LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan National Guard Biathlon Team competed at the Chief National Guard Bureau Biathlon Championship at Mount Itasca, Minnesota, from Feb. 28-March 5.
The annual event brings together top competitors from across the country in an intense test of endurance, marksmanship and skiing ability. Among those competitors was Capt. Austin DeOrio, who took an unconventional path to the sport.
Three years ago, DeOrio spotted an announcement in a fragmentary order and decided to give the National Guard Biathlon Team a shot. Though he had experience with downhill skiing and was a strong marksman, he had never tried cross-country skiing. A biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship. Athletes must ski through a demanding course while stopping at intervals to shoot targets, requiring both endurance and precision under pressure.
“I looked like Bambi the first time I tried skiing,” DeOrio joked.
Now in his second year of competition, after missing last season due to deployment, DeOrio has found his footing. Competing alongside fellow Michigan National Guard Soldiers, he has embraced the challenge of balancing rigorous biathlon training with the demands of regular drills and annual training.
Now in its 49th year, the championship featured nearly 100 Guard members from 18 states competing in four races, from 4.5 to 15 kilometers.
The biathlon is a unique sport, requiring athletes to ski a loop, shoot five targets from a prone position, ski another loop and then shoot five more targets from a standing position. Missed shots mean extra laps, making precision just as important as speed.
Training for the sport is challenging, especially in Michigan, which lacks a dedicated biathlon range.
“We have to drive to Wisconsin to access a range,” DeOrio said. “We try to get out and ski on our own as much as possible, but a lot of it comes down to individual effort and preparation.”
Despite the obstacles, the Michigan National Guard Biathlon Team continues to make an impact. Competitors often meet for the first time on race day, making their teamwork and adaptability all the more impressive.
“For me, it’s about skiing straight without falling, keeping my heart rate low, pushing up the hills and shooting straight,” DeOrio said.
The competition was fierce, with states like Vermont, Minnesota and Wisconsin consistently dominating the leaderboards. Michigan’s athletes, however, held their own.
Staff Sgts. David Dohnal and Michael Merfert and Capt. Bradford Watkins competed in the men’s open class, finishing sixth in the relay and coming close to a podium spot with a fourth-place finish in the patrol race. Watkins, a first-year competitor with a background in cross-country skiing, led the team, placing 18th in the 10-kilometer sprint and 12.5-km pursuit races. Dohnal and Merfert, both in their third year of competition, also posted personal bests.
In the novice category, Sgt. Shelby Flory and DeOrio returned for their second year. Flory placed eighth in the female novice sprint and pursuit races, later teaming up with Colorado and Rhode Island competitors to finish second in the novice relay. DeOrio placed 10th in the men’s novice sprint and pursuit races and found success in team events, earning first place in the composite relay and second in the novice patrol race alongside competitors from Idaho.