Athletes Head to Vuokatti for Final Pre-Season Camp

Tomorrow, November 8, 16 U.S. athletes will travel across the pond to northern Scandinavia to take part in the final pre-season camp before the 2024-25 international racing season begins. The team will spend two valuable weeks training on snow in Vuokatti, FIN before rosters are named for trimester one and athletes head to the IBU Cup, kicking off in Idre Fjäll, SWE on November 28, and the World Cup, beginning on November 30 in Kontiolahti, FIN.  

Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, WI/Army World Class Athlete Program) and Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/U.S. Biathlon) both pre-qualified for World Cups 1-3 based on stellar performances last season. Kelsey Dickinson (Winthrop, WA/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) and Paul Schommer (Appleton, WI/Team Birkie/Ariens Nordic Center) pre-qualified for World Cups 1-3 at the 2024 U.S. Biathlon Fall Festival & International Team Trials in October. However, due to personal reasons, Schommer has made the decision not to race the World Cup for trimester one. The International Competition Committee (ICC), U.S. Biathlon’s committee responsible for determining criteria and selecting athletes, has voted that there will now be three open spots to fill on the men’s World Cup team.  Additionally, Eli Nielsen (Stehekin, WA/National Guard Biathlon) will now travel with the team to Vuokatti for the final pre-season camp and will vie for a spot on either the World Cup or IBU Cup teams. 

The selection process for the remaining two spots on the women’s World Cup roster and three spots on the men’s World Cup roster, and the final IBU Cup roster will take place over a two-week period of on-snow assessment in Vuokatti. Team selections for the first trimester will be announced following the final meeting of the ICC approximately one week prior to the first World Cup. This season, U.S. Biathlon is allotted four World Cup and four IBU Cup start positions for both men and women.

“Last season's first attempt at the Vuokatti pre-season camp exceeded all of our expectations.  The ability to give athletes the opportunity to demonstrate their performance level on-snow and closer to the season was a big improvement over our previous years’ model of selecting World Cup spots exclusively through rollerski trials. I am looking forward to the second year of this camp and the season to come,” said Lowell Bailey, U.S. Biathlon Director of High Performance. “Additionally, having the opportunity to train together as one team before the final roster selection for trimester one is a great opportunity for athletes from both tours to spend time together, train together, and push each other to greater heights throughout the lead up to the season.   We have a great blend of veterans and young athletes looking to make a statement this season, as well as a few new faces to the international racing scene. It will be great to see them all hit the snow and eventually the international race tours.” 

Nielsen will join Wright, Sean Doherty (Center Conway, NH/Army World Class Athlete Program), Jake Brown (Saint Paul, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Maxime Germain (Chamonix-Mont Blanc, FRA/National Guard Biathlon), Vaclav Cervenka (Grand Rapids, MN/Army World Class Athlete Program), Vincent Bonacci (Salt Lake City, UT/Team Crosscut) and Luke Brown (Saint Paul, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) in Vuokatti. As Wright is pre-qualified for the World Cup team, seven men will be vying for the three remaining spots on the World Cup team; those who do not make the World Cup team for trimester one will race the IBU Cup. 

On the women’s side, Irwin and Dickinson will be joined by Margie Freed (Apple Valley, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Grace Castonguay (Jackson, NH/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Luci Anderson (Golden Valley, MN/Team Birkie), Michaela Keller-Miller (Plymouth, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Jackie Garso (Lake Clear, NY/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) and Tara Geraghty-Moats (West Fairlee, VT/National Guard Biathlon). With Irwin and Dickinson pre-qualified for World Cups 1-3, there will be two spots to fill on the women’s World Cup team, and the four women who do not make the World Cup team will race the IBU Cup. 

This season is sure to be an exciting one as we begin the countdown to the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games! See below for helpful resources as we gear up for the season ahead: 

International Events Calendar (World Cup, IBU Cup, Junior IBU Cup)

How to Watch (FREE live stream via Eurovision Sports) 

Spectator Resources (Qualification process, race disciplines, FAQs, and more!)