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Starting today’s competition, I knew that I had to place second or first in order to qualify for the World Championship Team. Skiing felt much better today, but with three missed targets in prone, my chance of finishing in the top two was already bleak by the second lap. It is difficult for me to understand why I have been missing so many prone targets this week since in December, in competitions in Norway, I missed only one out of my twenty prone targets. But that’s what happened.
On the second loop, it began hailing. When I entered the range for standing, I looked for the first point that was clear of snow. The first one I saw was the last point in the shooting range. I didn’t realize until removing my rifle and inserting my clip that all of the points were clear of snow, but that the point I was standing on was glaze ice. It was nearly impossible to stand upright on my skis on top of the ice. Shooting was even more difficult, but I managed to hit three out of five.
The final loop, I knew that I had to go. And so go, I did. I was tired, especially since this was our third race in three days, but so was everyone else. There were coaches and Fort Kent biathlon fans out on the course cheering me on, which certainly helped me concentrate on getting to the finish line.
In the end, I was a little over a minute from qualifying for the team. If I hadn’t missed those three prone shots, then I’d have made up more than just that minute and may have won the race. But the finish line is where the clock stops and nothing more can be done to change the results. The only things left to do are learn, accept, and look forward to the next race.
I still have a very good chance of qualifying for the World Cup team for February. To qualify, I have to lead the North American Cup points list that will include the races here in Fort Kent, two from next weekend in Valcartier, Quebec, and two more the weekend after in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. I already have a second, third, and fourth, and am currently leading the points list for qualifying for the team. So, qualifying for this team and competing in the World Cup is now my goal.
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