GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. - The North Dakota National Guard biathlon team entered this weekend's regional competition with a bit of pessimism. A few of the team's top biathletes couldn't attend, and two others left after the first day's race to compete overseas.
Nevertheless, the success of recent years continued, and the team pulled off a win at the Central Region Biathlon Competition at Mt. Itasca, near Grand Rapids, Minn. This is the third year in a row the North Dakota National Guard has swept the competition.
"We came in missing a few good skiers because of schedule conflicts and lost even more for the second race as part of the team left for a race series in Germany," said Spc. Jordan Becker, the team's coach. "As a result, this competition – especially day two – had a focus on our new biathletes."
Two of those first-year skiers even figured into the team's race results, he said. 1st Lt. Robert Meland, and Tech. Sgt. Danelle Card, each placed first in the "Novice" category race, too, which is reserved for first-year biathletes. A veteran of downhill skiing, Card had never cross-country skied until two days before the race.
The weekend competition started with a 10-kilometer sprint race that included two shooting stages. Biathlon combines cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship as competitors stop the intense cardio activity, attempt to control their breath and fire at targets before resuming skiing.
Capt. Eric Nordgren, placed second in the race, followed by Sgt. 1st Class Kent Pulst, in 6th; his son, Spc. Brandon Pulst, placed ninth; Meland came in 10th. Rounding out the men's division was Lt. Col. David Skalicky, in 14th and Becker, who competed with his team during the first day's race, in 25th. Card came in third in the women's division, which covered 7.5 kilometers with two shooting stages.
The second day's race featured a 12.5 kilometer pursuit race with four shooting stages. Nordgren won the race and Meland came in fifth. Also placing for the men's team was Brandon Pulst in 17th and Senior Master Sgt. Eric Card, in 32nd. Danelle Card again placed third in the women's division, which covered 10 kilometers with four shooting stages. The results from the pursuit race pushed North Dakota to first in the team category.
"Our team is finally getting some of the quality depth we need to be a force now and in the future," Becker said. "This race series shows that the work we've put in recruiting and developing athletes is starting to pay dividends. With some hard training, and hopefully a little more snow, we look forward to building on this finish in the national competition at the end of February."
Next up for the North Dakota National Guard Biathlon Team is the Chief of the National Guard Bureau Biathlon Championships in a month. Last year, the biathlon team placed third nationally in the competition, and they won the title the year prior.
While the bulk of the team competed in Minnesota this past weekend, two members left to compete this week in the ISDM Internationale Divisionsskimeisterschaften 2012, or the International Division Ski Championships 2012. Skalicky and Kent Pulst joined National Guard team members from Minnesota, Montana, Vermont, Utah and Oregon for the races that run through this week.