News

Winter/Spring 2011 PA Biathlon Bulletin

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WINTER REPORT

For most of us it has been a long, cold, and snowy winter. A few club members have actually enjoyed this past winter exploring and racing across the country on skis and snowshoes. John and Peg Sims spent many days cross-country skiing, and Frank Gaval, Russ Myers, and Scott & Ann Sick took part in several races. Russ Myers and Hilary Saucy competed in several winter biathlons, with Hilary being named "Biathlete of the week" on the NY Biathlon Website, nybiathlon.org.

Frank Gaval and Ed Myers raced on snowshoes in New Mass., PA throughout the winter. They both qualified for Snowshoeing National Championships in Wisconsin where Ed Myers placed 6th in the Masters Division.

Scott Sick was in Idaho for a ski race that featured former Summer Biathlon Champs Eric Wilbrecht and Shawn Marshall Pryde.

Be sure to check out the full results at snowshoeing.com, nybiathlon.org, and usbiathlon.org.

FINALLY SPRING!

The Club will host a Biathlon on April 23 at Whitetail Preserve. NEW THIS YEAR---a free scholastic division sport division with the hopes of drawing more youth into the sport. We need to get the range ready for the summer season, if you can assist please contact Frank Gaval ASAP @ 570-788-4219. Times and Dates TBD.

UPDATE FOR CLUB MEMBERS

The membership has stabalized but financially we are doing fine. Current Expenses inlcude insurance, ammo, and rifle matenance. The only thing we could use is some shootin mats--but for the amount of time we use them, perhaps carpet scraps will do just fine. Remember, Club Dues are to be paid in July!

UPCOMING EVENTS

April 23 - Whitetail Preserve

July 9th - Altoon, PA

July 23rd - Whitetail Preserve

August 13th - Oil City, PA

If anyone wants to conduct an even tin your area, the club would be happy to assist, just let Frank Gaval know!

OTHER INFO

There will be no Summer Biathlon Worlds this season, but there will be a Summer US National Champs. Bids for venues are due this month so we should have a location soon.

Does PA want to host the Tri-State Champs or a similar event this fall?

RACE SUPPORT

Remember that our club events need your support! NOT just attending because setting up, break-down and running the competition takes alot of effot. Its MUCH EASIER when there are many hands to share the work!

PLEASE CONSIDER VOLUNTERRING AT A BIATHLON THIS YEAR

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BRING A FRIEND TO PARTICIPATE OR HELP

PA Club Member and Junior competitor Hilary Saucy competes at 2011 US Winter Biathlon National Championships in Mt. Itasca, MN

Hilary Saucy traveled to Minnesota this past week to compete in the most prestigous races for winter Biathlon, US National Champs. Despite some less than ideal weather conditions, Hilary had three great races to finish off her season. In the Youth (17-18) Women division, Hilary placed 8th in the sprint shooting 2,2; finished 7th in the pursuit race with a PR shooting day of 1,0,2,2 and cleaning her first ever prone shootin stage; and finished 7th again in the Mass Start race where she once again nailed the shooting with 0,1,4,1 making her shooting result the second best in the Youth Womens division.

For complete results visit Minnesotabiathlon.com

Tri-State Biathlon Champs Report

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We were blessed with a beautiful weekend in Osceola for the 2010 Tr-state champs. Saturday saw a sprint and rock-rabbit relay both of which were challenged by the gusting/swirling winds. PA represented well with their team of Ian and Hilary Saucy winning the rock-rabbit event. Sunday brought calm weather, no wind, a mass start and accuracy match. National Champ Doug Hoover won both events and proved to all that he really is the one to beat. Other PA athletes (Ian) took 2nd, and (Hilary) 3rd. Stephanie Saucy, John Sims, and Frank Gaval were also competing for PA, complete results will be be posted when they become avaliable. After two days of FUN competition PA came out on top to win the Championship!!! This is the 3rd time PA has won tri-state champs!!

If you weren't able to make it up for the weekend then you missed out on A TON OF FUN!!! We were all dreaming about skiing while running on the ski trails at Osceola. Thanks Hugh Quinn for providing use of the venue, Kurt Donath for marking the trails (and the elevator), and to all the race volunteers, we couldn't have done it without you! Though the event saw low attendance loads of fun was had by all. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR....SO START PRACTICING!!!!

Fall 2010 PA Biathlon Bulletin

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Update for Club Members

Our club has had a great Biathlon Season with events at Whitetail, Altoona, and Oil City. We had over 50 participants in all events and interest continues to grow. The free scholasctic race drew many new juniors to the sport who will hopefully attend future events. We would like to thank those who give of their time to help officiate the races and make them particpant friendly. Without our many volunteers races would not be possible!

WANTED: The club would like to purchase a sued left-handed rifle. Please contact Frank if you have, or know where the club can purchase a rifle.

Biathletes you know: Katie Sick is now running XC for LockHaven U. and doing very well. Alden Sims is also at LockHaven and has just completed his Army basic reserve training. We wish them well in the coming year.

Summer Nationals Report

2010 USBA Summer Biathlon National Championships were held in Tukwila, Washington. The event went well and two club members attended and placed very well. Congratulations to Doug Hoover for capturing yet another national title--his fourth!! Also, congrats to Dan Fink who won the 3rd race at Nationas. See complete results, race recap, pictures and more on the nationals page.

Upcoming Events

October 9-10 - tri-state champs Osceola, NY. See below announcment for info.

October 23 - Whitetail Preserve

We also hope to have a snowshoe Biathlon in Jan and possible a winter (ski) Biathlon in Feb. More details to follow. Frank Gaval has snowshoes and skis if you are intersted in learning either.

Ideas, Suggestions, News, or Info for PA Biathlon Club--Contact Hilary Saucy (website administrator) at superpurplebutterfly at hotmail.com, or Frank and Barb Gaval (club presidents) at barb123 at ptd.net. (@ has been omitted to prevent scam emails)

Tri-State Champs--updated info 9/21

>>Updated 9/21>> Registration deadline is NOW september 25th!!!! If you plan to come send in your registration IMMEDIATLY!!! If you are pretty sure you will attend please email Russ Myer (rmyer@nycap.rr.com) and let him know you'll be coming so he can start planning! COME REPRESENT PA!!!!!!!!

Schedule:

Saturday--Sprint in AM, Rockrabbit in PM

Sunday--Team relay, accuracy match

The annual Tri-States Summer Biathlon championship will be returning to New York on the weekend of October 9-10. For the first time ever the series will be held at the Osceola Tug Hill ski center. The weekend will feature several races along with lunch each day and presentations. To compete, you must have completed at least one biathlon race prior to the event and have your own equipment. PLEASE.....come out and represent PA, the more athletes we have, the better shot we have at winning! It tons of fun, and you won't want to miss out on the special rock-rabbit race...you'll have to come to the event to find out what that is!!!

**Discount Lodging is avaliable at the Rome Econolodge

**Discount Lodging is also avaliable at the Crossroads Inn and Cabins

Current info packet can be found here, registration is due SEPT 25TH. Also, check the summer.nybiathlon.org and nybiathlon.org website for more details as they become avaliable.

JULY ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Races

Whitetail held the second race of the 2010 season today and had a great turnout despite some rather hot weather. Smiles were seen on every competitors face, and fun was had by everyone. Novice competitors outnumbered the vetrans! Results and pictures will be posted shortly.

Altoona held a race on July 11 and also had a great turnout. Results have been posted and pictures will be up soon.

*****October 10-11 is the date for this year's PA-NY-NJ tri-state championships. The event will be held at Osceola Tug Hill XC ski center near syraucse, NY. To compete, you must have completed at least one biathlon race prior to the event and have your own equipment. PLEASE.....come out and represent PA, the more athletes we have, the better shot we have at winning! It tons of fun, and you won't want to miss out on the special rock-rabbit race...you'll have to come to the event to find out what that is!!!

Remaining Summer 2010 Schedule

A complete list of events can be seen on the EVENTS page, a few events of note are listed below.

August 14th - Oil Creek State Park Biathlon

August 17-21 - US Biathlon Nationals

October 10-11 - PA-NY-NJ Tri-state champs (come represent!!)

November ? - Whitetail Preserve

Nationals

2010 US Biathlon National Championships will be held in Tukwila, Washinton, August 17-21. Full event info and registration is avaliable on the NATIONALS page. If you have completed at least one race, and have your own equipment you are eligible to participate! Nationals is always a fun event so you won't want to miss out on anything!

Help Support Whitetail Preserve

Whitetail Preserve will host a run and relay for Autism Awareness on thursday evening, June 24th at 6pm. There will be a 5k run (3 hilly loops), and a three person 6k relay with each person doing a 2k loop. If you can come and support this race we'd be glad to have you.

Ideas, Suggestions, News, or Info for PA Biathlon Club--Contact Hilary Saucy (website administrator) at superpurplebutterfly at hotmail.com, or Frank and Barb Gaval (club presidents) at barb123 at ptd.net. (@ has been omitted to prevent scammers)

ATTENTION:

July 11 Syracuse Biathlon Race has been CANCELLED! Possible race in August, stay tuned for more details.

**Saratoga Biathlon club has added 2 races on August 28-29.

***The first winter race has been scheduled for December 19th at Osceola Tug Hill XC ski center

****Youth/Junior Biathlon World Team trials are scheduled for December 28-31 in Jericho, VT. These races are a qualifer for theYouth/Junior Biathlon World Championships held in Czech Republic the end of January. The top 4 male and female athletes in both the Youth (17-18) and Junior (19-20) categories who make the % cut-off qualify to represent the USA at world champs.

Summer 2010 PA Biathlon Bulletin

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Update for Club Members

Our first event of the 2010 season was a success with great weather a fair turnout. The support of our range officials is crucial to conducting our events so be sure to express your appreciation to them at our upcoming races.

The Club is in good shape financially with event insurance and ammo cost covered for the rest of your events this year.

Club dues of $12 are due on July 1st. If the newsletter you received in the mail (members only) has an X on it you need to send in your 2010 dues or pay at the next competition. If you would like to join the club, now would be be a good time to do that, just send your $12 to 369 Turkey Path rd, Sugarlaof Pa 18249. Although the PA Biathlon club is a very active organization, we always need new members and folks willing to help at events. We have the only regulation Biathlon venue in PA so spread the word and bring people to see our facilities.

Biathlon Fever is Spreading!

The York, PA, area has expressed an interest in hosting a Biathlon race. We are supporting them in their effort, but things are still in the planning stages. If you can assist in that area of PA please let us know. It would be nice to expand the schedule of biathlons into new locations but we need assistance. If you are interested in having a race in your area the club will conduct it, just let us know.

Summer 2010 Schedule

You can view a complete schedule of upcoming biathlon races on the events page but here is a brief list of PA races to come in the following weeks

June 17th - Scholastic Biathlon

July 11th - Altoona Biathlon

July 24th Whitetail Preserve

August 14th Oil Creek State Park

Nov ? Whitetail Preservee

Tri-state champs will be held this year in Osceola, NY at the Osceola Tug Hill XC ski center October 10-11. Your support as a competitor or event helper would be appreciated--PA has won the last two years and with your help we can have a threepete!

Help Support Whitetail Preserve

Whitetail Preserve will host a run and relay for Autism Awareness on thursday evening, June 24th at 6pm. There will be a 5k run (3 hilly loops), and a three person 6k relay with each person doing a 2k loop. If you can come and support this race we'd be glad to have you.

Whitetail Preserve has a Tradition of Excellance

We have been at the Whitetail Range since 2007. During that time we have had summer biathlons and several snowshoe biathlon races as well. Victories have gone to many competitors from several states incluing, PA, NJ, OH, MD, Wash DC, and NY. The most victories so far have been claimed by Ann Sick (5), Doug Hoover (4), and Hannah Sick (3). For those of you not familiar with the club history, we start at the Nescopeck Gun Club in 1995. At that venue Doug Hoover had 14 victories followed by Ann Sick and Lucie Bergeyova with 10 wins each. With your help and participation we can continue the tradition of excellance.

Ideas, Suggestions, News, or Info for PA Biathlon Club--Contact Hilary Saucy (website administrator) at superpurplebutterfly at hotmail.com, or Frank and Barb Gaval (club presidents) at barb123 at ptd.net. (@ has been omitted to prevent scammers)

2010 Summer Season is off and going!

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First race of the 2010 Season a Success

The 2010 Summer race season got off to a fine start on April 24th in PA. There was a total of 29 competitors with 17 in the sport category. Pictures and complete results can be found on the results and pictures page.

Plenty of races Scheduled for the Summer

Whether you are new to biathlon or a seasoned vetran there are plenty of opportunities to hone your skills this summer. There are many races throughout NewYork, PA, VT and NH. Go to the Events page for a complete list of upcoming races. Please keep checking back for updates as some races are still tenative and the schedule is subject to change.

SPRING NEWS UPDATE _______________________________________________________________________________________

Are you ready for Summer?

The 2010-2011 Summer Biathlon season is set to kick-off April 24th at Whitetail Preserve. So far we have 4 PA races scheduled, a scholastic race, many other races throughout the northeast, and a date for Nationals. Go dust off your rifle, grab your shoes, and join us on the 24th for the first race of the season. Come start your season off right with the PA Biathlon Club!

Winter 09-10 Update

This past winter several club members and freinds of PA Biathlon Club competed in various biathlon races. In the winter, running is replaced with cross-country skiing, and the competitor must carry his rifle life a backpack. This adds something different to the sport and gives it its own special style. In the winter, things get a little more technical and difficult since you are performing every action as in summer biathlon except while on skis. In addition, there are so many more things to think about in the winter such as, skis, wax (for skis), keeping warm, range approach/procedure, technique and speed of skiing, and of course trying to shoot when your fingers are frozen solid! Though the sport is relativly the same, it brings a whole new atmosphere to the world of biathlon. If you are looking for something new to try, then grab your skis and join the rest of the biathlon world next winter. Since PA always lacks snow, you will have to travel up to NY for most of the winter races. Pictures from this winter's season are avaliable for view or download at brightstarphoto.smugmug.com--thanks to club member Dan Saucy for his excellant photography!

Ever Wonder What Fellow Biathletes Are Up To?

Whether you are new to biathlon or are an expereinced competitor, you probably wonder what other biathletes are up to. Below, I have listed a few of my favorite sites of Olympic and US team Biathletes. The athletes update their site periodically giving updates about what they are doing. If you are interested in other athletes just google them or check usbiathlon.org, you may find something!

Tim Burke, 2010 Olympian timburke.us

Lowell Bailey, 2010 Olympian lowellbailey.com

Haley Johnson, 2010 Olympian comeskiwithme.blogspot.com

Sara Studebaker, 2010 Olympian sarastudebaker.blogpspot.com

Susan Dunklee, US Team member susandunklee.wordpress.com

9/17/09

Fall 2009 PA Biathlon Bulletin

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Summer Season Overview

The summer biathlon season had great success this 14th year. from April's race through nationals at Lake Placid and Oil Creek State Park our club has kept the sport of Summer biathlon moving forward. Our membership continues to grow and we generated lots of interest. Our events were all well attended and profitable. We also had many members competing in biathlons in New York. The largest group of PA biathletes participated in nationals in Lake Placid and took away many medals.

Money Matters

We purchased new pullcords for targets as well as covers and cards to protect them this winter. We’ve had some problem getting ammo, we have the cash but there seems to be a shortage everywhere. The only need I see for the club may be shooting mats and a left handed rifle. If you see any material that the club would need to enhance our event, let us know.

Future Stuff

We will continue to host events and hopefully add more, and expand programs and formats. We have the capability of doing shooting clinics, mountain bike biathlons, and XC ski biathlons. However; the responsibility of directing the trail run for red cross, snowshoe races, and having Insta-Results conducting about 60 events a year, I get a little burnt out so it would be nice if one or two members could step forward and direct and event or two. If you have a race idea let us know, I can see relays and even a celebrity shoot as a possibility.

Upcoming Events

Tri-State championships have been postponed or possibly combined with our November 8th biathlon at Whitetail. Right now a 4 stop 5K is planned for match (4K with two stops for sport). Details and an entry form will be ready soon. A snowshoe biathlon is planned on January 9 or 10, 4K with 25M targets Just a note to let you know you are all welcome to the PA State snowshoe championship, February 13 at Nescopeck State Park. Distances are 5K for juniors and 10K for all others. Snowshoes will be available for rental. You can qualify for nationals, taking place March 5-7 at Highland Forest Park, near Syracuse, NY.

Summer Biathlon World Championships

Good Luck US Summer Biathlon Team Doug Hoover, Stephanie Blackstone, both from PA, and Dan Fink, from West VA, will travel to Germany to take part in the World Championships of Summer Biathlon. Good luck to the US Team. Anthony Rizzo also made the team, but will be running for Bucknell University this fall. Ann Sick who also qualified, will be coaching field hockey, and both are unable to attend.