A true creature of her habitat, Okanagan Valley-born biathlete Julia Ransom believes a good race is like a fine wine. On Friday (Jan. 9), she uncorked one of her finest reserves.
Competing in her first world cup of the season, Ransom was having the race of her young career. Her previous best on the top circuit had been an 82nd-place result last year, but three-quarters through Friday’s (January 9) sprint in Oberhof, Germany, Ransom had hit 9 of 10 targets and was charging in 25th spot. On a day where the best in the world were encumbered by rain and poor visibility, Ransom shot with eagle eye precision and skied like a western gale.
“Up the road from Penticton’s downtown is La Frenz winery, tucked away in a tranquil spot on the hillside. They make an incredible merlot and much like their merlot, I went into the relay and sprint assertive, with a good body,” said Ransom. “The finish had some tannins, but overall, well-balanced.”
Ransom, though, watched her fine merlot splash violently on an icy downhill in the dying moments of the race, as she plummeted face first down the slope. The impact shattered her skis and her chances to finish, but not her sense of humour.
“Jeff at the Yoga Lounge would not be happy with me ... I was not living and breathing in the moment. At the apex of the turn I was thinking how nice a 25th place would be. I took the turn differently than what I had practiced all week and was sucked into the sugar,” she said.
“After penguin sliding for what felt like hours, I looked around to locate my equipment. When I noticed that half of a binding was still attached to my boot and an official was climbing a fence to retrieve a ski, it dawned on me that completing the race was out of the question. I cried.”
A top-30 finish would have basically secured Ransom’s spot on Canada’s world cup team, and likely earned her a trip to world championships. Instead, the final result is listed as a did not finish. But Ransom was taught tough challenges should be a learning experience, not an impediment to success. She remembers how her father taught her to drive a standard by putting her in the driver’s seat in downtown Kelowna, at rush hour. She learned quickly.
“I fell on my last lap of the sprint was because I turned too late. My dear father and primary driving teacher would have said, ‘What are you waiting for? An invitation?’ He would then promptly take me to a more technical area, put me under more stress, and demand a better showing. I love him for that,” Ransom said.
Even the horrid weather, which every athlete on tour complained about bitterly, Ransom saw in a different light. Snowstorms vanished as quickly as they arrived in Germany, as the course vanished in temperatures that reached 11 C.
“I disagree that conditions were terrible. They were an opportunity,” she said. “Every time the wind howled, nearly blowing off the edge of the range, I hoped that someone was complacently pulling the trigger and missing. When it poured rain and chilled me to the bone, I knew that I was Canadian and had just left -30 degrees. Rain and 4 degrees was nothing.”
“But to be serious, climate change is very apparent in Europe right now. The venues went from having more snow than they’ve had in years to almost nothing overnight. The warmup loop disappeared, sections of the course turned to water and suddenly there was a desperate need for course repair.”
Even though it wasn’t the ending she wanted, Ransom showed enough promise for Biathlon Canada brass to keep her on the world cup tour for another weekend, for another chance to catch perfection in a bottle. She’s showed strong results on the IBU Cup tour, and was fourth last year at World Junior Championships, so her coaches know she’s got a bright future with the club.
“After the sprint, I truly believe that I deserve another world cup start. Apparently the coaches agreed, because I am currently in Ruhpolding getting ready for the next world cup weekend,” Ransom said.
While Ransom’s race and tumble was the talk of the team, Canada’s top guns also posted strong results in the mass start. A very sick Rosanna Crawford still managed a 20th-place finish, while Nathan Smith matched her result in the men’s mass start.
The team will race this week in Ruhpolding, Germany.
