Valcarti-No Way

I enjoyed a great Holiday Break from racing with my family. My parents selected and excellent Christmas tree, some of my extended family visited, and I reveled in snow-globe dreamy skiing in Southern Maine.

Ruby, the Christmas Dog 

During the festive season I put in a training block to prepare for a North American Cup in Valcartier, Quebec. Valcartier is a challenging course, which has treated me well in the past. I was excited at the prospect of producing good results. This North American Cup was highlighted by US Biathlon as a focal point in their selection of the European Championships team. Although I couldn’t shoot between Minnesota Trials and these races, I was confident I could carry my good shooting form into the competitions.

I was glad to have my dad along for this race weekend to help with driving and logistics. His help was invaluable in what turned out to be the wildest weather weekend I have ever experienced. Biathlon races only get canceled in extreme conditions: cold, wind, fog, etc. The forecast was not promising, but I suspected that at least one race would go off. My father and I left for Quebec on Friday. During the drive it was raining and a steady 50 degrees Fahrenheit. We arrived at the venue to find that training had been canceled for the day. This was not surprising, but unfortunate, as it deprived me of the chance for some shooting training before the race.

I awoke the next morning to about 8 inches of snow on the ground and temperatures in the low teens. I have raced in very similar conditions to this in Quebec and around the world, so I had no doubt the race would go on. The race did go on, and the organizers did all they could to provide the best possible conditions. The ski tracks where very soft and powdery, the penalty loop had to be abandoned due to puddles, and heavy snow persisted during the race. The racing was equally difficult for all the competitors. I struggled in the soft snow and picked up 5 penalties on the range. I felt okay about my race, and was relieved not to make any gigantic mistakes. The next day I learned that I finished 4^th, 1 second out of 3^rd. 

This is what skiing on Saturday felt like. 

The forecast for Sunday was very cold, and the organizers shortened and delayed the race in the hopes of still running the competition. When I arrived at the venue the race had been canceled, and the car thermometer clearly told why. It was 20 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit! This represented a 70-degree swing from Friday afternoon! The US Biathlon representative on site initially told the competitors that an official, optional time trial would take place. It would not count against selection for the European Championships, but would still be considered. I prepared to race, but later, the USBA official canceled the competition outright after conferring with club coaches at the race. I did some light training following the announcement and after skiing one loop of the course it was very apparent that racing would have posed a serious risk of bodily harm.   

Yeah no racing happening in that cold... 

I drove home on pins and needles waiting to hear who had been selected to the European Championships team. This nervous feeling of anticipation, excitement, and dread continued into Tuesday morning. Noon Tuesday passed with no contact, a time at which a US Biathlon official indicated to me a decision would be made. On Tuesday evening I found out through unofficial channels that I was not selected to the team. I had a feeling I would be left out, but I was nonetheless gutted to miss out on the last European race opportunity of the year. I looked over the criteria and my results and I feel I had a good case for being selected. These selections where done subjectively by a committee, and not objectively based purely on race results. Since my recent results where strong, I would like to think I had something to do with the extended deliberations, but I will never know.

As sad and discouraging as not being selected is, I am very proud of the level of performance I have been able to achieve with no venue, no in person coaching, no teammates and no funding. I am also proud of my comeback for zero fitness after a long and intense spell of mono in the summer of 2016. This season, I have beaten all but 6 of the American Men’s field at least once on-snow. Of those 6, I have never raced 5 of them on snow. This isn’t the same as making a team, but it does give me some small amount of solace.

My peak fitness in August 2016. 28 minutes walking was all I could muster. 

Looking ahead I will be staying close to home, working, and skiing as much as I can. I may participate in a North American Cup in February and, if I can, race at the US Biathlon Nationals in the end of March in Utah, but my season is essentially over.  

I would like to wish everyone racing in Europe good luck, and once again thank my family, friends and supporters.