a left-handed Anschütz to arrive in the mail, over a year had passed by.  While I could hone my marksmanship skills at Mt Washington, this was over 250 kilometres away.  It took me another few years to get a membership at the local gun club, which just happened this August.

During this time I had opportunities to serve on the Board of Directors for the Vancouver Island Biathlon Club, helping to set up races and programs.  After taking the entry level officials course through Biathlon Canada, I was also an official at several races, with my last officials opportunity being at the range at the Canadian and North American Championships this past March in Whistler.

I have also participated in several races, including BC Cup races. Two years ago I placed third at the provincials.  I can still remember my first race in Whistler.  I had no idea how bloody hard this sport was!  I don't think I was fit enough, and I was slaughtered on the hills.  When I came in to shoot, my mind was usurped and distracted by the pain my body was going through. However, I wouldn't be writing these words now if I didn't derive some sort of sadistic pleasure from the sport!  Shooting underneath the Olympic rings thrilled me to no end, and anyone who has ever shot at Biathlon targets will know what I'm talking about when I say it's a great feeling to hear that sound made when you hit the target bang on.  It's the best sound in the world!  I also cannot even begin to describe the feeling of hitting all five targets in a shooting bout, thus being able to ski right past the penalty loop with a confident smile.  These pleasures keep me alive and looking forward to my next race.

Living on Vancouver Island, racing is really hard.  It costs hundreds of dollars just to attend one race weekend because one requires a ferry to get off the Vancouver Island.  After this, one must then drive hundreds of kilometres to the race venues.  Sometimes I wonder why I spend so much time and money on a sport I can only participate in a couple of times a year?  But the answer to that question is clear - it's love.  I love this sport more than anything else, and it really is more than just about racing.  It's about training regularly, making improvements and breakthroughs, meeting other Biathlon fans from around the world, and being part of this small but passionate community.

This past February I went to the World Championships in Nové Město na Moravě with my good friend, Franz.  Compared to being at the Olympics, I enjoyed these Championships much more. I think this was because my participation in the sport gave me a much deeper understanding of what was happening during the races, and also an appreciation for how much work athletes must put in to making it to a World Cup race, let alone getting on the podium.  I could write about my experience in Nové Město na Moravě for days, but maybe I will save that for another time.

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As far as my specific credentials in sport and Biathlon go, here's a little breakdown.  I have taken courses in fitness theory, strength training, and personal training through BCRPA, which is the governing body for personal trainers in British Columbia, Canada.  As mentioned above, I have also taken the entry level officials course through Biathlon Canada, volunteering at several races over the past few years, from Cadet races to the National Championships.
As well, I have completed my coaching certification through Biathlon Canada up to level 2, which is now called Introduction to Competition.  I thought I would include scans of my transcripts just so you believe me ;)

And this is a brief description of my involvement with Biathlon! I have always had a hard time finding information about the sport, but have been fortunate to meet people who have shared their knowledge with me.  I would especially like to thank Pat Douglas, who taught me about Biathlon shooting.  I would also like to thank her son, Philip Douglas, who loaned me his rifle for my very first race.  Without these two people I might not be here writing these words.

The whole purpose of this website is to pass on the humble amount that I know about the best sport in the world.  It is my goal to inspire others, and to offer a one stop source for information that may just answer some burning questions.  If you would like to share your experiences with me, or offer some information to add to this blog, please write me at waldverloren@gmail.com.  

Thank you!

The infamous Norbert and I at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics

Gabriela Soukalova in Nove Mesto.  It was great seeing the

legends of Biathlon zoom past so close!

Terje Bøe's victory in the men's mass start in Nove Mesto was amazing 

to witness first hand.  I'll never forget these Championships.

Biathlon – A brief history so far…

If you've gotten this far you've probably figured out that Biathlon is a combination of skiing and shooting, but why these two disciplines?

The distant roots of the sport came from necessity - a need to master the elements in order to achieve a particular goal.  Rock paintings dating back to 3000 BC depict bow-toting figures pursuing prey on sliding timber while other historical descriptions of warriors on skis date back to before the Christian era.  For hundreds of years, armies in Europe have trained ski soldiers in order to pursue their goals in variable winter conditions.

It was as a result of this need to have trained winter warriors that competitions involving skiing and shooting came about.  Biathlon-type events in Scandinavia are known to have been held as early as the 18th century. The first modern biathlon probably occurred in 1912 when the Norwegian military organised the Forvarsrennet in Oslo. An annual event, it consisted initially of a 17km cross-country ski race with two-minute penalties incurred by misses in the shooting part of the competition. 

The first Biathlon World Championships were held in Saalfelden, Austria in 1958. Only 25 athletes from seven countries started in that first 20 km race. But the sport grew quickly.

In 1948, the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne et Biathlon (UIPMB) was founded, to standardise the rules for biathlon and pentathlon. In 1993, the biathlon branch of the UIPMB created the International Biathlon Union (IBU), which officially separated from the UIPMB in 1998.

Today, there are several different types of Biathlon races; a set of Biathlon races being considered a competition.

Here is a summary of race formats, brazenly liberated from Wikipedia:

Individual

The 20 kilometres individual race (15 km for women) is the oldest biathlon event and is skied over five laps. The biathlete completes four shooting bouts in the order of prone, standing, prone, standing – five targets during each bout. For each missed target a fixed penalty time, usually one minute, is added to the skiing time of the biathlete. Competitors' starts are staggered, normally by 30 seconds.

Sprint

The sprint is 10 kilometres for men and 7.5 kilometres for women and is skied over three laps. The biathlete shoots twice - once prone and once standing, for a total of 10 shots. For each miss, a penalty loop of 150 metres must be skied before the race can be continued. As in the individual competition, the biathletes start in intervals.

Pursuit

In a pursuit, biathletes’ starts are separated by their time differences from a previous race, most commonly asprint. The contestant crossing the finish line first is the winner. The distance is 12.5 kilometres for men and 10 kilometres for women, skied over five laps.  There are four shooting bouts (two prone, two standing, in that order), and each miss means a penalty loop of 150 m. To prevent awkward and/or dangerous crowding of the skiing loops, and overcapacity at the shooting range, World Cup Pursuits are held with only the 60 top ranking biathletes after the preceding race.

Mass start

In the mass start, all biathletes start at the same time and the first across the finish line wins. In this race of 15 kilometres or 12.5 kilometres for women, the distance is skied over five laps. There are four bouts of shooting (two prone, two standing, in that order) with the first shooting bout being at the lane corresponding to the competitor's bib number (Bib #10 shoots at lane #10 regardless of position in race), with the rest of the shooting bouts being on a first-come, first-served basis (If a competitor arrives at the lane in fifth place, they shoot at lane 5). As in sprint and pursuit, competitors must ski one 150 m penalty loop for each miss. Here again, to avoid unwanted congestion, World Cup Mass starts are held with only the 30 top ranking athletes on the start line (half that of the Pursuit as here all contestants start simultaneously).

Relay

The relay teams consist of four biathletes, who each ski 7.5 kilometres (men) or 6 kilometres (women), each leg skied over three laps, with two shooting rounds; one prone, one standing. For every round of five targets there are eight bullets available, though the last three can only be single-loaded manually one at a time from spare round holders or bullets deposited by the competitor into trays or onto the mat at the firing line. If after eight bullets there are still misses, one 150 m penalty loop must be taken for each missed target remaining. The first-leg participants start all at the same time, and as in cross-country skiing relays, every athlete of a team must touch the team's next-leg participant to perform a valid changeover. On the first shooting stage of the first leg, the participant must shoot in the lane corresponding to their bib number (Bib #10 shoots at lane #10 regardless of position in race), then for the remainder of the relay, the relay team shoots on a first-come, first-served basis (arrive at the range in fifth place, shoot at lane 5).

Mixed relay

The most recent addition, and in my opinion the most exciting, is the mixed relay.  It is similar to the regular relay but for the composition of the teams, each of which consists of two women and two men. Legs 1 and 2 are done by the women, legs 3 and 4 by the men. The women's legs are 6 km and men's legs are 7.5 km as in ordinary relay competitions. 

Some teams do not possess the depth of talent to produce four talented men or four talented women for the regular relay.  However, some of the smaller teams possess at least enough athletes to put together a competitive team.  Consequently, smaller nations such as the Czech Republic are able to compete against larger nations such as Russia, whereas in regular relays this would not be possible.  If you’re looking for some exciting races this year, keep your eyes open for the upcoming mixed relays!  Don’t worry, I’ll post on this site when and where they can be found.

 Synnøve Solemdal collapsing from the effort during the 2013 World Championships