The race was held at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center, located in the Bridger Mountains near Bridger Bowl Ski Area. I practice at Crosscut twice a week. Race day conditions were cold (19 ⁰F) and snow was icy. I used blue wax which worked well for the conditions. The second shoot was gusty and third shoot was straight wind. Our coach gave us adjustments for the wind.
My race category was IBU (International Biathlon Union) U14 Elite. Anyone under 14 years old can enter this category. The race type was Individual with four one km ski laps and three shooting rounds. The penalty for each missed target was 30 seconds. Racers started every 30 seconds. There were three competitors in my category.
Targets can be set to standing or prone. Usually the right half of the range is set to prone and the left half is set to standing. Standing targets are about the size of a CD and prone targets are about the size of golf ball. Racers shoot standing or prone (on their stomach) depending on their category. The novice category shoots prone on standing targets. My race category shot three rounds of prone shooting at prone targets, with five shots per shooting round.
I hit a total of 8 targets. My competitor hit one less target than I did, but skied faster. We both shot well considering the wind. For the last ski lap, I knew I would win if my competitor didn't pass me. My competitor was just turning the corner͒͑ when I crossed the finish line and I won by 9.5 seconds! This was my first time to win a winter biathlon race.
