Month: October 2011

Early Season Races for December and January

Even though it is still October we need to start thinking of the upcoming racing season.  The racing schedule is taking shape and the first races are on the calendar.  As of now, it looks like there will be a short race, possible sprint, on December 17th, after a Toko Waxing Clinic.  The race will be held at Osceola Ski Center.  Then on January 1st we will host our first race at McCauley Mountain.  This is part of our Resolution Day Races.  We will hold a 7.5 km sprint race for all classes.  Then on Saturday, January 7th Syracuse will host their second race at Osceola Ski Center.  On January 28th Saratoga Biathlol Club will host their first race of the season, a sprint, in Day, NY, at the Saratoga Biathlon Club.  The next day, January 29th, the Polar Bear Biathlon Club will host our second race of the season.  It is a sprint scheduled to start at 1 p.m.  This will give us a possible four races before the Empire State Games on February 5th.

Last year several of our possible racers were unable to qualify because we didn’t have two races in before the Empire State Games.  This year we have the chance to race in Osceola, Saratoga and Old Forge before the games.  Start planning your racing schedule now!  Let me know what your plans are so that the Polar Bear Biathlon Club can work with you to help you meet your goals for this season.

Our next shooting session will be on Sunday, October 16th.  I hope to see you there!

Get Ready for the Racing Season!

As the weather changes from the nice warm sun, lots of leaves and summer chores to frosty mornings, shorter days and cooler temperatures it is time to begin preparation for your upcoming racing season.  For all of our Polar Bear Biathletes you need to get your paperwork done.  For you to race this season make sure that you have joined all the necessary organizations.  First of all you must join the Polar Bear Ski Club!  Make sure that you are a member.  Secondly, you must join New York State Ski Racing, NYSSRA, Nordic.  You can do this online.  Then you will also have to be a member of USBA, United States Biathlon Association.  This will set you back somewhere around $200, possibly more depending if you take out family memberships!  Once you have all of these things taken care of start looking over the racing schedule.  Remember, for many you are racing on the high school nordic team first and fore most.  That is where you are getting your basic training and conditioning.  Then you need to decide what weekends you are going to double, or in some cases triple, up your racing.  Make a list of those races and mark your calendar.  Then plan your training to meet that schedule.  Keep in mind that the Empire State Games are not going to be end of year races this year.  They have been moved to February 2nd through 5th.  The biathlon race will be on February 5th, one race this year.  Our end of year championships will be the New York State Championships.

The race schedule for the Polar Bear Biathlon Club starts with a race on January 1st.  It will be a 7.5 km sprint for all participants.  We are going to try for one or two more dates, but at this point we have not settle on those dates.  More will come as decisions are made.  Our final calendar will be in place by the end of October!  Get out and get shooting.  Our calendar has our fall shooting dates listed.  The racing schedule will be posted soon.