Biathletes head to provincials

Jan. 2, 2009

Local biathletes will get a taste of competition this weekend as they head to provincials in Charlo.

The new Miramichi club is sending four biathletes to race in the New Brunswick Biathlon Championships. Braden Koops, Denis St. Germain and Bernard Wierzchoslawski will compete in the junior boys and girls division, and Miriam Wierzchoslawska will race in the senior girls division.

Coach Yves St. Germain said the four biathletes have been preparing by training with the provincial team in Charlo. "It's going well."

Biathlon is a combination of skiing and shooting, with competitors racing around a track before stopping to shoot at targets.

On Saturday, the club members will race in individual events at different distances, and depending on their age group, will shoot prone or both prone and standing. Sunday's race is a sprint event with two bouts of shooting.

Biathletes in the divisions the Miramichi youth will compete in don't carry their rifles as they make their way around the course.

St. Germain said all the members of the Miramichi club can do is their best and added the main part is getting experience in the competition. "That's new for them."

The four youth won't be the only ones from the Miramichi racing Saturday. St. Germain said he will compete in a coach's race to get the experience and see how it works from the competition side. "I always am up for a challenge."

The Miramichi biathlon club is one of four to receive a $5,000 grant from biathlon Canada. St. Germain said the money will go toward program development, equipment and training for coaches. "We have the large potential to develop biathletes in the Miramichi."

The club held a registration last weekend and five people joined. Their goal is 20 youth and St. Germain said it takes a while for word to spread. "We'll have to wait and see."

Ray Kokkonen is a former biathlete who lives in the Miramichi and will help the club with training in the new year. He said he hopes to get some interest from local cadets to bring the numbers up. "I think we'll achieve it."

The key to keeping kids interested in biathlon is to make it fun, he said. "You can't drag things out."

Kokkonen said bringing kids into physical activity is one of the best things they can do for society, and will benefit the kids throughout their lives. "For the kids it's just fun."

The kids he has seen so far are committed and one shows promise as a selection to the Canada Games team, he said. "There's quite a bit of promise."

Kokkonen said it's nice to be able to pass on his knowledge and experience to the kids he helps train. "This is kind of coming back to the grassroots for me."