History of U.S. Biathlon#
Just as biathlon found its beginnings with military training among Norwegian ski troops, so too did the military provide the introduction of biathlon in the United States. Biathlon in the United States can trace its roots to the establishment of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale, Colorado in 1943. It provided the starting point of biathlon skills when a group of Finnish veterans of the Winter War with the Soviet Union arrived at Camp Hale as instructors for winter tactical training on skis. Specifically, it was the arrival of Lieutenant Colonel Erkki Lahdenpera who was assigned for duty with the Mountain Training Command as a technical advisor for winter exercises. A good friend of Finland’s historic sports personality Lauri Pihkala and the Godfather to his son Pekka (Peter), Colonel Lahdenpera was familiar with the efforts Pihkala had made in training biathlon skills in the Finnish Army and the impact it had during the wars with the Soviet Union. While at Camp Hale Colonel Lahdenpera introduced cross-country ski races among the troops as more appropriate winter tactical training.
While the Finnish advisors were having an impact on the training at Camp Hale, the actual organizational foundation of biathlon in the United States was set in motion by the first Inter-Service Sports Council (ISSC) meeting in November of 1947. The famous World War II General, Omar Bradley approved an agreement among the representatives of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Army Air Force Occupational Forces in Europe with the objectives of promoting inter-service sports championships, esprit de corps, physical fitness, cooperation, understanding and good will among the U.S. Armed Forces. Ski championships in the European Alps were included in those sports competitions.
In February 1948 the Council of International Military Sport (CISM) was chartered and the United States joined in June of 1951 with the U.S. CISM Executive Agency operating out of the U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) and the first U.S. delegation to the CISM ski championships came primarily from U.S. Armed Forces stationed in Europe.
Following the deactivation of the 10th Mountain Division in 1952 a smaller group, the Mountain and Cold Weather Training Command (MCWTC) was created at Camp Hale and although their task was teaching skiing, rock climbing and outdoor survival skills to military units they also began having ski races and started biathlon training. This group included a number of soldiers who had skiing experience at the inter-service competitions and were reassigned to Camp Hale as instructors. The next steps were taken in 1956 when the MCWTC organized the first biathlon race in the United States to choose a team to compete in a CISM competition in Switzerland. That race was part of a Nordic Weekend that included a 15 kilometers cross-country ski race, ski jumping and the biathlon 20 kilometers race. A member of the Western State College ski team, Jim Mahaffey, won the race with a time of 1 hour, 38 minutes and 29 seconds that included a penalty of 14 minutes for 7 missed targets. A second race was held the following year that was restricted to soldiers in the U.S. Army and based on the results of that race the U.S. Army named what can be generally regarded as the first U.S. Biathlon team which then participated in the CISM Ski Championships at Andermatt, Switzerland. The training benefits for the military were ideal and with the re-introduction of biathlon in the Winter Olympic program in 1960, the U.S. Army took the major role in the development of the sport for the nation.
Although biathlon skills were contested in the early Winter Olympic Games in the form of a military patrol race the event was discontinued following World War II. Soon after CISM had become the primary organization for the development of biathlon and with the re-introduction of biathlon in the Winter Olympic Games an international organization for biathlon was established in combination with the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) assuming responsibility for biathlon in 1957 and appointed a technical committee to help define and organize the sport. In advance of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games the new Union of Modern Pentathlon and Biathlon (UIPMBA) organized its first World Biathlon Championships in 1958 and in preparation for those championships the U.S. Army moved the MCWTC to Alaska where it established the U.S. Army Modern Winter Biathlon Training Center (USMWBTC) and assembled personnel for the project. Commonly referred to as the “Biathlon Unit” it was staffed by 10th Mountain Division veterans, Colonel Ken Floto as Director with former First Sergeant Hans Wagner and Captain Arvo Vikstrom a Finnish veteran of the Winter Wars as the coaches. Army Regulation 28-50 outlined the requirements and procedures for candidates, and it recruited 23 outstanding skiers from various Army Commands and assigned them to Ft. Richardson, Alaska where the USMWBTC was finally located.
The United States was one of seven nations that participated in the first World Biathlon Championships at Saalfelden, Austria in 1958. At that time, it consisted of a single 20 kilometers ski race with four stops for shooting at targets placed at different distances of 250, 200 and 150 meters from the prone position and 100 meters from the standing position. A time penalty of 2 minutes for poor marksmanship was added to the skiing time for each missed target. In that first world championship race Adolf Viklun of Sweden was able to win by hitting 17 of his targets, despite having a slower ski time than the Soviet Viktor Butakov who only hit 14. In the second World Biathlon Championships at Courmayeur, Italy in 1959, American Maurice Paquette finished in 8th place missing only 5 of his 20 targets. In that same year an international race, the North American Biathlon Championships was held at Squaw Valley as a test event for the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. The race included a few international competitors as well as the best U.S. athletes form the initial biathlon years. The U.S. Army’s Larry Damon and Dick Mize finished 1st and 2nd, ahead of 3rd place Sweden’s Klas Lestander who would become the first Olympic biathlon gold medalist the following year at the Winter Olympic Games with a perfect score of 20 hits on the targets.
After the 1960 Winter Olympic Games the USMWBTC continued to improve its ability to provide year-a-round, full-time training, actively recruiting college skiers who could continue to train and ski seriously outside of their college program. George Wilson, who had developed and managed the sports programs for the occupational forces in Europe became the director of the Interservice Sports Committee Secretariat for the Department of Defense was helpful in facilitating orders issued directly from the Pentagon for assignment to the USMWBTC. As an indication of the quality of those athletes during that period several were able to qualify for both biathlon and/or cross-country skiing at the Winter Olympic Games, including two who succeeded in both events at the same 1964 games. However, a problem arose in 1965 that led to the creation of a national governing body for biathlon, the USMPBA which was similar to the international UIPMB, seemingly a natural fit for the military multiple sports of modern pentathlon and biathlon.
Upon graduation in 1964, Dartmouth collegiate skier and national cross-country ski champion Ed Williams was assigned to the USMWBTC. His father, Walter Williams owned and operated a resort hotel in Rosendale, New York, which was a vibrant center of cross-country skiing and ski jumping. He was principal figure in the Rosendale Nordic Ski Club which hosted numerous competitions. After he suggested to the USMWBTC that he host a national championship for biathlon he discovered that no previous championships had taken place and that there no organizational authority or structure existed for biathlon in the United States other than that of the U.S. Army. The problem manifested itself further when Charles Kellogg, and Ford Hubbard, both who had recently left the Army’s USMWBTC and competed in the races as a civilians captured 1st and 3rd place, but were unable to participate in the World Biathlon Championships because the army could not provide funding for civilian athletes. This became a problem again during the 1968 Winter Olympic Games and 1969 World Championships when two civilian athletes having recently left the USMWBTC qualified for the teams. In 1968 the U.S. Olympic committee funded those athletes and in 1969 the newly formed USMPBA found the resources.
As he prepared for hosting the first U.S. National Biathlon Championships in 1965 without any real sanctioning guidance Walter Williams started from the beginning by organizing and developing the infrastructure for what would become an annual championship by bringing together interested parties, which highlighted the need to develop a guiding authority for the sport. Once the National Ski Association declined to accept biathlon under its control, Walter saw the sport as primarily military and became involved with the United States Pentathlon Association which was the organizational authority for pentathlon, another military sport with a training center at Ft. Sam Houston in Texas. As the UIPMB was the international governing body for the two sports, it seemed logical to him to follow the same path and he joined the USMPA and became a member of its Board of Directors eventually helping to facilitate acceptance of biathlon and becoming the USMPBA. George Wilson who had become the U.S. Armed Forces Sports Director and served as the USMPA Secretary from 1961 to 1971 saw both as “military” multiple disciplines encouraged the natural fit and later became the President of the USMPBA from 1973 to 1980.
The 1972 Winter Olympic Games represented a highlight of the U.S. Army’s contribution to the nation’s development of biathlon. At Sapporo the team matched the best individual performance and established a benchmark standard for the relay team finishing in 6th place. The team included both current athletes training at the USMWBTC and civilians, all who had previously trained there. But in the following year, with the ending of the Viet Nam conflict, the draft was suspended and with defense budget reductions the USMWBTC lacked access to a pool of drafted skiers and became unable to sustain the competitiveness of its program. At the 1973 selection races for the World Championships only two junior athletes from the center were able to earn selection for the first U.S. team that would include junior competitors. A decision to close the training center at Ft. Richards soon followed on September 1st, 1973. Without the support of the U.S. Army, as amateurs the athletes who had previous experience with the training center struggled to continue training for a few years and provided the core source for the U.S teams.
When Walter Williams attempts to convince the U.S. Army to continue its support and consider alternate options for the USMWBTC failed, two athletes along with a state legislator from Vermont approached the Vermont Army National Guard’s Major General Reginald Cram about the possibility of transferring the army biathlon program to the National Guard and at that meeting Major Howard Buxton, the Vermont National Guard’s facilities manager invited the athletes selected for the World Biathlon Championships to train at the Ethan Allen Firing Range at Jericho, Vermont (EAFR) where he had constructed a rudimentary biathlon range. Once Walter Williams learned of the National Guard’s interest, he helped to arrange for the transfer of the USMWBTC equipment to the Vermont National Guard and the development of a biathlon training site at EAFR was initiated.
Needing a site and organization for the 1974 World Biathlon Championship selection races, Walter Williams who was Vice President of the USMPBA suggested that the National Guard host the event at Jericho. Colonel Howard Buxton planned and provided the race organization for the event. From that point on the National Guard continued to expand its role in biathlon hosting team selection and National Championships events, as well as the annual National Guard Biathlon championships that expanded to become the largest domestic biathlon event with over 33 state teams participating. The National Guard provided the 1980 Winter Olympic Games biathlon race infrastructure and eventually hosted international competitions at Jericho. Under the leadership of Colonel John Abair, the National Guard became the authority for biathlon within the military, improving the funding and achieved approval for the participation of the National Guard in the CISM Ski Championships that provided an international mission for the National Guard’s program, which later hosted the CISM Ski Games in 1987, 1993 and 2001 at Jericho. His efforts effectively created a military support system for athletes that eventually led to National Guard athletes becoming a significant part of the U.S. teams at the World Biathlon Championships and Winter Olympic Games.
After the 1960 Winter Olympics Games there was a continued threat that biathlon should be discontinued as an Olympic event which lingered on through the 1970s. To secure its place in the Winter Olympic program, the President of the UIPMB, Sven Thofelt suggested the Technical Committee consider some rule changes and in 1976 it adopted the use of small bore (.22 rim fire caliber) rifles and reduced the shooting distance from the previous single range of 150 meters to 50 meters at a target of 11 centimeters for standing and 4 centimeters for prone. It also adopted the use of “immediate response” visible targets and eliminated the 2 minutes penalty to a single one minute. These changes had an immediate impact on the participation numbers and the ability to host biathlon races at locations that provided greater visibility and larger spectator numbers. The change also improved the number of nations participating in the Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid in 1980 to 33, up from 16 at Innsbrück in 1976. These changes improving the number of nations participating in biathlon to more than any other sport at the Winter Olympic Games eliminated any possibility of discontinuing it.
As biathlon continued development of the number of participants and additional race formats from the single individual race to many additional race formats the USMPB hired a full-time coach and along with the establishment of the USOC’s Olympic Training Center at Squaw Valley, athletes were provided a more stable and consistent base of training that had been unavailable since the closing of the USMWBTC in Alaska. The USMPB divided the nation into four regions of biathlon activity with volunteer regional coaches to help with recruiting and organizing races across the country, increasing the number of races and participants. A national ranking system established better performance tracking and with the naming of a National Junior team resulted with improved results at the World Junior Biathlon Championships and 1980 Olympic relay.
A big importance for biathlon in the United States also happened when the USMPBA separated into two independent governing bodies and the United States Biathlon Association (USBA) became its own governing body. The passage of the Amateur Sports Act by the Federal government in 1978 brought some of the difficulties for biathlon within the USMPBA to light. There was little interest in and funding for biathlon within the organization and the new Federal legislation required that sports governing bodies be responsible for only a single sport. Required compliance by November 1980 started those within the biathlon community to begin working toward separation. Taking the lead, Walter Williams stressed at a meeting among those present for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games and later at the USOC House of Delegates meeting in April of the urgency needed for action. Peter Lahdenpera, the son of Colonel Erkki Lahdenpera and Vice President for the USMPBA appointed a Feasibility Study Committee which would recommend the framework for separation. Ed Williams, who was involved with the development of the Amateur Sports Act then outlined the 10 steps necessary to accomplish the goals of separation. Once the approvals for separation by USOC and the USMPBA were secured the feasibility committee’s action plan was set in motion and with recognition as a 501 (C) (3) “Not for Profit Corporation” by the State of New York and IRS approval for “not-for-profit” status, on September 13th, 1980, the new U.S. Biathlon Association assumed responsibility for biathlon in the United States removing the final obstacle to raising its own funding. The final step in gaining sole jurisdiction for biathlon occurred at the UIPMB Congress Meeting in Lahti, Finland during the World Championships held there in February 1981, recognizing the USBA and the first Annual Meeting of the USBA took place during the National Championships weekend at Bozeman, Montana where Howard Buxton was elected its first President. After a few lean financial years, the USOC contribution of surplus funds from the Los Angels 1984 Summer Olympic Games provided resources that contributed to the first World Biathlon Championships individual medal when Josh Thompson captured the 2nd place silver medal at the 1987 World Biathlon Champions at Lake Placid, New York.
The changes that the UIPMB made to transition to small bore (.22LR) rifles at a 50
meters range in 1978 opened the door for the participation of women. Prior to
1978, most athletes came from the military where they had training on the large
bore rifles, which was somewhat prohibitive for juniors and women to enter the
sport. Although there was some limited activity by women in the Eastern European
countries using small bore rifles, the rule change had a quick impact in the United
States where Title IX legislation encouraged equal opportunities in sports.
For biathlon, it started at a training camp at Squaw Valley, California in the fall of
1978. Holly Beattie, a local endurance athlete, watched the training one day and
asked at the end of the session if she could try shooting. The athletes were quick to
help. She began to observe the training regularly, partly due to her growing social
interest and partly intrigued by the challenges of biathlon. Eventually Hollie
expressed a desire to compete despite the non-existence of a separate class for
women. At the start of the 1978-79 season she traveled to Jackson, Wyoming and
entered the races among the men. At Jackson, another skier, Pam Weiss, observed
Hollie and also became interested. That same year at the Squaw Valley training
camp another athlete, Julie Newnam, a Washington State University skier, observed
Hollie training with the men and began training with the Washington State National
Guard. The National Guard had already begun allowing women into their program
and in Vermont Laura Freeman had already earned All-Guard status by finishing in
the top-ten at the National Guard Championships. Minnesota Biathlon Association
and regional coach John Durben also began inviting women to participate in the
program there. In the spring following the 1980 Olympic Games, Art Stegen and Bill
Spencer decided to take the first semi-official steps and invited women to the
spring training camp at Squaw Valley and, following the first training camp for
women, they were included in all communications and activities.
At a June meeting of the USOC/USMPBA committee, the final official steps were
taken for women’s biathlon with the naming of the first U.S. National Women’s
Biathlon Team. The ten women, juniors and seniors were announced in the very
first issue of the Biathlon Bulletin of the newly formed U.S. Biathlon Association in
October 1980. The team included seniors Patrice Jankowski, Pam Weiss, Betty
Stroock, Julie Newnam, Holly Beattie and juniors Rae Hoisve, Diana Tiahrt, Kari
Swenson, Kelly McDonell and Becky Fuller. It would take another few years before
the UIPMB held the first World Championships for women at Chamonix, France in
1984 at which the U.S. team experienced winning the first ever world championship
medal performance by winning a bronze medal in the relay race. It was also in 1984
that another landmark achievement was made in the hiring of the first female
coach of an international biathlon team when Marie Alkire became the first woman
to stand on the biathlon range at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympic Games. However, it
would take until 1992 at Albertville, France before the women were accepted into
the Olympic biathlon program and two of the original women’s biathlon team
members were members of that team.
The wave of female biathletes in the 21st century continues to make history on the
international stage. Now retired, Susan Dunklee raced for U.S. Biathlon for 12 years,
coming out as the most decorated U.S. female biathlete with two World
Championship silver medals and numerous World Cup podiums. Current National
Team athlete, Deedra Irwin, most recently made U.S. Biathlon history, finishing 7th
in the women's 15km individual at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, the
highest ever placement of any U.S. biathlete.
As biathlon continued to gain in popularity and the potential of broadcasting revenues, dis-satisfaction with the UIMPB leadership began to develop and calls for an independent world biathlon federation grew as positive examples such as the United States as a new independent national federation were successfully established. The immense political developments that led to the demise of the Eastern European Communists nations that had dominated the international biathlon arena weakened and by 1991 some UIPMB member nations met to discuss the fundamentals for separation. That meeting resulted in 10 member nations, including the United States submitting a motion for biathlon to leave the UIPMB and form an independent world biathlon federation. 26 of the 32 members eventually voted in favor of leaving the UIPMB by the end of June 1992. Howard Buxton was a member of the working group that outlined the steps towards independence and writing a proposed constitution. In July 1993 in London the UIPMB was reorganized into two separate international federations for biathlon and modern pentathlon. However, it would take the International Biathlon Union (IBU) until 1998 for the it to secure acknowledgement from the International Olympic Committee to recognize the IBU as an international Olympic winter sports federation. An extremely positive development, biathlon has been able to progress from being a marginal discipline to a worldwide popular one with great broadcast and audience following.
Following Josh Thompson’s 1987 silver medal the USBA was optimistic about its future and brought high performance level coaching skills with the hiring of Algis Shalna and Walter Pichler, both Olympic medalists, as the national team coaches. Combined with the strong leadership of Max Cobb and Cory Salmela’s approach to finding talented athletes, instilling skills development and encouraging individual, and team dynamics the USBA made a breakthrough in the middle of the 1990s when the junior athletes began to win medals at the World Biathlon Junior Championships. Jay Hakkinen was the first to win a gold medal at the World Biathlon Junior Championships in 1996 and followed with medal winning performances by Tracy and Lanny Barnes, Carolyn Treacy, Grace Butot and Leif Nordgren. Sean Doherty became the IBU’s most outstanding junior athlete becoming the first U.S. athlete to win three individual medals at a single world championship, winning a gold and two slivers and eventually winning a total of 10 medals, as well as a bronze medal at the IOC’s Youth Olympic Games.
The military was responsible for transforming biathlon from its military focused purpose into national and international organized events. Despite its combination of disciplined skills and personal effort, providing a powerful appeal for participants and spectators alike, biathlon in the United States in its early years lacked an awareness of its existence. In the context of televised sports which has been the greatest agent of change, the gradual introduction of biathlon into the public consciousness, first in Europe by World Cup events held in Europe and then at the Winter Olympic Game American audiences have been exposed to the exciting biathlon atmosphere. The U.S. has hosted the Winter Olympic Winter Games biathlon and World Championships multiple times, but only recently has the public become aware of this excitement generated by the unique biathlon competitive skills. This is a success story that will ultimately lead to a U.S. athlete winning the first Olympic biathlon medal.
History in Detail#
In the spring of 2025, Chris Hunter reached out to the U.S. Biathlon Association (USBA) to share the story and legacy of his father, Arvil “Dean” Hunter. A native of Alabama and a skilled marksman, Dean Hunter served as a member of the Biathlon Unit at Fort Richardson, Alaska during the 1960s. Though new to skiing, he quickly adapted and enjoyed the sport.
To view the full article, click HERE.
The U.S. women and men’s biathlon teams will compete at the 2025 IBU World Championships, hosted in Lenzerheide, Switzerland in February. In the 2023-2024 season, Lenzerheide held a World Cup stop, after IBU Cup and Junior competitions in previous seasons. This test event allowed biathletes to see the tracks and experience the venue. The U.S. acquitted themselves well, highlighted by Deedra Irwin’s 8th place finish in the sprint, and a clean shooting in the pursuit race. Lenzerheide has only recently emerged as a stop in IBU World Cup, IBU Cup, or IBU Junior Cup races. Despite this, the United States Biathlon has a sixty year history with Switzerland.
In the early years of biathlon, Switzerland was a fairly common training location for the United States Biathlon Unit during their European tours in the mid to late 1960s. Soon after the inaugural Biathlon National Championships, held in Rosendale, NY in January 1966, a team of Bill Spencer Sr., Avril Hunter, John “Louie” Ehrensbeck, Ed “Gus” Williams and Allen Small were selected to travel to Europe. The schedule included multiple training locations and included races in Switzerland. The proximity with Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany, site of the 1966 World Biathlon Championships, made this stop logical.
The Swiss National Championships in Linthal, held on 30 and 31 January 1966, saw biathletes from Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, USA, Germany and Japan compete together. Foreigners were not allowed to “win” the national championship. If a non-Swiss were to win, the highest placed Swiss would be awarded the title. Biathletes who raced included defending World Champion Olav Jordet. Two races were on the schedule: the individual race and the highly anticipated relay race (4x7.5).
The Individual race started the weekend competitions and saw over 3000 spectators line the course. The Swedes and Norwegians dominated the field with the first 6 placings split between the two in the individual race. Defending World Champion Olav Jordet finished in 8th place. The U.S. fared reasonably well.
Swiss Biathlon Championships – 20 km Individual race 30 January 1966:
1. Holefried Olssen (SWE) 1:48.25 (4’)
2. Jon Istad (NOR) 1:48.30 (6’)
3. Ragnar Tveiten (NOR) 1:49.24 (5’)
4. Sven Ohlin (SWE) 1:49.47 (4’)
5. Ivar Nordkild (NOR) 1:53.08 (3’)
6. Ole Waerhaug (NOR) 1:53.47 (3’).
U.S. Biathlete results
15. Gus Williams
17. Bill Spencer
20. Allen Small
21. Avril Hunter.
The combined time, a scoring system that was similar to that of Cross-Country, tally all of the times up and compare the teams, saw the United States finish with a time of 2:47.20, good enough for 11th out of 12 nations. Norway won the team race with a time of 2:19.53.9.
On Sunday, 31 January 1966 the Norwegian and Swedish relay teams were the clear favorites out of the 14 teams. After the first leg, the anticipated duel between Norway and Sweden happened. Norway found themselves 2:37 ahead of Sweden thanks to a great first leg by Jon Istad. The U.S. was 3:31 behind Norway and in 3rd place after a great leg by Bill Spencer. Olav Jordet, the world champion took over for Norway who increased their lead to 3:32 over Sweden, 3:47 over a combined team of Norway/Japan and 5:39 over Switzerland. The U.S. fell behind the “splendidly fighting Swiss.” Leg three saw a reversal of fortunes with Sten Eriksson of Sweden not only catching the Norwegians, but taking a 1:19 lead into the final leg. Norway/Japan was 6:13 back and the U.S. in 4th, 9:28 behind with the Swiss at 11:22. Ragnar Tveiten anchored the Norwegian team and caught Sture Ohlin the Swedish anchor. The two were close together until the last 150m shooting range. Ohlin hit all of his targets quickly, while Tveiten had to use one of the spare rounds to clear all five targets. This slight misstep allowed Sweden the decisive move and won the race. The U.S. and the Swiss had an equally exciting race for 4th place. Allen Small struggled while Erich Schönbächler shot exceptionally well and hit all five targets in the first shooting and exited just ahead of Small at the first shooting stages. The final shooting stage saw Schönbächler use all 8 shots and still went on the 200m penalty loop. Small on the other hand shot clean. Despite these penalties, Schönbächler held the lead and the Swiss had a 33 second victory over the United States to claim 4th place.
Final team relay results were as follows:
1. Sweden (Olsen, Petrussen, Erikssen, Ohlin) 2:46.13
2. Norway (Istad, Jordet, Barhaug, Tveiten) 2:46.29
3. Norway/Japan (Nordkild, Solberg, Okuyama, Shiberg) 2:56.16
4. Switzerland (Gehrig, Etter, O. Kälin, Schönbächler) 3:02.54
5. United States (Spencer, Williams, Varnan, Small) 3:03.27
6. Germany (Merkel, Hindelang, Hilpert, Uhlig) 3:10.02
7. Sweden/Switzerland/Germany 3:12.39
Later that same season, the U.S. Team returned to Switzerland, this time to Andermatt for the CISM Championships in early March 1966.
The following year, the U.S. Biathlon Team started their European schedule on 3 February 1967 at the CISM Games, this time in Grindewald, canton Bern. There were six nations present with East Germany taking the first three places in the race. Bill Spencer and Allen Small led the U.S. team into a second-place team finish. This was the highest placing for the U.S. to date. The race was a 30 km Nordic race and saw the U.S. biathletes ski well enough to place 2nd overall for the team aggregate time, a very high finish for the time period.
4. Bill Spencer 1:34.06 (2’)
5. Allan Small 1:37.04 (8’)
6. John Ehrensbek 1:37.19 (8’)
13. Ralph Wakley 1:43.45 (6’)
Team aggregate time:
1. East Germany 6:09.1
2. U.S. 6:32.19
3. Great Britain 6:54.53
4. Switzerland 7:01.41
5. West Germany 7:95.42
6. Canada 7:18.51
The previous visits made a positive impression on the Unit leadership as they returned to Switzerland for final preparations for the 1968 Winter Olympics in nearby Grenoble, France. A poor snow season in Alaska had prevented the U.S. team from proper training and the stop in Switzerland was arranged to help prepare for the Olympics.
In 1969, the team used Switzerland again to prepare for the World Championships. In Klosters, Switzerland, the U.S. team of John Morton, Dennis Donohue, and Peter Karns won a relay race. This race appears to have been the first U.S. victory in a relay race outside of North America. The team returned later for the CISM Games in Andermatt, where Pete Karns finished in 17th place at the CISM biathlon race in Andermatt, CH. He also participated in the “Triathlon” competition which was a Giant Slalom run (6th place) and Biathlon event (17th place). The two runs were combined to determine his final placing 8th place overall.
The United States would continue to visit Switzerland over the succeeding decades. Switzerland also hosted the 1985 Women’s World Championship in Egg Am Etzel. Four American women competed with Kari Swenson, Jan Reynolds, Julie Newnam and Holly Beatie-Farr. Swenson finished in 5th place in the Individual and followed that up with a 13th in the Sprint. The relay could not match the bronze won by Holly Beatie, Julie Newnam and Kari Swenson in the inaugural Women’s World Biathlon Championships the previous year, but they acquitted themselves well.
In the 1990s, Switzerland hosted many European Cup races, the equivalent of the IBU Cup today. In 2025 at Gurnigel, there was what appears to be the largest number of female U.S. biathletes entered into a single competition when nine U.S. Women for the Sprint race on 10 March. Denise Teela led the way with a 4th place finish in the race that saw the U.S. biathletes sweep every position from 4th through 11th and then 14th place. On 12 March, the U.S. women swept the Super Sprint Final as Tracy Barns won the race, Erin Graham in 2nd, and Sarah Kamilweicz Riley taking 3rd place.
The announced closure of the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle, Maine, will reduce the number of permanent world-class biathlon venues in the United States by one. The state-of-the-art outdoor recreation and sports facility was set against the stunning backdrop of Aroostook County's natural landscapes. Both elite athletes and casual outdoor enthusiasts used the facility with year-round activities focused on Nordic sports. One of two biathlon centers in Aroostook County, the rolling hills, open skies, and snowy winters made it an ideal location for Nordic sports. With approximately 20 kilometers of professionally designed trails used for skiing in winter, while serving as hiking, mountain biking, and trail running routes in summer and fall, from beginner-friendly loops to challenging courses for experienced skiers. The trails were built to meet International Ski Federation (FIS) standards and made them suitable for world-class competitions.
The Center hosted the World Youth and Junior Championships in 2006 and 2014.
The 2006 Championships was the first international competition hosted at the venue from 28 January 2006 to 3 February 2006, over 200 youth and junior biathletes plus coaches and team staff descended on Presque Isle. There were 26 separate federations represented at the event.
The United States teams included the following biathletes:
Females - Hilary McNamee, Sara Gaalaas, Laura Spector, Brynden Manbeck, Brit Salmela, Kalie Mix, and Anna Roessler.
Males – Nathanael Rogers, Russell Currier, Mark Johnson, Wynn Roberts, Ryan McClure, Nigel Kinney, Aaron Nistler, and Benjamin Byrne.
Notable participants from other nations included Tarjei Boe (4th in sprint, 2nd in Pursuit and 1st in Individual), Anton Shipulin, Dominic Landertinger, Vincent Jay, Frederick Lindstrom, Marie Dorin Habert, Vita Semerenko and Doria Domracheva.
Top 10 finished by US biathletes included -
Brynden Manbeck (6th Youth Women Sprint), Laura Spector (9th Youth Women Sprint), Mark Johnson (9th Youth Men Individual), and the Youth Women Relay (7th).
The 2014 Championships saw the return of international youth and junior competition at the venue from 28 February 2014 – 7 March 2014, where 237 youth and junior biathletes plus coaches and team staff descended on Presque Isle. There were 30 separate federations represented at the event.
The United States teams included the following biathletes:
Females – Mikaela Paluszek, Siena Ellingson, Anna Kubek, Madeleine Phaneuf, Tara Geraghty-Moats, Kelsey Dickinson
Males – Paul Everett, Brian Halligan, Kamran Husain, Sean Doherty, Jacob Dalberg, Jakob Ellingson, Tyler Gustafson
Notable participants from other nations included Lisa Vittozzi, Julia Simon, Lena Haecki-Gross, Hannah Oeberg, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, Emilien Jacquelin, Martin Ponsilouma, and Fabien Claude.
Top 10 finished by US biathletes included -
Madeleine Phaneuf (4th Youth Women Sprint, 8th Youth Woman Individual), Anna Kubek (10th Youth Woman Individual), Sean Doherty (1st Youth Men Sprint, 1st Youth Men Pursuit, 2nd Youth Men Individual).
Kelsey Dickinson holds fond memories of the center – “Sad to hear the center is closing. I have many memories not just of racing there for Youth and Junior Worlds, but also competing at SuperTour Finals and a number of other events. I also enjoyed their sprawling Nordic and mountain bike trails. One time, I competed in a 6-hour race there in the summer at their annual TrailFest.”
Sean Doherty has fond memories of the Center. “While there for world junior championships I was interviewed by Bill Green's Maine which I mark as one of my higher media appearances as he was such a familiar figure growing up.
There was a lot of pressure and expectation coming in for JWCH, Thankfully I was prepared and skiing very well. It was quite special to medal on home soil and be able to share that success with some of my family and other friends who had been such key supporters in enabling my success. I enjoyed racing in Presque Isle and found the courses there to be very much to my liking. It was certainly a unique experience racing up in the county and I am thankful for the memories.”
The Center hosted a World Cup stop from 2 Feb – 6 Feb 2011 with 135 biathletes from 29 federations represented.
The United States teams included the following biathletes:
Males - Zach Hall, Jeremy Teela, Leif Nordgren, Jay Hakkinen, Lowell Bailey
Females - Laura Spector, Haley Johnson and Sara Studebaker-Hall.
Lowell Bailed had two top 20 finishes in the sprint and pursuit, while the women were led by a 13th place for Sara Studebaker-Hall in the sprint. The mixed relay team of Studebaker-Hall, Johnson, Hakkinen, and Teela finished in 6th place.
The Center hosted its final World Cup visit 10 Feb – 14 Feb 2014 with 200 biathletes from 27 federations.
The United States teams included the following biathletes:
Males – Leif Nordgren, Tim Burke, Lowell Bailey and Sean Doherty
Females – Madeline Phaneuf, Clare Egan, Hannah Dreissigacker and Susan Dunklee.
Top 10 finished by US biathletes included –
Susan Dunklee (2nd place Women’s Sprint, 5th place Women’s Pursuit), Tim Burke (7th place Men’s Pursuit) Men’s Relay (5th place in a photo finish), Women’s Relay (10th place)
Speaking of the Men’s Relay, former US Biathlete Tim Burke said – “I'll never forget my last race at Presque Isle’s Nordic Heritage Outdoor Center—the 2016 World Cup relay, where we finished 5th, just 6 seconds shy of the podium. What made it even more memorable wasn’t just the result, but the energy of the crowd. Hearing the chant of ‘USA, USA, USA’ as we crossed the finish line was a moment I’ll always cherish. That was the only World Cup in my career where the crowd cheered like that for our team, and it was a truly special feeling.”
Doherty added some more memories of the World Cup stop, “ It was fun to race the relay on home snow, a different environment than a typical World Cup. Bitterly cold, with biting wind and rather light on the fans. I was fairly established in my role as anchor leg on that relay team but it was very exciting to be in such a good position shooting for a chance at a podium. I just lost out in a sprint finish against the Russian skier. The cold conditions can be a real challenge for those not accustomed and Presque Isle gave us a chance to prove how hearty we were.” On a lighter note, Doherty remembered that “School busses were used as shuttles for the athletes and this was extremely novel to Europeans as they had only seen yellow school busses in movies. I had quite a bit of family come and watch as well which was great. They bundled up like it was the summit of Everest and braved the cold which was touching. My grandparents watched from the main building which was surrounded by the penalty loop.” One final memory from the races by Doherty, “Little Miss Potato Blossom presented me with my bib at the opening ceremony.” What a great way for the local community to get involved.
Susan Dunklee stands as a wonderful example of diligent work and excellence in the realm of American biathlon. Dunklee, the daughter of 1976 and 1980 Olympic cross country skier Stan Dunklee, grew up in Barton, Vermont, where she learned to ski at the age of two. An athletic child and youth, she skied and ran through her early years. After a successful career as a student-athlete at St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont, Susan attended Dartmouth College as a two-sport athlete, running and Nordic skiing and saw strong success. She competed in Cross Country running in the fall and track in the spring where she earned both All-Ivy League and All-Region honors. In addition to her athletic prowess, Dunklee won Academic All-American awards as well.
Dunklee first shot a biathlon rifle at the age of 22 when she joined the US Biathlon development program in 2008. Her first international competition was on the IBU Cup in Altenberg, Germany and Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic as part of the 2008/2009 season. Her best result was a 35th in the Pursuit in the Nove Mesto race. She competed in a few more races during the 2009/2010 season with Altenberg, Nove Mesto and Otepää, Estonia as the hosts for those races. In Otepää, the host venue for the Open European Championships, she competed in what became one of her favorite events, the women’s relay. Dunklee also earned her first top 20 placing in an international race. She continued to compete on the IBU Cup for the 2010/2011 seasons, then graduated to the World Cup races in 2011/2012 season.
Her best season overall were the 2014/2015 through the 2016/2017 seasons. She finished 16th, 14th and 10th in the Overall title. Her first podium position was a bronze medal in the 2013/2014 World Cup sprint race in Oslo.
Dunklee made history in Hochfilzen, Austria as the first individual women’s World Championship biathlon medalist as she placed 2nd in the 2017 World Championship Mass Start, where she missed out on the gold medal by less than 5 seconds. This concluded a very strong World Championships for her as she placed 29th in the Sprint, 22 in the Pursuit, 6th in the Individual and 2nd in the Mass Start. In the Mass Start, there were only four biathletes who shot clean, twenty shots out of twenty. She held her nerve on the final shoot and matched German superstar Laura Dahlmeier on the last shooting. Though Dahlmeier skied faster on the final lap, Dunklee took home an historic silver medal.
In the 2020 World Championship, hosted in Antholz, Italy saw her win a second World Championship Silver Medal. This time she started the sprint with bib number 34, shot clean and finished 6.8 seconds behind Marta Roeiseland of Norway for the Silver Medal.
These two medals make her the most decorated US Biathlete in World Championships and her overall World Cup career is among the best for a US Biathlete. Additionally she won 12 US Individual Biathlon Titles, five Sprint Titles, three Pursuit Titles, one Super Sprint Title and three Mass Start Titles.
Beyond her athletic prowess, Dunklee has emerged as a role model and ambassador for biathlon and clean sport in the United States and around the world. She was a vocal opponent of doping in the sport and spoke multiple times about the dangers of doping. When the McClaren Report was published detailing the state-sponsored nature of doping in the buildup to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, including in the biathlon events, Dunklee vocally called for strong measures against those who cheated. She also served as an Athlete Ambassador for the IBU with a focus on gender equity. As a final act of lasting impact, Susan Duklee knitted the first of the “Silver Bibs” given to the best biathletes over the age of 33.
After her retirement at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 Biathlon World Cup Season, Dunklee took a position as the Running Director at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury, Vermont. This was in essence a homecoming for her as she had lived at Craftsbury off and on during her career. She has added the responsibilities of Biathlon Director at Craftsbury and joined U.S. Biathlon for a stint as a guest coach on the IBU Cup in 2024.
Susan Dunklee's journey in US Biathlon is a testament to the power of perseverance, passion and dedication. From humble beginnings in Vermont to podium finishes on the world stage, Dunklee has carved a legacy that will inspire generations to come.
To see Susan chronicle of her Biathlon Career you can see her blog found here - https://susandunklee.wordpress.com/
A recent Heartbeat podcast interview with her can be found here -https://www.usbiathlon.org/news/2024/february/06/susan-dunklee-evolution-of-a-coach
Lowell Bailey, now retired from competing as an American biathlete, made significant contributions to the sport during a lengthy and barrier breaking career. Bailey was born in Siler City, North Carolina on July 15, 1981. His family moved to New York early in his life and he began to participate in cross country and biathlon events in the Adirondack Region of New York. Later in his adolescence he was a familiar face at events in New England as well as the Mid-Atlantic Regions. This early success, as well as his dedication and talent, led him to become one of the most successful American biathletes in the history of the sport.
Bailey made his first international IBU race at the 1999 Junior World Championships hosted by Pokljuka, Slovenia. Bailey competed in four events during that Championships, the Sprint, Pursuit, Individual and the Men’s Relay. His best placing was 18th in the Individual. These early results set the table for a lengthy career.
His first World Cup event was the Individual race at Antholz, one of the most iconic venues in the sport on February 1, 2002. He finished that race in 65th place. He took a few years off from biathlon to focus on his university studies and Nordic skiing where he finished in 2nd place at two consecutive National Championships in 2003 and 2004 while competing for the University of Vermont. After graduation, he restarted biathlon in 2005 and qualified for the US Biathlon team for the 2005/2006 season where he became a consistent member until his retirement from competition in 2018.
Top individual performances include a second-place finish at Kontiolahti, Finland in the 2013/2014 season on the Sprint where he shot clean. He also had a second-place finish in the 2016/2017 season in the Sprint race at Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea. He and Susan Dunklee skied together in the Single Mixed Relay and had success there with a 2nd place finish in the 2016/2017 season in Kontiolahti, Finland and a 3rd place at the Open European Championships at Ridnaun, Italy. From the 2010/2011 season until his retirement at the end of the 2017/2018 season, he never finished the season in lower than 35th place in the overall standings. His best season was 2016/2017 where he finished in 8th place.
Bailey's career reached its peak during the latter part of the 2010s. The major event that highlights his career was his historic performance at the 2017 Biathlon World Championships in Hochfilzen, Austria. In the 20-kilometer individual race, he claimed the gold medal, becoming the first American biathlete to win a world championship title. Bailey was not highly regarded as a potential winner and started the race with bib 100. Great ski speed, as well as perfect shooting, saw him become the first US Biathlete to win a World Championship race. This achievement marked a watershed moment for American biathlon, elevating Bailey to a prominent position in the global biathlon community.
Throughout his career, Bailey consistently represented the United States in various international competitions, including the Winter Olympic Games. He participated in the Olympic Games four times as he competed in 2006 (Torino, Italy), 2010 (Whistler, Canada), 2014 (Sochi, Russia) and 2018 (PyeongChang, Republic of Korea). This tied him with Lyle Nelson for the most Olympic Games competed in as a US Biathlete. He also competed in eleven Senior World Championships. On the domestic scene, Bailey won his first US National Championship in 2003 in Lake Placid in the Sprint. He would later win the Sprint/Pursuit double in 2016 in Ft. Kent, ME and the Pursuit and Mass Start in 2017 in Jericho, VT. He wrapped up his competitive career with the Sprint/Pursuit double at Soldier Hollow, UT in 2018. His final race saw him share the top spot in the Mass Start with long-time teammate Tim Burke.
Off the track, Lowell Bailey was known for his sportsmanship and leadership within the biathlon community. He was not only a talented athlete but also a respected figure who represented the values of fair play and dedication to the sport. Bailey was a vocal spokesperson for clean sport and the expansion of access to the sport at the grassroots level. He was elected to the IBU Athletes Committee in 2014, and in 2016 his peers elected him as a member of the US Biathlon Board of Directors. Bailey's decision to retire from competitive biathlon in 2018 marked the end of an era for American biathlon.
After his retirement Bailey became involved with Crosscut Mountain Sports Center just outside of Bozeman, Montana. He joined the USBA in 2019 in the role as USBA Director of High Performance where he spends his time giving back to the community that provided the resources necessary for him to succeed as an athlete.
For a wonderful article on his World Championship victory please see here -
The following recollections come from Terry Aldrich, a member of the US Biathlon team in the late 1960s and early 1970s. After a four year career at St. Lawrence University where he also participated in ROTC, he was assigned to the Biathlon Unit upon his graduation. His knowledge about the unit came from two fraternity brothers who were already skiing for the United States, Bruce Crawford and Don Simonds, as well as his high school ski teammate, John ”Louie” Ehrensbeck, who had a very successful biathlon career. Aldrich competed in the 1970 and 1971 World Championships as well as the CISM games in St. Johann (AUT) and Vipiteno (ITA). Due to coming down with the flu during the 1972 Olympic Tryouts, he was unable to compete at the highest level and did not qualify for the Olympics. The following memories are used with his permission.
Many of my favorite memories were from Independence Mines, where the team would go and stay for the week for early season training. The size of the unit fluctuated from approximately 14 to 20 men. Living conditions were rather sparse. We lived on the top floor of the old bunkhouse because the 4th floor was the warmest. Heat in the building was very sketchy and hot water even more so.
- During my time in the unit we had as a teammate a very talented athlete by the name of Mike Devecka. Mike, an outstanding skier from Ft. Lewis College in Durango, learned very quickly that only the first couple of showers produced hot water. He soon started to cut short his workout to be the first in the shower. One day, Mike ended his workout early and one of his "buddies" snuck into the changing room and stole his towel. Those of us on the fourth floor could hear Mike coming, stomping up the three flights of stairs. When he arrived at the 4th floor he screamed, "Who stole my towel"??? Of course, no one admitted the crime.
- Part of our training at the Mines included the Scandinavian tradition of the sauna. Ours was built over a stream with a dam that formed a deep pool and allowed entry from the door of the sauna directly into the water through a hole in the floor. After each repetition in the sauna, team members chose their own personal way of cooling down. A plunge in the stream which flowed under the sauna was popular. Heavy snow provided another option, leaving the sauna and rolling in the snow. On one occasion a game developed to see who could crawl in the snow the furthest and then return to the sauna. To measure the distance, each "contestant" would drive a snow shovel into the snow to mark the distance crawled and the mark to beat. One team member crawled out, grabbed the shovel, and threw it down over a steep bank, then ran back to the sauna and said nothing. The next teammate to go out could be heard screaming "Where's the shovel?" and returned to the sauna in an interesting shade of blue.
- Another sauna story occurred in northern Sweden in 1971. We were staying with one of Sven Johanssen’ sisters in Luleau, Sweden. We raced in a regional tune-up for the World Championships in Ostersund. I remember how cold it was and the fact that we were invited to a local ski club for a sauna after the race. We were all sitting together when one by one the Swedes started to leave. As the last Swede left, he dumped the entire water bucket on the stove to create an immense amount of steam hoping to see us weak Americans come sprinting out of the sauna. What the Swede didn't know was that the team had been taking very hot saunas regularly throughout the fall. Even though our ears and nostrils were burning from the steam, Dennis Donahue said, "Boys don't move an inch." After approximately five minutes, Dennis said, "OK boys just walk out like nothing happened." Our team may have lost the race, but we clearly won the sauna war.
- While in the Unit, each June the team would move from Ft. Richardson to Seward in preparation for the 4th of July Mt. Marathon race. On one particular year the bus we were riding in broke down going over the pass to Seward. As we were all waiting for a tow truck and alternate transportation, the commanding general pulled up with his motorcade and got out to check on the situation. I remember that no one really knew what we were supposed to do. We were not sure if we should salute (we were all in our blue training uniforms) or stand at attention. The general didn't seem happy and I am sure a letter of reprimand found its way to Major Hightower, our commanding officer.
- In December of 1971, the Japanese cross country national team arrived in Anchorage looking for competition before the 72 Olympics in Sapporo. A night 3-person relay on the Russian Jacks Springs lighted loop was organized. I had just finished the second leg and decided to ski the course in reverse to cheer my teammates skiing the anchor leg. Ed Schnackenberg was having trouble with his binding and his ski kept falling off. Ed was getting extremely frustrated by the amount of time it was taking to reattach the ski. Rather than finish with a slow time not indicative of his ability, he found the most remote and darkest part of the course, looked around, not seeing anyone (as I was behind some small trees), put his ski between two trees and snapped off the tip. I skied back to the start and told no one about what I had seen.
- The next morning at the team meeting when the day's workout was discussed, Sven asked if anyone had comments about the race the previous night. As self-proclaimed "Director of Mental Hygiene" I felt I had to tell the story. Of course everyone on the team exploded with laughter, all except Sven who, with red face and eyes bulging, yelled, "Ed Schnackenberg you mean to tell me you broke a perfectly good ski!”
On 31 January 1965, the first United States Winter Biathlon Championships were held at Rosendale, NY. One local writer explained biathlon in an oddly modern way:
Sling a rifle over your shoulder, strap a pair of “slats” on your feet, and run as fast as you can cross-country for 12.5 miles. Don’t stop, except briefly four times to fire five shots at a tiny paper target off the trail. And don’t let your heaving lungs and pounding heart make the rifle muzzle waver all over the countryside, because each miss is going to add two minutes to your time. Sounds tough? It is. Sounds exciting? It is.
Among the 17 entries, eight were from the US Biathlon training center in Ft Richardson, Alaska. Two were from the US Military Academy, and two had no affiliation with the military. The US Army Biathlon Team arrived in Rosendale a week prior to the National Championships to train and participated in local and regional Nordic races. Their stay lasted five weeks and concluded with the team’s departure to the CISM Championships held in Andermatt, Switzerland in early March 1966. The United States Military Academy had recently created a Ski Club and had requested an invitation to any Cross Country or Biathlon events hosted by the Rosendale Ski Club; thus the 2 members from West Point participated.
Prior to the National Championships, the U.S Biathlon Unit participated in Rosendale Nordic Ski Club’s 10km race. Raimo Ahti, a member of the Finnish Ski club in Fitchburg, MA, won the race. The 20 competitors in the Class A race included four who were members of the Army Biathlon Unit: Bill Spencer, Edward Williams, Gerald Varnum and Paul Renne. The rest of the US Biathlon team skied in the Class B race.
The full entry list for the National Championships was as follows:
- Martin Hall - Durham, MA
- Charles Kellogg - Andover, MA
- Donald Simons - Canton, NY
- James Shea - Windsor, CT
- Ford Hubbard - Franconia, NH
- Martin Johnson – Montana
- Bob Frey - Chambersburg, PA
- Raimo Ahti - Fitchburg, MA
- Edward Williams - Rosendale, NY
- William S. Spencer – Salt Lake, UT
- Victor Privratsky - Dickinson, ND
- Paul W. Renne - Dickinson, ND
- Gerald Varnum Jr - Augusta, ME
- Allen P. Small - Denver, CO
- Arvil D. Hunter - Arkabutla, MS
- John Ehrensback - Old Forge, NY
- Linwood H. Bean, Jr - Lebanon, NH
The youngest was Allen P Small, who was 18 years old, and Raimo Ahti was the oldest at 30 years old. Edward Williams had an advantage as the competition was literally on his home property - his father owned the Rosendale Hotel and adjacent property that hosted the race. Williams also had an impressive collegiate Nordic resume that included multiple 1964 collegiate Winter Carnivals victories and a 3rd place at the NCAA National Championships. At the time he was an ROTC cadet in college and had the goal to be assigned to the US Biathlon team for his military service.
Alvar Ryman created the course that started along the main lakefront below the Williams Hotel, adjacent to the recreation building on Williams Lake #1. At one-minute intervals each biathlete started. The course went north, weaved in the woods, and emerged on the west side of Fourth Binnewater Lake, 4.3 km from the start. The first shooting stage began with five shots in the prone position at a distance of 250 m across the lake. Subsequent skiing loops were 3.1 km to the next shooting. Shooting distances were reduced by 50 meters each bout, 2nd was 200 m, 3rd was 150 m and the final one was 100 m. After completing all of the loops, and final shooting bout, the competitors skied the final 6 km to the finish by the Williams Lake Hotel.
Unlike in today televised races, once the racers departed from the start line, they would not be seen again until the finish. It was possible to walk to a portion of the ski course that the athletes would pass 5 times, or a further walk allowed the spectators to watch the shooting. There was even a warning for fishermen who would normally be on Fourth Lake – they were “cordially invited to fish the Fifth Binnewater (Williams Lake) on this day).”
Charles Kellogg, who recently had separated from the Army, won the Inaugural National Championship with a total time of 1:28.4. He shot the best in the Competition and hit four out of five targets on each shooting bout. The former U.S. Army Biathlon team member competed as an unattached biathlete as he had been discharged three weeks prior to the Championship. Spencer finished in 2nd place with a time of 1:32.38. Hubbard shot the best with 3 clean shooting bouts. He missed three targets on the final shoot which pushed him to 1:37.57 and a 3rd place finish. Ahti had the fastest ski time, but only hit five targets and finished in 11th place. Hometown hero Gus Williams was 2nd fastest on the skis, but only hit four targets to finish in 9th place.
The map is part of the Official Program for the 1st U.S. Biathlon Championships. A copy is physically located at the Rosendale, NY Library, but is available to view here.
The following recollection comes from Jay Bowerman who competed with the US Biathlon team in the late 1960s and early 1970s and served as a US Biathlon administrator in the 1970s. He was assigned to the Biathlon Unit after completion of college at the University of Oregon. After his competitive days, his love of the sport helped encourage the development of multiple biathletes from the Bend, Oregon area. Jay was recently enshrined in the US Biathlon Hall of Fame along with his teammates as part of the 1972 US Biathlon Olympic Relay team. The following is a memory of his, used with his permission.
In the fall of 1967, the "Olympic year curse" of no snow settled over the U.S. Biathlon Training Center at Ft. Richardson, Alaska. The usually reliable snow at Independence Gold Mine in the mountains north of Anchorage was nowhere to be seen as those of us at the Biathlon Unit moved ever closer to departure for the "lower 48" and the Olympic trials. We made the weekly ride to the mine on wooden benches in the back of canvas-covered deuce-and-a-half troop carriers. But instead of getting on skis, we spent each successive week running on the frozen hummocky muskeg. A couple of weak storm fronts moved through, but left only an inch or two of snow on ground that needed at least two feet of snow before there was any chance of setting a track.
Then coach Sven Johanson found a small lake set deep in a glacial cirque [near Hatcher Pass, thanks Jon Chaffee for that memory]. The ice, at least 6" thick, was smooth and so clear that if you swept the thin layer of snow aside, you could see fairy shrimp, half an inch long and bright orange, swimming below the ice. With steep sides around the lake to block both wind and sun, there was perhaps an inch of undisturbed snow on over the ice--too little to actually ski on--so Sven fashioned a scraper out of scrap lumber at the gold mine. Nearly 20 of us were hitched to Sven's contraption like a dog team and we pulled it around the perimeter of the lake, scraping the meager snow covering into a windrow perhaps 3 feet wide and 4" deep. We then lugged Sven's track sled down the steep talus slope from the road to the lake. This was long before the advent of commercial track making equipment so the sled was another of Sven's hand-made inventions. Once we had the sled on the ice, Sven again harnessed us up in two files on either side of the precious mound of snow. Sven riding the sled for added weight, we successfully set a track, perhaps 1/2 to 3/4 of a kilometer long around the perimeter of the lake. Despite the thickness of the ice, the weight of the entire team in one location resulted in new stresses on the ice. As we moved around the lake, there would be a sudden loud "CRAAACK," almost like a rifle shot, as the ice fractured under us and the fracture would propagate outwards from the stress point, with sound radiating outward like distant thunder. Although the ice was easily strong enough to drive a car across, these sudden explosions of sound were unnerving to some who were unaccustomed to the sounds of a frozen lake adjusting to changing stresses. Left untouched over night, the snow bonded with the ice and the track set up hard enough for us to put in several hours a day on this tiny oval. Some found it monotonous, but it sure beat running over the uneven frozen ground of the barren ski trails.
McKinney Creek, California, just south and east of the current Homewood Mountain Resort hosted the first international biathlon race in the history on the United States in March 1959. Biathlon, now one of the most popular events in the Winter Olympics, were included for the first time in the 1960 Olympic Games. As part of the logistical and technical preview for the Olympic Games, a “soft opening” for the venues happened in the winter of 1959, about a year prior to the Olympic Games. The goal was to simulate on a smaller scale the logistical and technical demands the Winter Olympics would require.
The trails at McKinney Creek were constructed for both the Nordic skiing races as well as the one and only biathlon race. The biathlon race, the 20km Individual was very different than now. Unlike modern biathlon, the 1960s Olympic event was contested with large bore rifles and a varied distance to the target. Instead of the standard 50 meters ranges of today with a .22 rifle, there were four separate ranges with shooting distances of 250m, 200m, 150m and 100m. The final shooting bout was contested in the standing position, the others in either the stand or prone position. Instead of rapid response targets where all could see how a biathlete has done in the shooting, paper targets were used and scored after the race was over.
Many nations including Sweden, Finland, Norway, Great Britain the USSR and obviously the United States committed to attending the event. The hope was that first-hand experience with the venue, the elevation (over 6,200 feet above sea level), and the conditions would prepare the competitors, and allow them to have an advantage for the 1960 Olympic Winter Games.
Birger Torrisen, the technical advisor for the Biathlon event advocated prior to the race that “We have the best Biathlon layout at Squaw Valley as anywhere in the world.” The course had a “typical Scandinavia in pattern. They take the racers through heavily wooded, slightly open, and twisting terrain, a real test of endurance, technique and … waxing.”
On 3 March 1959 the North American Biathlon Championships were contested in much warmer that ideal temperatures. 19 biathletes competed in the race, 17 from the United States, one from the UK and another from Sweden.
Results from the 1959 North American Biathlon Championships:
Place | Name | Hometown | Adjusted Time | Hits out of 20 |
1 | Lawrence Damon | Burlington, VT | 1:48.09.3 | 13 |
2 | Dick Mize | Gilman, CO | 1:48.21.9 | 19 |
3 | Klas Lestander | Sweden | 1:54.51.6 | 13 |
4 | John Burritt | Hotchkiss, CO | 1:58.06.6 | 16 |
5 | Jim Mahaffey | Gunnison, CO | 2:02.11.4 | 14 |
6 | Gustav Hanson | Poughkeepsie, NY | 2:03.09.7 | 12 |
7 | Maurice Paquette, Jr. | Plymouth, NH | 2:03.12.5 | 13 |
8 | William Spencer | Salt Lake City, UT | 2:03.27.6 | 12 |
9 | Robert Collins | Sunapee, NH | 2:06.32.9 | 12 |
10 | Bill Rudd | Los Angeles, CA | 2:06.54.2 | 11 |
11 | Walter Jackson | Leadville, CO | 2:09.32.4 | 8 |
12 | Philip Jobert | Manchester, CT | 2:13:12.4 | 15 |
13 | Paul Schweikert | Naperville, IL | 2:13.37.3 | 14 |
14 | Norman Schutt | England | 2:22.19.8 | 7 |
15 | Bill Smith | Crested Butte, CO | 2:26.11.1 | 8 |
16 | Bryan Samuelsen | Santa Monica, CA | 2:28.26.6 | 4 |
17 | Hans Aune | Los Angeles, CA | 2:39.27.2 | 8 |
18 | Leo Sjogren | Los Angeles, CA | 2:44.36,0 | 1 |
For some of the contestants, this was their only foray into biathlon, for others, they enjoyed a lengthy career.
Lawrence Damon from Burlington, VT the winner of the race, initially did not plan on racing in the 1960 Olympics. He eventually did and finished in 24th place. When asked after his race if he thought he won, he said, “If I did win, it was pure luck because I have never hit the targets that well before.” Dick Mize also qualified for the Olympics in 1960, and became a very influential member of the Nordic community in Anchorage for many decades. Norman Shutt of Falconbridge, Ontario where he was a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force police represented Great Britain in this race and returned for the 1960 Olympics. In addition to the biathlon, Shutt skied in the 15km and Nordic Combined events.
Of the 19 who competed in the race, nine were from the Ft Richardson unit. The trio of Leo Sjogren, born in Helsinki, Finland, Walter Walton and Hans Aune lived in the Winter Sports hotbed of Los Angeles, CA. Sjogren had previous Olympic as a member of the 1952 Summer Olympic team for the 50 km walk. He was one of the best race-walkers in the United States in the 1950s. Walton, worked for the State of California Division of Engineers and served as a vestryman in his local Episcopal Church. He was also a Lieutenant Commander who had won an archery contest in 1950 while stationed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyards.
Klas Lestrander used the experience to win the 1960 Biathlon competition over the heavily favored biathletes of the USSR. Will Spencer would go on a have a very lengthy career as an athlete, coach, and team official with Biathlon in the United States.