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What do .22-Long Rifles, #Calforex money exchange, and Zeroing have to do with an excellent winter sport?

This blog post is a contribution by Bogi Gyorfi.

We are quite new to the sport of Biathlon, having started last year by the demand of our 11-year-old son. He said, “Mom, if you want to make xc skiing fun, just put me in Biathlon pleeeeease.” So we did.

As a result, I just spent a weekend volunteering at the season opener race, NorAm/Calforex Cup #1, spending 14 hours close to the shooting range admiring all the participants. To be honest, I enjoy this type of volunteering. It is fun to help out recording the shots and watching the competition.

It is so amazing how much diversity these athletes need to finish a race. Not only do they need technique, endurance, and strength but they also must be able to lower their heart rate enough to hold the gun steady as they aim at a tiny target. The best part about it is that there are many different categories. The variety of shooting and skiing skills even out the field a bit, so practically anyone has a chance to win at the youth level. It was interesting to see how the races change from one minute to the next with the shooting. If you miss many shots, your penalty lap skiing will make your finishing time much longer.

The North American Cup combined with the Calforex Cup which means athletes from not only Alberta but other Provinces, the US team and even some Korean para-athletes took part in the competition. I also learned that Calforex Currency Exchange has been sponsoring the Alberta cups for many seasons, so I am sure to use their services when I need it.

The Foothills Nordic Ski Club had 65 athletes competing from the Developmental to Masters age groups. The coaches were super organized to take care of everyone. Before the races started, the athletes went through ZEROING.  This means every single person had to align their sights to the conditions by firing on a paper target with a coach standing behind them with a telescope watching the bullet’s mark and giving feedback. How crazy is that?

All the coaches’ and volunteers’ work paid off (close to 300 people) with organizing a great competition. Many medals and chocolates were given out during the weekend. Did you know that you could earn yummy treats from @The Fudgery,  if you shoot clean (5 out of 5)? It makes me want to try Biathlon! 😊

Here are the Foothills Nordic Medals for the first race of the season. Congratulations!

Sprint Pursuit
Rory GILLILAND 2nd Youth Men Rory GILLILAND 3rd Youth Men
Jenna SHERRINGTON 1st Youth Women Jenna SHERRINGTON 1st Youth Women
Annika KLOTZ 1st Senior Girls Claire NGUYEN-CAO 1st Senior Girls
Ema CHLEPKOVA 2nd Senior Girls Naomi WALCH 2nd Senior Girls
Louna DUPONT 3rd Senior Girls Emma OSNESS 3rd Senior Girls
Logan LUMBY 2nd Senior Boys Joseph MILLS 3rd Senior Boys
Marcus SKARSGARD 1st Dev2 Boys Marcus SKARSGARD 1st Dev 2 Boys
François GAUTHIER 2nd Dev2 Boys Desiree PARADIS 1st Dev 2 Girls
Desiree PARADIS 1st Dev 2 Girls Clara NEANDER 2nd Dev 2 Girls
Alexandra HULSHOF 2nd Dev 2 Girls Alexandra HULSHOF 3rd Dev 2 Girls
Peter ROJKOVSKI 1st Dev 1 Boys Peter ROJKOVSKI 3rd Dev 1 Boys
Farley KLOTZ 1st Masters Men Farley KLOTZ 1st Masters Men

1 Comment

  1. Karin Kaarsoo

    Thanks for this post Bogi. I will make sure that both Calforex and The Fudgery see it. Glad that you enjoyed the weekend!

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