State and Local

Following a disappointing relay which featured me crossfiring in standing and shooting poorly in prone I was quite frustrated and ready to go home. On the plane back I decided that I still have a long way to go in biathlon, but I have made good progress in the last year and quality performances are attainable. After a delayed flight in Oslo I didn’t return home until 1:30 am; the morning of the regional meet. I managed roughly 5 hours of sleep after a solid 24+ hours of travel. I had a very good regional meet, winning by roughly 40 seconds in the 10k pursuit race. It was great to race with my friends again. The following week I had another great race at the Minnesota State High School Championships (States if you’re from the East). After a good skate race that saw me 3 seconds up on the field I had a great classic and skied to a 25 second win. State was great; it featured excellent competition, a great venue, awesome weather, and a positive atmosphere. I was really pumped with my state result and the congratulations I received. After State I competed in many local Biathlon and XC races. The most interesting of these races was the Mass Start race at Elk River. I had some serious competition at this race in the form of Garrott Kuzzy (www.garrottkuzzy.com//?p=780) and Matt Leibsch (www.mattliebsch.com/2010/03/still-looking-for-that-job-and-trying-biathlon/). I was able to hold these two off with some good fast shooting and good skiing. Racing with an Olympian and Birkie champ was a real treat. Now I am watching it pour rain here in Esko. I head back to Fort Kent for US Biathlon Nations on Tuesday. This will be a great set of races, now if only I could get out and ski before I go!