Senior and Junior National Biathlon Teams in Colorado

Mon, May  5, 2008 - By US Biathlon Association

Colorado Springs, CO - Members of the Senior National Team and Junior National Team are back to training after a well deserved break following a very successful racing season. Eight athletes converged on Vancouver, British Columbia 10 days ago for some very early season on snow training at the beautiful Callaghan Valley Ski Venue, future home of the 2010 Olympic competitions in biathlon, cross country skiing, Nordic combined, and ski jumping.

With plenty of natural snow still on the ground, the athletes were able to take advantage of the fantastic weather to get in some awesome spring training. With most of us reaching for our rollerskis and running shoes, their week of training concluded with a 4 hour ski that took them up to mountain lakes while they all enjoyed the added bonus of a nice sun tan.

Tim Burke Hanging Out

Here in Colorado Springs the group has been taking full advantage of the amazing facilities that are available at the Olympic Training Center. Mornings have been filled with plenty of shooting at the indoor 50 meter range where the area is shared with athletes competing for the US Precision Shooting team. Athletes started the week with two days of rock climbing and team building activities in North Cheyenne Canyon with the help of local climbing guides as well as Georg Nickaes, a German Based mountain climber and guide. Everyone jumped at the chance to take on this new challenge and other than a few scrapes came out energized and happy.

Leif Nordgren belays a trusting teammate

Athletes have also had contact with experts in the fields of strength and weight training, sports psychology, and sports physiology. Everyone will have the chance to take part in an interval workout using supplemental oxygen to allow them to train hard as if they were at sea level while still enjoying the benefit of doing volume workouts at altitude (Colorado Springs sits at about 6,100 feet or 1,800 meters). Other activities planned for the rest of the week include mountain biking and hiking at close by Pikes Peak.

The group works on their skills

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