RobtheAggie

We could have a very different podium in Ostersund. Notice I qualified that with could.

The US is having a decent competition. Not Sean Doherty level, but decent.

I think the timing of the three competitions this weekend could have been scheduled a little better. Let me explain, when an WC or IBU Cup stop are in North America, there are always fewer who attend. But combine that with the World Youth/Junior Championships also along way from central Europe and you get even fewer younger biathletes able to attend. I love the spreading out of the races, but I think that this schedule did not permit the IBU Cup in Canmore to see a full field.

It is not too often that we see two Danes and a Mexican biathletes in a Mass Starts!

Lucas Hoffer has decided to stop competing for the rest of the season.

Jake Brown of the US has been dealing with sickness for quite a while. He will not be in the Czech Republic and the other two races are still up in the air. WIth the World Juniors up ahead, I have no idea what US biathletes will be in Nova Mesto.

The entire section of the continent is in a massive freeze warning. Some areas will get up to 2 feet of snow over the next few days. They also will dip below 0 degrees F.

Emilien Jacquelin has announced that he will end his season. Lots of speculation that this is Roiselend's last season.

Two weeks in Canmore to finish up the season. Lots of new faces are possible.

Paul Schommer of the US has announced that the knee injury that kept him out of the first few weeks will be operated on soon. He will be missing the remainder of the races, plus the US Championships.

It looks like entire teams simply left early. That is amazing.

I actually thought the Championships were lots of fun, the women's races were really exciting and the relays were good as well. Yes Johannes T. Boe dominated, but his season is on another level.

US men thoughts - Jake Brown must still be sick, he is either #2 or #3 when healthy.

Congrats to Koellner for shooting clean.

I was expecting a miss or two from Boe, today was amazing to see him shoot.

US team is the strongest they have. A top 10 would be great. If I were a betting person, I would lay down some money on Canada or Moldova to finish way ahead of their ranking.

Vanessa Hinz calls it a career.

US Team: Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, Wis./National Guard Biathlon) Joanne Reid (Grand Junction, Colo.) - has been sick on and off this season, like a lot of people. Chloe Levins (Rutland, Vt.) Tara Geraghty-Moats (West Fairlee, Vt./Craftsbury Green Racing Project) Kelsey Dickinson (Winthrop, Wash./Craftsbury Green Racing Project) Jake Brown (St. Paul, Minn./Craftsbury Green Racing Project) Sean Doherty (Center Conway, N.H./National Guard Biathlon) Paul Schommer (Appleton, Wis./Crosscut Mountain Sports Center Elite Team) Maxime Germain (Chamonix-Mont Blanc, FRA/National Guard Biathlon) Vincent Bonacci (Salt Lake City, Utah/Crosscut Mountain Sports Center Elite Team)

US team is quite young: Amanda Kautzer (Plymouth, Minn./Crosscut Mountain Sports Center Elite Team) Grace Castonguay (Jackson, N.H./Team Soldier Hollow) Margie Freed (Apple Valley, Minn./Craftsbury Green Racing Project) Jacquelyn Garso (Lake Clear, N.Y./Craftsbury Green Racing Project) Luke Brown (St. Paul, Minn./Craftsbury Green Racing Project) Eli Nielsen (Stehekin, Wash./National Guard Biathlon) Tim Cunningham (Georges Mills, N.H./NYSEF) Vaclav Cervenka (Grand Rapids, Minn./National Guard Biathlon).

I think that the course held up well and should be great for the WC.

Yes, but no. Wright as of right now has not won anything approaching Fak.

On a podcast called Threshold, Campbell Wright announced that as of the 2023-2024 season, he will be skiing for the USA. He has been training and traveling with the US all season. New Zealand has given him little if any support. Wright has a US passport and is a US citizen. He almost skied for the US in the Olympics, but NZ stepped up a the last moment.

That would explain a few things. The US has a very young team at the OEC. Everyone needs to start there international career somewhere.

The Swiss are putting forward a very strong team for the OEC. Women: Amy Baserga Aita Gasparin Elisa Gasparin Lena Häcki-Gross Lydia Hiernickel Lea Meier Susi Meinen Men: Sandro Bovisi Joscha Burkhalter Dajan Danuser Jeremy Finello Niklas Hartweg Sebastian Stalder Serafin Wiestner