March Madness

March Madness isn't just for college hoops. March is a busy time for biathletes and cross country skiers. This season will be busier than ever.  

Here is a look ahead at my schedule for the coming weeks.

March 7^th-10^th -US Biathlon Nationals Fort Kent, Maine

March 11^th- 20^th Training and Racing in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada for North American Championships

March 22-24^th Mammoth Lakes, California for the Mammoth Winter Biathlon. For info here: http://www.mammothbiathlon.org/

March 26^th-April 11^th- US Supertour XC Finals Lake Tahoe, California.

I am currently in Fort Kent preparing for these upcoming competitions. Training has been going very well and I am excited to race in new places with new people.

I am also happy to announce that I will be training with the Maine Winter Sports Center next season in pursuit of an Olympic berth at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. I am very grateful for the support I have received from my family, friends, coaches and sponsors over the last 3 years. Be sure to check back for updates on my travels this March. For day to day updates follow me on Twitter (@TheRGoessling)  

Till Now in Pictures; A Retrospective.

Recently my teammates and I have been visiting area schools and speaking with classes about biathlon. Over the course of these sessions I am often asked how I got started in Biathlon. This sequence of photos gives a brief look at my development in biathlon.

Early on in the Backyard 

Junior High Skiing 

Ruhpolding, Germany  2008

Canmore, Alberta 2009 

Torsby, Sweden 2010

Nove Mesto, Czech Republic 2011

Kontiolahti, Finland 2012

Grand Rapids, Minnesota 2013 

February Racing

Buoyed by my racing in Valcartier, I entered the month of February with high hopes for European racing and NorAm success. I was feeling confident and fit going into the second round of selection races in La Patrie Quebec. Unfortunately, the racing in La Patrie was canceled due to lack of snow and warm rainy weather. I quickly changed my plans and headed for Fort Kent to train for the second half of the season, which I hoped would include racing at the European Championships.  

After a few anxious days of waiting for the European Championship selection deadline I finally heard…nothing, nor word at all. Rumors swirled, but I continued to look ahead with cautions optimism. Finally 2 days later I received a message that I was not named to the team. Unfortunately the US Biathlon Association decided not to send any senior athletes to these races. This decision was disappointing to me and many of my peers, some of whom had pre-qualified for these races earlier this season.

Following this announcement I re-aligned my season priorities.  This month I have competed in a NorAm Biathlon race in Jericho, VT. I raced well in the Sprint taking 1^st place. The mass start featured some shooting woes; however, I still managed to take the win. The next weekend I contested the final Eastern Cup race of the season. I raced well finishing 7^th in the Mass Start 15k classic, and 2^nd in the 10k Skate race. 

The classic event was challenging due to my start position (60^th of 65) I set a personal record of passing people, going through 40 racers in the first 5km loop. An unlucky fall in the final 200m of the skate race kept me from taking the win. The highlight of the weekend was watching my teammate (from 6 places back) Welly Ramsey stride away from the rest of us for a dominant win.

The next month will be filled with exciting racing and travel. I will be racing at the North American Championships in Whistler, British Columbia, the 6^th Annual Mammoth Winter Biathlon, and the US XC Super Tour Finals in Tahoe California. I am looking forward to racing in some new places with new people.        

NorAm #3, Valcartier Quebec.

 NorAm #3 was a snowy and challenging event. Both the sprint race on Saturday and the pursuit race on Sunday where contested in full conditions. The ski tracks where incredibly soft, which made for slow going. I was very happy with my racing. I took 3^rd place in the Sprint and 1^st place in the Pursuit. I was especially proud of my results due to the depth of the field. NorAm #3 was also selection trials for the Canadian IBU Cup and European Championships team, so many of the top Canadian athletes competed. This race weekend was also important for the MWSC Junior and Development Biathlon teams. I was the “Old Man” of the weekend at 21 years of age. Our youngest athletes competed with air rifles in the 13-14 year old age class. The whole team gained invaluable race experience and performed admirably. Right now I am recovering from the hard efforts of the weekend and preparing for NorAm #4, which will be held in La Patrie, Quebec next weekend. NorAm #4 marks the end of the selection period for the European Championship Team. I am optimistic about my chances of being named to the team; however, I am keeping my focus on the upcoming NorAm. I am enjoying the winter season, and I hope that you have had a chance to get out and spend some time on the trails.

Mountain Top Video

Here is a video put together by one of the MWSC Junior athletes. I can be seen in the 9k classic segment beginning around the 3 min mark. I am wearing a white ski suit. It was a slushy slog, but a fun event.

Mid Winter 2012/2013, Training and Racing

 After a restful Holiday a home with my family I jumped back into a training block, in order to be in top form for the second half of the season. Despite missing the IBU Cup team my season is far from over, with North American Biathlon Cups, Eastern Cup XC racing, and the possibility to European biathlon racing on the horizon.  I took advantage of the racing break to put in some quality hours on snow at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine. Right now I am in Fort Kent completing specific biathlon training in preparation for the upcoming North American Cup biathlon races in Eastern Canada.

10th Mtn in Fort Kent during night shooting 

Last weekend I took the opportunity to join the Maine Winter Sports Center Cross Country team for an Eastern Cup race in southern Vermont. I competed in a 1.3km skate sprint on Saturday and a 9km classic race on Sunday. It was fun to hang out with the enthusiastic MWSC junior athletes, and compete in fresh formats and techniques. Despite my lack of specific preparation for sprinting and especially classic skiing I was pleasantly surprised with my results. I took 1^st place in the skate sprint thanks to an uphill finish and speedy skis. I was 16^th in a competitive and tightly packed field in the classic. These results are an indication of good race fitness and I am very glad I made the trip.

Southern Vermont 

Vermont Eastern Cup Stadium 

I am looking forward to the upcoming NorAm Biathlon races in Canada. I feel that my training has gone well, and my race fitness is near optimal. If I can impress the International Competition Committee at US Biathlon with my racing in the next 3 NorAm Biathlon races, there is a possibility I will be selected to compete at the European Championships in February. I am moving into the New Year with confidence in my preparation and a desire to prove myself.       

December in Minnesota

I have just returned from IBU Cup Selection Trials in Coleraine, Minnesota. Ever since I started competing in biathlon I have raced in Coleraine during the second week of December. Some of my earliest biathlon experiences involve racing in wind, snow and cold of northern Minnesota. In these early races I was near the front of the field skiing, but struggled on the range. This season was a continuation of those trends.  

My time in Minnesota was defined by tough conditions including rain (?!?!?!!) wind, snow and cold. I was very happy with my physical preparation and skied well in all 3 races; however, despite making great strides during training, my competition shooting percentages where far from acceptable.  

Due to my poor shooting I did not qualify for the January IBU Cup events, but my teammate Katrina Howe did! Check out her blog for updates on her upcoming European adventures.

Katrina Howe 

Mass Start First Loop 

3rd Place in a Snowy Pursuit Race 

In the next few weeks I will be racing regional cross country races with the Maine Winter Sports Center cross country team, and contesting North American Cup Biathlon races in Quebec. It is my hope that with good results at these competitions I will be named to the U26/European Championship team.  Until then I will be training in Maine, focusing on preparing myself physically and mentally to perform at my best for the duration of the winter. In response to the havoc that self applied pressure wreaked on my shooting at IBU Cup Trials, I have made staying relaxed and having fun my number one racing goals for the rest of the season.