The last weeks have not been easy on many of us and nobody can really know how the situation will be in November, December of 2020 or into next year.

We hope that the COVID-19 pandemic will be so far under control that we will be able to have race season.

All hosting clubs have confirmed the 2020-21 dates for the Calforex Cup and we are happy to release this race schedule.

All dates are tentative and will be postponed or cancelled if required by the provincial or federal health organisations (or the weather)!

Most Alberta clubs and programs are looking for options to host training sessions for their athletes while respecting the rules and recommendations around physical distancing.

Hosting online programs are a way how many coaches will interact with their athletes in the upcoming weeks. Only Alberta clubs that are registered with Biathlon Alberta/Biathlon Canada for the 2020-21 season are insured under the Biathlon Canada insurance policy.

All clubs/programs, coaches and athletes are required to follow the Biathlon Canada approved online instructions activities and protocols in order to be insured through the Biathlon Canada/Biathlon Alberta insurance.

For more information on which activities are covered please click HERE.

Please visit the Biathlon Canada website HERE to register your club or to register for an individual membership!

The National Volunteer Appreciation Week is from April 19-25, 2020.

During these challenging times, it is even more important to thank all our volunteers that are helping all over Alberta in their clubs and of course during all our races that are held in Alberta. Without all these volunteers our clubs could not run their programs and our events would not happen!

YOU are the backbone of our sport and we thank you for that!

We hope that you all are staying safe and healthy and that we will be able to see you all again soon!

My Youth Olympic Games Experience

One of my absolute favourite things about YOG was how many spectators were cheering. I think there were close to 2000 people. It felt very different from Worlds which I attended in Otepaa, Estonia two years earlier. It made me very nervous at first but then I got used the energy that was there and I think it helped me in the end.

I want to share with you the story of my second race which was the relay with Ethan Algra from Sovereign Lake BC. It was my second race and I was excited about it. I wanted to do better than my individual race the day before (31st finish out of 97 racers). The drive to redeem myself was a big motivation – particularly the order of my shooting haha (which I had mixed the day before whoops). It was a mass start and I started first. There were 30 teams. I was in the 5th row and the pace picked up very quickly as we immediately went up the first (very steep) hill. I was not nervous once we got started – in part because it was a relay and I felt that there was less pressure. There was a lot of climbing – but I was keeping pace with the first five girls. When I came into the range my nerves went up again as everyone comes into the range at the same time for the prone shooting. I shot 5! I was surprised and it gave me that boost to ski even faster on my second lap. At this point, I was still with the top girls and was able to stay with them. When I came into my last standing shooting I managed to hit 4 (and then used one spare). My legs were so cooked and thank god I was able to tag it over to Ethan. We were in 6th position. The crowds were still going crazy. Ethan did amazing and was able to finish our team in 11th position. I thought it was a pretty good day!

I loved my experience at this event – it was unique and I know a once in a lifetime experience. I feel lucky that I got to go and appreciated the support from Biathlon Canada, the International Olympic Committee and my team (they were the best).  I can’t wait to go back to a world event (post-COVID of course).

Stay healthy!

Thanks,

Pascale

For more information please find the full press release HERE.

To read about the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre and its different training options please click HERE

The Board of Directors and our President, Clayton Paradis, hope that you are all healthy and safe during this time of uncertainty and unknown. Please take a moment to read Clayton’s message to all Biathlon Alberta members and friends.

As we support you in this extraordinary time, we think it is important to tell you as athletes to focus on your own general health and safety first. The long-term health effects due to C-19 aren’t very well understood at this time, however, we are aware of some research which indicates there may be some risk of lasting detrimental effects on lung function and capacity. That’s not good news for athletes! Please make smart choices as you stay active.Take social distancing, self-isolation, and handwashing seriously. If you NEED to get together with friends for workouts then travel separately, maintain 2 metres distance at all times, train with only one or two other athletes, and choose locations with few other people.You may also be aware that National Parks are now closed indefinitely. You may travel through, but no stopping or parking anywhere. We can only assume the Provincial Parks will follow suit.Thank you all and stay safe.Regards,Clayton

Biathlon Canada is hosting the first virtual Canadian Biathlon Championships on April 2, 2020 at 5:30 pm (MST).

For more information, please click HERE.

The Biathlon Alberta Training Centre (BATC) developed since its start in 2011 many successful athletes and now it is your chance to become a part of Canada’s most successful training centre.

We are accepting new application for our program starting May 1, 2020!

For the first time will we offer two different streams.

The first stream is the already known full-time training program in Canmore where athletes train under ideal conditions with our Head Coach Matthias Ahrens.

The second, and new, stream is the post-secondary stream. These athletes will train parts of the year full-time in Canmore while splitting their training time between Calgary and Canmore between September and March. For more information please read our 2020-21 BATC Program Overview information.

You can find all the information and the application form HERE

Please note that tomorrow, March 19, 2020, at 4 pm (MT) our Head Coach, Matthias Ahrens, will host a presentation with a Q & A after on our Facebook page. If you are interested in the program but still have some questions this would be a great chance to get your answers!

The Canmore Nordic Ski Club offers two different camps to athletes that are born between 2003 and 2005 between June 28 and July 31, 2020.

To see the schedule and get more information about the camp, please click HERE.

You can find the application form HERE.

Please contact Canmore Nordic’s Biathlon Head Coach, Rachel Koroscil, directly should you have further questions.