CANMORE – There is nothing like a little competition to start off the season.
Four spots on Biathlon Canada’s senior national team, plus four more on the IBU Cup circuit, are up for grabs as Canada’s top biathletes, up-and-comers, and next generation look to make their mark at selection trials early next month.
“Those trials are always competitive, you know, everybody really wants this,” said Justin Wadsworth, head coach of the senior national team. “Everyone who's doing biathlon at this level wants to be either on the world cup or IBU Cup. Those are definitely the two big circuits.”
Biathlon Canada’s key players have already been named its senior national “A” team – Emma Lunder, Nadia Moser, Christian Gow and Adam Runnalls – who will race the top world cup circuit to start the season.
The senior national “B” team will be placed on the IBU Cup, the feeder circuit to the world cup, with call-ups when opportunities arise such as for relays. There will also be a “C” team, which will make up the other four members – eight total (four male, four female) – on the IBU Cup squad.
There is an idea of who could likely be on the “B” team, but a strong performance at selection trials, taking place Nov. 1-5 on the Frozen Thunder at the Canmore Nordic Centre, would make things more transparent.
Wadsworth said there are “more resources” being put into Canada’s IBU Cup biathletes this season.
“We're really focusing on them with the IBU Cup, where they can get better experience, but also some opportunities to win races,” said Wadsworth.
“For our B team, I really feel like they have an opportunity to get on the podium if they put everything together on the right day.”
Some key biathletes to keep an eye at trials are Olympian Emily Dickson, Benita Peiffer, Jenna Sherrington, Pascale Paradis, Shilo Rousseau, Logan Pletz, Zachary Connelly, and Haldan Borglum.
Top national team members like Lunder and Gow will race at trials; however, they have already pre-qualified to the world cup.
Lunder, Canada’s top woman on skis and shooting a rifle, along with other members of the senior national team recently returned to Canmore from a two-week training camp at Park City, Utah.
However, with budget cuts to Biathlon Canada this year, the senior national team brought back its Shoot for Gold cocktail fundraiser and auction (in-person and online) at Iron Goat in Canmore Thursday (Oct. 19) from 7-9 p.m.
The athlete-run initiative started in 2019, with the money raised going toward the world cup and IBU cup team fees.
“It’s a chance for the Nordic community to come and mingle with the national team athletes and get a chance to chat with us before we head off for the season,” said Lunder.
“Biathlon Canada does have organizational fundraisers through the year that help reduce cost, but this one, when we held it in the past, I think we were able to get our tour fees reduced by about a third, which is fairly significant when it’s up to $15,000, is what we’re looking at this year.”
The two-time Olympian's taken on a mentor role with younger female athletes and she said she hopes the biathletes paying it forward continues forward.
“I’m really excited after seeing a lot of the younger athletes doing their first world cups last year, having another year training … you just see people make such impressive gains that I am really excited for the season,” said Lunder.
"The last few years, I feel very keen to share lessons I've learned along the way ... I do enjoy playing a little bit of that leadership role, team mom thing, I don't mind that at all. I think it's cool because the younger athletes on the team do seem very interested in asking for advice and getting support."
Next year, the IBU World Cup is coming to Canmore March 11-17, 2024.
Renovations underway at the Canmore Nordic Centre are on schedule to be completed in time for the world cup, said Brendan Procé, a spokesperson for the Alberta government, previously to the Outlook.
They include the new biathlon building and upgrades to the biathlon stadium and firing range, as well as upgrades to the cross-country stadium and day lodge.
Frozen Thunder, a two-kilometre snow loop for high performance athletes and the public, opens Oct. 20.
