FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gary Colliander
Minnesota Biathlon
Community Olympic Development Program
[email protected]
March 7, 2002
North American Biathlon Championships/U.S. Biathlon Championships
Day 1
Ft. Kent, Maine - Athletes from around the country competed today in Ft. Kent, Maine seeking to gain the title of U.S. National Champion. Joining the American athletes were athletes from Canada competing in what is also the North American Biathlon Championships. Conditions at the Ft. Kent venue were perfect with a firm track and clear skies making it a great day to compete in today's scheduled Individual Race. Athletes stop at the range in between ski loops, where they have five rounds to hit five targets with one-minute penalties given for each miss.
In the Sr. Men's category a surprise victor took home the title of National Champion. Tim Burke of Paul Smiths, NY, who still competes as a junior (ages 20 and under) missed only 3 targets to gain his first win of the three race event. Behind Burke was St. Paul, MN native Jacob Beste, who skied just about even with Burke, but recorded two more misses. Three time Olympian Curtis Schreiner of Day, NY finished just 33 seconds behind Beste with the same shooting score. In his first race since the Salt Lake City Olympics, 2002 Olympian Dan Campbell of Hastings, MN finished in 4th place with 7 penalties.
Walter Shepard of Yarmouth, Maine just missed out at a National Championship crown in the Jr. Men's race hitting 15 of 20 targets. Shepard who lives and trains in Ft. Kent recorded one of the fastest ski times of the day, but couldn't overcome the great shooting of Canada's Dominic Villeneuve, who hit 18 of 20 targets. Steve Scott of St. Paul, MN finished in 3rd with 6 penalties.
The Minnesota Biathlon Program showed its dominance in the Youth Men's race placing seven athletes in the top 10. Training partners Kevin Patzoldt of Grand Rapids, MN and Ben Byrne of Bovey, MN finished 1-2 with near exact ski times. Patzoldt gained the upper hand in the range hitting two more targets than Byrne. Kurt Farchmin of Duluth, MN finished in 3rd with 8 penalties.
Russel Currier of Stokholm, ME finished 2nd in the Boy's race today just behind Canmore, Canada's Nathan Smith. Currier recorded the top shooting in the race hitting 15 of 20 shots to finish just 5 seconds behind Smith. Brendan Green of Canmore was 3rd.
Ekaterina Ivanova of the U.S. National Guard overcame 3 penalties in her second prone stage to just beat out 2002 Olympian Rachael Steer of Anchorage, AK. Ivanova had to ski faster over the final two loops to overtake Steer and did so by just 10 seconds. Steer recorded just 4 penalties, two of which came in her first shooting stage. A close race for third place came down to a battle between two Olympians. Gusting winds had increased throughout the Women's race, but 1998 Olympian Debbie Nordyke of Day, NY showed her accuracy hitting 17 of 20 targets to just beat out Kara Salmela of Duluth, MN. Salmela, who competed on both the 1998 and 2002 Olympic Teams, struggled in the range missing 6 targets to finish in 4th place just 10 seconds behind Nordyke.
In another close race, Marie-Piere Parent of Canada just beat out Stillwater, MN native Jenny Ester by just 37 seconds in the Jr. Women's race. Julie Warneke of Elk River, MN finished in 3rd. In the Youth Women's race, the top three athletes all recorded 8 penalties showing how the wind had become a factor with the shooting later in the day. Annelies Cook of Saranac Lake, NY got her first win of the week with the fastest ski time of the day. Emila Demarchis of Burlington, VT was 2nd, just 13 seconds ahead of Antonia Slaughter of Maple Plane, MN. All three were also members of the U.S. Youth Jr. World Team that competed in Ridnaun, Italy this past January. Michele Morin of Canada won the Girls (ages 14-15) race, with Shannon Meehan of New York finishing in 2nd.
Sr. Men 20k Individual Event
Name Club Hometown Penalty Time
1 Tim Burke NYSEF Paul Smith, NY 0 1 0 2 1:01:16
2 Jacob Beste Nat'l Guard St. Paul, MN 1 1 1 2 1:03:22
3 Curtis Schreiner WCAP Day, NY 1 3 1 0 1:03:55
4 Dan Campbell MN Biathlon Hastings, MN 1 2 2 2 1:04:09
17 Brett Piper USOEC Lakeville, MN 2 3 2 1 1:10:28
Jr. Men's 15k Individual Event
Name Club Hometown Penalty Time
1 Dominic Villeneuve Courceltte 2 0 0 0 46:00
2 Walt Shepard MWSC Yarmouth, ME 1 1 1 2 47:54
3 Steve Scott MN-Twin Cities St. Paul, MN 1 2 1 2 50:18
4 Anders Osthus MN-Duluth Duluth, MN 0 4 3 2 51:17
5 Brian Olsen MN-Twin Cities Bloomington, MN 1 3 2 3 52:17
6 Chris Gadacz MN-Twin Cities Elk River, MN 1 1 2 0 52:30
7 Lars Gaalaas MN-Mt. Itasca Grand Rapids, MN 1 1 0 4 52:37
9 Tom Secord MN-Twin Cities New Brighton, MN 1 2 3 1 54:05
14 Ross Roetman MN-Bemidji Bemidji, MN 3 2 1 5 1:04:38
Youth Men 12.5k Individual Event
Name Club Hometown Penalty Time
1 Kevin Patzoldt MN-Mt. Itasca Grand Rapids, MN 0 1 1 2 41:38
2 Ben Byrne MN-Mt. Itasca Bovey, MN 0 2 2 2 43:44
3 Kurt Farchmin MN-Duluth Duluth, MN 2 1 2 3 45:08
4 Bjorn Bakken MN-Duluth Duluth, MN 2 2 3 2 46:05
6 Nathan Erlandson MN-Mt. Itasca Grand Rapids, MN 1 3 3 2 47:10
9 Kai Salmela MN-Duluth Duluth, MN 2 4 2 1 49:15
10 Tyler Gerling MN-Mt. Itasca Grand Rapids, MN 4 3 1 2 50:28
14 Aaron Nistler MN-Bemidji Bemidji, MN 5 2 3 3 55:45
Boys 7.5k Individual Event
Name Club Hometown Penalty Time
1 Nathan Smith Canmore 2010 Canmore, Canada 29:08
2 Russel Currier MWSC Stokholm, ME 29:15
3 Brendan Green Canmore 2010 Canmore, Canada 30:06
7 Mark Johnson MN-Mt. Itasca Grand Rapids, MN 2 2 2 1 31:10
9 Ian VanStraten MN-Duluth Duluth, MN 32:11
12 Brandon Ostroot MN-Twin Cities Columbia Heights, MN 33:31
14 Wynn Roberts MN Biathlon Battle Lake, MN 36:25
Women's 15k Individual Event
Name Club Hometown Penalty Time
1 Ekaterina Ivanova Nat'l Guard 0 1 3 1 50:47
2 Rachel Steer Nat'l Team Anchorage, AK 2 0 1 1 50:58
3 Debbie Nordyke Nat'l Guard Day, NY 1 1 0 1 51:34
4 Kara Salmela MN-Duluth Duluth, MN 1 2 1 2 51:44
6 BethAnn Ellingson MN-Mt. Itasca Grand Rapids, MN 2 1 2 1 54:59
7 Sarah Riley USOEC Proctor, MN 1 2 2 3 58:01
8 Carolyn Treacy MN-Duluth Duluth, MN 3 4 5 2 1:02:30
Jr. Women's Individual Event
Name Club Hometown Penalty Time
1 Marie-Pierre Parent Courcelette 2 0 0 3 50:46
2 Jenny Ester MN-Twin Cities Stillwater, MN 2 1 0 1 51:23
3 Julie Warneke MN-Twin Cities Elk River, MN 3 4 2 2 57:00
Youth Women's Indvidual Event
Name Club Hometown Penalty Time
1 Annelies Cook NYSSEF Saranac Lake, NY 3 2 1 2 39:11
2 Emilia Demarchis EARCE Burington, VY 2 1 2 3 40:18
3 Antonia Slaughter MN-Twin Cities Maple Plane, MN 0 2 4 2 40:32
4 Cayley Baird MN-Twin Cities Stillwater, MN 3 1 3 2 42:51
9 Brynden Manbeck MN-Mt. Itasca Grand Rapids, MN 2 3 3 1 45:05
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