FORT KENT, Maine — Nearly perfect conditions led to some fast skiing and sharp shooting from the more than 60 athletes competing on the first day of the 2016 North American and U.S. Biathlon Championships at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center.
“Natural snow is a change,” said 24-year old Casey Smith, who is affiliated with the Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club and Green Racing Project in Vermont.
With many areas of the Northeast seeing less than normal snowfall this past winter, a lot of skiers have been training and racing on artificial snow.
“This is super nice skiing,” Smith said following his sprint race Thursday.
Fort Kent competitor Cody Johnson, racing in the youth men’s group, finished fourth on Thursday, while fellow Maine Winter Sports Center racer Brendan Cyr took top spot in the group.
On the women’s side, MWSC athlete Hannah Streinz took the top spot Thursday in the junior women’s sprint race.
Athletes of all levels, from master skiers to 13-year-old first-time competitors from America and Canada, are in the area for the three days of competition which started Thursday at the spectator-friendly venue, which is hosting its seventh such championship for the sport that combines cross-country ski racing with target shooting.
About 4 inches of fresh snow fell on the course overnight and it was still snowing for Friday’s pursuit races, which started at 10 a.m.
Pat Theriault, one of the volunteers at the outdoor center, said the trails had been groomed but were “slow and heavy” Friday compared to Thursday.
Cyr picked up another first place in the youth men’s competition Friday while MWSC teammates Brian Halligan captured the junior men’s title and Streinz won her second crown in the junior women’s competition.
U.S. Biathlon team members Lowell Bailey and Clare Eagan recorded victories in the men’s and women’s divisions, respectively. Bailey missed three targets and finished in 1 hour, 7 minutes, 28 seconds over 12.5 kilometers and Cape Elizabeth native Eagan missed just one target and clocked in at 1:00:38 over a 10K course.
The final event, the mass start competition, begins at 9 a.m. Saturday.
All race results are posted on the Fort Kent Outdoor Center website at http://10thmtskiclub.org.