Wrapping Up 2012-2013

The final races of the 2012-2013 season are in the books and I am taking some needed rest at home in Southern Maine. Following the racing, coaching and socializing at the Mammoth Biathlon Invitational I rejoined my Maine Winter Sports Center teammates in Truckee, California to contest the US XC Supertour Finals.

Kris Freeman Winning the US National 50k Title 

The road forward passing through Soda Springs, California

The 50k became quite long for some....

The races were a success for me and my teammates. The Supertour Finals consisted of 4 races: 3k Freestyle Prologue, 15k Classic Mass Start, Classic Sprint, and finally a Hill Climb. Following these races the US National Championship Women’s 30k and Men’s 50k took place. I raced well in the Prologue and 15k classic mass start, posted a typically mediocre classic sprint finish, and struggled with slow skis and fatigue in the hill climb.   

The challenging racing, beautiful surroundings and positive team environment allowed to me relax, push myself and gain motivation for the upcoming 2013-2014 season. I gained invaluable insights into how my World Cup teammates Annelise Cook and Kris Freeman race and train, along with getting a better handle on just what coaches and wax techs go through to hand athletes fast skis.

My coaches and I are currently planning my training for the upcoming season. I am looking forward to another great season with the Maine Winter Sports Center.

Thanks to everyone and anyone who helped me along this season. Every bit of support, advice and kindness I received contributed to my success.  

If you are interested in supporting me or the Maine Winter Sports Center for the Olympic Season of 2013-2014 please contact me at: Raleigh.goessling@gmail.com. For for updates follow me on Twitter: @TheRGoessling 

March Madness-Halftime

The month of March had been filled with long travel days and intense racing. I am currently in Truckee, California training with my MWSC teammates for the US Supertour XC Finals. These  races will be my last of the 2012-2013 season. My endeavor began in Fort Kent, Maine with the US National Biathlon Championships. As usual the organizing committee and community of Fort Kent came together to pull off a stellar event. I skied and shot well enough to win all 3 competitions. The highlight of the series was Mass Start race, where I sprinted for the victory against my good friend Casey Smith.

Immediately following the racing in Fort Kent I began my journey west. My first stop was Whistler, British Columbia, host to the 2013 North American Biathlon Championships. I met up with a number of my fellow US Biathletes in Seattle, and under the guidance of Methow Valley Biathlon coach (and Casey’s mom) Betsy Smith we made our way north. I experienced every condition during my time in Whistler, including by not limited to: rain, snow, sun, sleet and clouds. The senior men’s field was very competitive due to the presence of a number of Canadian national team athletes. I had a decent race in the Sprint, placing 7^th overall with 2 misses. In the following pursuit race I posted a lifetime best shooting score with 19/20, good enough for 3^rd place. After a day of easy training and sightseeing in Whistler Village I was well prepared for the Mass Start and Relay races to come. I held strong with the leaders for the first few laps of the mass start, before untimely standing misses moved me back. During the second to last loop I followed a strong move by fellow American Bill Bowler and regained contact with the podium group. I took full risk in the final standing and tried to shooting fast and clean. I misses two and left the range in 5^th. On the final loop the travel and racing of the previous weeks caught up to me and I found myself struggling in for another 7^th place. I did my best for my team in the scramble (1^st) leg of the relay, but fatigue was still dragging me down and I failed to tag in a good position. My time in Whistler was incredibly valuable and I was lucky to spend it with a great group of up and coming American biathletes.   

After the relay my friends Casey, Mark and Corrine loaded into Casey’s Subaru for the long drive to Mammoth Lakes for the Mammoth Winter Biathlon Festival. I have attended the event in Mammoth for the last two years, and I had another great experience this season. Warm sunny weather dominated our time there. It was great to reconnect with the enthusiastic Nordic and biathlon community in Mammoth, and do some fast fun racing; well, as fast as racing can be at 9,300ft!

The altitude and racing in Mammoth Lakes has put me in a great position to perform in the upcoming XC races here in Truckee. I am excited to get down to racing next week.  

Skiing with the Bangor Daily News

Yesterday I skied the 2.5k course with a helmet camera for the Bangor Daily News.

Check out the video here: http://bangordailynews.com/2013/03/06/sports/usa-biathlon-championships-returns-to-fort-kent/.

If you tire of looking at my feet, fast forward to end for a cool perspective on standing shooting.

Tomorrow is the first race at US Nationals. I am ready to enjoy some fast fun racing in Fort Kent.  

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.