Eight compete in Gander's first biathlon

Organizers of the first-ever Gander biathlon couldn't have picked a better day to host the inaugural event.

With a slight breeze blowing beneath blue skies, eight biathletes competed in five different events - midget and junior boys skied 4.5 kilometres, while senior boys, masters' men and youth ladies skied six km.

The event was designed to attract those interested in trying biathlon, which was proven by the numbers. Of the eight competitors, only three had previous biathlon experience.

According to organizer Paul Langdon, the March 28 event is the first of more biathlon events to come in Gander.

"Depending on how long the snow stays, we're going to have another biathlon maybe two weekends after Easter weekend (April 16 weekend)," said Langdon. "Throughout the fall and summer, I'd like to continue with some running biathlons, roller-blading biathlons, and even some orienteering-style races, where we'll give the participants a compass and map. We want to put some variation into our biathlons."

The news of more biathlons in Gander was welcomed by biathletes at the local ski trails, March 28. Chris Langdon, who was the overall winner with a time of 25:29, said he's looking forward to the opportunity to compete in more locally organized biathlons.

"It's great to see biathlon growing in Gander. We just finished our first biathlon race, and already we're talking about a running one, a roller-blading one, and even more besides," said Langdon. "It's also a lot better for training. Usually, we would just go to zones, go to provincials, and then go to nationals. If you didn't do that, you didn't get any other races. The more races I can do, the more practice I can get."

Lone female competitor, Kristie Boyd, finished with a time 30:29. However, she wasn't too concerned about placings following the race, as she was just happy that she didn't have to travel all the way to the west coast to compete in biathlon race.

"It's great that we were able to do a biathlon race at the Nordic Airport Ski Club instead of having to drive all the way to Corner Brook," she said. "The trails were great and it was such a beautiful day, so it was nice to get outside and do something like this."

The race wasn't your typical biathlon race, and for a good reason. Because the local ski club doesn't have a shooting range, competitors used pellet guns instead of rifles, and the course wasn't as hilly as your typical biathlon course.

Also, Paul said the day was designed with the best interest of the first-time biathletes in mind.

"The rifles we used were pump-action pellet rifles. The youth can use those rifles very easily. An experienced shooter assisted our youngest age group, nine to 11, for loading and pumping, and everybody else loaded their own," said Paul. "The trail was about 1.5 kilometres, and depending on your age group, you either skied it three or four times to give you a total of 4.5 or six kilometres. There was one small downhill and one small uphill...a very basic course for biathlon. Most biathlon races you go to would be a lot hillier than this, but for the basics of skiing and getting people interested, it's a nice start."

Paul went on to say that they've been working with a biathlon program through the 537 Royal Canadian Legion Air Cadets in Gander for 15 years or more. However, outside of cadets, he said biathlon in Newfoundland hasn't really developed very much. With support from the local cadet club, he's excited about the future of biathlon in Gander, and all of that sounds just fine to Boyd.

"It's more than just a cadet thing now," said Boyd. "We get to do more races, and besides getting to go to different courses, we get to meet all of the friends we've made through biathlon. The more races we can do, and the more places we can go, the better the experience is."