Shoot, Ski, Communicate by U.S. Army Spc. Nathaniel Free
May 25, 2018
As the sun set on the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter
Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the sun was just beginning to
rise on yet another Olympic sport, half a world away in Soldier
Hollow, Utah—the very same location of the Winter Olympics 16 years
before.
The staccato of gunshots echoes across powder-covered
mountains as National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from 23 states pour
through a winding, cross-country course, armed with custom rifles
and Nordic skis. They climb mountains at an elevation equal to that
of the notorious Hindu Kush in northern Afghanistan, and then fly
down unforgiving slopes into a live-fire range.
Biathlon competitors representing
the Kentucky Guard and California Guard engage
grapefruit-sized targets from an offhand firing position
during the Chief National Guard Bureau Biathlon
Championships in Soldier Hollow, Utah on February 28, 2018.
Each competitor must ski between 7.5 and 12 kilometers,
while periodically stopping to engage targets ranging from
the size of a quarter to the size of a grapefruit, at a
distance of 50 meters. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Nathaniel
Free, 128th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
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It’s the 2018 Chief of the National Guard Bureau Biathlon
Championships, hosted for the first time ever in Utah, home of the
state’s trademarked “Greatest Snow on Earth.”
“Biathlon is a
really strange sport,” said Capt. Barbara Blanke, a member of the
Utah National Guard Team, and first place winner of the Women’s
Master Class Sprint and Pursuit races. “It combines the rigors of
cross-country skiing—a very demanding athletic event—with
rifle-precision marksmanship.”
Biathletes ski between 7.5 and
12 kilometers during any given event, while periodically stopping to
shoot at targets ranging from the size of a quarter to the size of a
grapefruit, at a distance of 50 meters.
Like many Olympic
sports, the origins of biathlon are rooted in warfare. From the
snow-blanketed orchards of Lier, Norway, during the Napoleonic Wars,
to our modern Army Mountain Warfare School in the Green Mountains of
Jericho, Vt., skis and rifles have gone hand-in-hand.
A soldier representing Rhode
Island at the 2018 Chief National Guard Bureau Biathlon
Championships tears away from the firing range in Soldier
Hollow, Utahon February 28, 2018. Each competitor must ski
between 7.5 and 12 kilometers, while periodically stopping
to engage targets ranging from the size of a quarter to the
size of a grapefruit, at a distance of 50 meters. (U.S. Army
photo by Spc. Nathaniel Free, 128th Mobile Public Affairs
Detachment)
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“Every building block of resiliency is found in a biathlon race,”
said Brig. Gen. Dallen Atack, assistant adjutant general of the Utah
National Guard, during the opening ceremony of the biathlon race.
“No amount of PowerPoint presentations, no amount of guest speakers
will teach our Soldiers resiliency like going out and doing hard
things—and that’s exactly what biathlon is.”
In 2013, the
Army introduced the “Ready and Resilient” campaign, focusing on
helping Soldiers develop physical and mental toughness.
“Today’s U.S. military is all about maintaining and building
readiness,” said Maj. Gen. Steven A. Cray, adjutant general of the
Vermont National Guard. “The biathlon program fits just perfectly
into that. Shoot, move and communicate is what these athletes work
on every day.”
The timeless infantry maxim of “shoot, move,
and communicate” encompasses not just the essential skills for
achieving battlefield supremacy, but also for competing in a
biathlon race. Both Cray and Atack encouraged competitors to take
these skills back to their home states and assist other Soldiers and
Airmen in becoming ready and resilient.
“The small investment
that we make to be able to put on events like this pays off across
the force,” Cray said.
“The first time you hit the target and
hear that sound, you’re addicted,” said Army Staff Sgt. Ty’Lene Puro,
from the Utah Guard team. She will rely on her biathlon training
during her upcoming deployment with the 65th Field Artillery Brigade
in the coming months. “It’s helped my shooting and it’s helped by PT
scores. The whole sport is about resilience.”
Puro has been
competing in National Guard biathlon races since she returned home
from her initial active-duty training. Like many others, the first
time she put on Nordic skis was at her first competition.
“I’ve been at this a long time,” said First Sgt. Dan Westover, from
the Vermont Guard team. “But there’s a big misconception among Guard
units that biathlon is only for elite athletes or Olympians. We want
every person we can get. The door isn’t closed. We’re willing to
teach people how to do it.”
The Colorado Guard team crosses
the finish line after completing the men's patrol race,
during the Chief National Guard Bureau Biathlon in Soldier
Hollow, Utah on March 1, 2018. The patrol race requires
competitors to stick together and work as a team to achieve
the best time. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Nathaniel Free,
128th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
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Not only is the door open to current National Guard members to
join a biathlon team, but it’s also the reason why many decide to
serve. Spc. Travis Cooper, a member of the All-Guard Team and
first-place winner in the Men’s open Class Sprint and Pursuit races,
joined the Guard to be a biathlete.
“The biathlon has
energized my career and motivated me to continue to work hard and
learn new skills,” said Sgt. First Class Adam Schwartz, from the
Alaska Guard team. “From a recruiting perspective, Alaska has high
school, cross-country ski teams. It’s important to show our
community the biathlon program.”
“This sport embodies
everything that we look for in our Soldiers,” said Maj. Gen.
Jefferson S. Burton, adjutant general of the Utah National Guard, at
the closing awards ceremony. “It’s endurance, it’s commitment, it’s
leadership, and it’s marksmanship under pressure. Why would we not
want to continue this program?”
The first Chief of the
National Guard Bureau Biathlon Championships was held in 1975, with
only seven states participating. This year there were more than 23
states in attendance. Burton said he hopes to see the day when all
54 states and territories are participating in this event.
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