Athletes from the Senior National Team, National Development Group, X Team and Junior National Team traveled to Lake Placid, New York at the beginning of June for the two-week-long U.S. Biathlon National Development Camp. Thirty-four athletes, seven coaches, four members of the Montana State University physiology department and nine additional staff members from both the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and U.S. Biathlon made history as the largest team camp to be put on in U.S. Biathlon history.
“We were thrilled to bring this large group of athletes together in one place,” said U.S. Biathlon Director of High Performance Lowell Bailey. “With the support of the USOPC and the Lake Placid Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, and the partnership with MSU, we were able to deliver world-class training conditions to more athletes than ever before! It is clear that these collaborative opportunities benefit all of the athletes who participated, regardless of which level of development they happened to be at.”
The Olympic village of Lake Placid is home to both Mount Van Hoevenberg, 1980 Winter Olympic venue, and one of two Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers in the United States, providing athletes with access to both a world renowned range and rollerski course, as well as Olympic-level resources for strength training, testing, recovery, nutrition and sports medicine.
There were training sessions held collaboratively, where all athletes were present, as well as exclusive training with smaller groups and one-on-one sessions to hone in on technique and individualized training needs.
Outside of training sessions, all senior athletes participated in physiological testing with Montana State University’s physiology department. Jim Becker, Professor of Kinesiology and Biomechanics and PI of Neuromuscular Biomechanics at MSU, and undergraduate and graduate students Emma Keating, Isaac Burgess and Gerritt Westling conducted psychological tests to measure VO2, threshold, motion capture and force analysis. This is the second season of U.S. Biathlon’s partnership with MSU, providing athletes with invaluable training data, as well as a new 3D look at each athlete's technique.
“Training with such a talented group of athletes was incredibly enjoyable,” said U.S. Biathlon National Development Group athlete Sarah Beaulieu. “Additionally, resources like recovery modalities and access to nutritionists and rehab facilities at the Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Lake Placid certainly elevate our training experience to the next level!”
National Development Group, X Team and Junior National Team athletes now head home to continue training, with opportunities for competition at U.S. Biathlon’s newly implemented regional rollerski championship series, kicking off with the Western Regional Summer Biathlon Rollerski Championship on June 22 at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, UT. To view the full national events calendar, click HERE.
Beginning in July, the Senior National Team will travel across the pond for the altitude preparation camp beginning in Livigno, Italy and concluding in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, hosts of the upcoming 2025 BMW IBU World Championships.