Amanda Nicol, Vanessa Langen and Brandon Baker were among 72 biathletes taking part in the regional event Feb. 9 and 10 that saw cadets travel from as far away as Ottawa to compete.
Biathlon, probably best known as a sport in the Winter Olympics, combines cross-country skiing with target shooting. The challenge of intense physical activity associated with skiing and concentration needed to shoot accurately is what brought 17-year-old Baker to the sport.
“I like the combination of the extreme physical endurance and the fitness required for it, plus being able to calm yourself and concentrate on shooting,” he said. “It is extremely difficult to hit that target at 50 metres, even if you’re not skiing. Some people don’t realize the target is quite smaller than the black circle they see down range.”
In order for the biathletes to accurately shoot, they need to slow their heart rate and breathing down enough to make for a steady shot. The biathletes ski a total of eight kilometres, with three rounds of shooting, with five targets at each stop, meaning they need to master keeping control of their bodies. While the Tottenham cadets didn’t place in the medals this year, this was also the first year they sent a team to the event, said Tottenham 329 Corps commanding officer Capt. Jason Higgins.
“It is the first year that the corps has ever taken part in the biathlon,” he said. “For the early stages they did much better than anyone would have realized. They worked hard.”
The team had been practicing since October, and was blessed early with a good load of snow.
However the infrequent snow in January forced the team to change its training regimen and alter one of its preliminary races. The cadets skied one day, and traded in their skis for running shoes on a separate day for the shooting component.
Along with sending three biathletes to compete in the event, the Tottenham contingent also consisted of two cadets that are learning to become biathlon officials.
Harley Timmons is on the team, but was too ill to compete. Anxious to take part, she became one of the many scorekeepers and officials needed to run the event.
“I was helping with the range, and making sure everything was working properly. I was marking down how many targets they hit and so on,” she said.
Because biathlon takes place over a long track, and a field of skiers is often quite large, several officials are needed to help run an event.
The officials will be carrying on to a larger competition in Quebec later this winter, where they will complete the hours of work necessary to become carded officials.
