Biathlon for dummies

Published in The Post-Star (D1)

2/14/06

So, you're going cross-country skiing. Don't forget your hat and gloves, water bottle and a few granola bars.

Oh, and look -- there's that new .22 caliber rifle you got for Christmas. Since you're going to be out in the woods anyway, might as well bring that along and get in a little target practice. Besides, it looks kind of cool strapped on your back. (Just don't lend it to the vice president, even if he asks nicely.)

If you're actually nodding (and not off) as you follow this thought process, you could be a born biathlete.

Most of us, however, will turn on our televisions this week and be understandably perplexed by the sight of athletes wearing tights and toting guns.

The sport comes from Scandinavia, where it was used as a form of military protection for several centuries.

These days, biathletes like Curt Schreiner of Day like it for different reasons.

"Biathlon was just a really fun way for me to do something I already enjoyed doing," he said, explaining why he first got involved in the sport as a teenager. The 38-year-old National Guard soldier has since competed in three Olympics, married Olympic biathlete Deborah Nordyke, and now runs the Saratoga Biathlon Club in Day.

What's so addicting about biathlon, he said, is the challenge of combining two sports that make completely opposite physical demands. The adrenaline-fueled speed of racing through the snow on skis and the calm, cool precision of marksmanship are like the yin and yang of athletic competition.

Imagine running to the top of the Empire State Building and then trying to thread a needle -- you get the idea.

"Cross-country skiing is the most physiologically demanding sport there is. By the time you get to the targets, you're breathing really hard, you're shaking, the wind's blowing, and there's a lot of things you have to concentrate on to make it happen," said Schreiner. "That's why when you hit 5 for 5 in a race, it really feels like an accomplishment. And it doesn't happen very often."

There are five types of biathlon races in the Winter Games this year, each with separate men's and women's categories, although some won't make it onto network television.

Individual races (20 km for men, 15 km for women) have four shooting stages -- alternating between a prone and standing position, with five targets each time -- and each missed shot adds one minute to an athlete's time. Sprints cover half this distance, with two shooting stages (one prone, one standing) and a 150-meter penalty loop for each missed shot.

Pursuit races (12.5 km for men, 10 km for women) use four shooting stages and a penalty loop. While the individual and sprint use an interval start, biathletes start the pursuit according to their standings in the previous race and then try to overtake each other.

Relays are just what they sound like, with three or four athletes on a team, each skiing 4 to 7.5 km and shooting twice along the way.

The most exciting race to watch, said Schreiner, is probably the "mass start," new to the Olympics this year. It's similar to the pursuit, but all the skiers start at the same time, and it is limited to the top 30 in overall World Cup standings.

The U.S. men's favorite is Alaska native Jay Hakkinen, who placed 13th in the pursuit in 2002 -- the best-ever finish for an American biathlete.

Also keep your sights on Ole Einar Bjoerndalen (take your best shot at pronouncing that one), Norway's star biathlete, who took home the gold in all four men's events in 2002.

SOME BIATHLON TERMS
Arm sling: Webbing or belt that connects the rifle forestock to the shooter's upper arm for stability during shooting.
Harness: Backpack-style straps that hold the rifle on the biathlete's back while skiing.
Magazine: Holds ammunition, in up to four clips of five rounds each.
Prone: The lying-down position a biathlete takes to shoot in some stages.
Rifle: A .22-caliber, straight-pull bolt-action model that must weigh at least 3.5 kg (about 8 lbs).
Snow guard: Cap over the rifle's muzzle that keeps snow out and can be flipped open to shoot.
More info at www.usbiathlon.org and www.nbcolympics.com/biathlon

WHEN TO WATCH
Men's biathlon pursuit will air from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, on NBC.
Women's biathlon pursuit will air from midnight to 1 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, on NBC.
Women's 12.5 km mass-start biathlon will air from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, on NBC.
Men's 15 km mass-start biathlon will air from 8 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, on NBC.