U.S. Biathlon Women's Coaching Initiative

• Kelsey Dickinson, U.S. Biathlon Athlete Representative & Women’s Ski Coaches Executive Director
• Sara Studebaker-Hall, U.S. Biathlon Director of Operations, Olympian 
• Lowell Bailey, U.S. Biathlon Director of High Performance, World Champion, Olympian
• Margie Freed, U.S. Biathlon National Team Athlete, Olympian
• Tim Burke, U.S. Biathlon Director of Athlete Development, Olympian, World Championships Medalist

The U.S. Biathlon Women’s Coaching Initiative will provide female coaches from all Nordic backgrounds (biathlon AND cross-country coaches, wax technicians and former athletes) with opportunities throughout the season to integrate with U.S. Biathlon staff and teams on the ground at domestic and international U.S. Biathlon and IBU events. This is a career development opportunity, tailored specifically for each accepted applicant, designed to help women with serious interest in a career in coaching/biathlon improve their skills and learn from the best U.S. Biathlon coaches, wax technicians and support staff. Participants will work with U.S. Biathlon team staff to carry out diverse duties dependent upon experience levels, interests and current team requirements.

• Approximately two-week long coaching opportunities at the World Cup, IBU Cup, Junior Cup, and U.S. Biathlon camps throughout the 2025-26 season as a fully integrated member of the Team USA staff.
• Experience the IBU structure and event styles, and learn more about qualification and requirements for athletes and federations within IBU. Experience the U.S. Biathlon training and competing structure, and work with staff to understand the level of athlete support provided.
• Apply experiences to home clubs and athletes as a better and more energized coach, helping to inspire and encourage future female coaches in biathlon.
• All costs are covered by U.S. Biathlon, plus participants will receive a daily stipend.

Event Opportunities

Summer Team Camps in Europe and USA

Fall Team Camp in Utah

November Pre-Season Team Camp in Obertilliach, AUT

World Cups December-March

IBU Cups December-March (European-based events)

Junior Cups January

Youth/Junior World Championships in February/March

Caroline Dodd

Caroline currently serves as Assistant Nordic Ski Coach at Bates College, where she designs individualized training plans, guides competition strategy, and supports recruitment and community engagement. Caroline’s coaching experience spans NCAA, USCSA, and youth levels, including positions with Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Paul Smith’s College, Non-Stop Nordic, and Clarkson University, where she helped lead the men’s Nordic team to a 2024 USCSA National Championship title. Beyond sport, Caroline holds an M.S. in Environmental Policy from Clarkson University and a B.S. from Cornell University, with research focused on rural climate action and community resilience. An active leader in environmental advocacy, she serves as Vice Chair of the Adirondack Council’s Next Generation Council and has represented youth voices at multiple United Nations climate conferences.

Susan Dunklee

Susan raced for U.S. Biathlon on the National Team from 2008-2022, ending her career as the most decorated U.S. biathlete in history. She is a 3x Olympian and 8x World Championship team member with 2 World Championship silver medals and 5 World Cup medals. During her time as an athlete, Susan organized Women’s “Mini Camps” to bring National Team and top senior and junior women together for training, learning & team building. She also created Girls with Guns beginner clinics together with National Team teammates and put on events in 3 different states. Following her retirement as an athlete, Susan was hired as Craftsbury Outdoor Center’s Running Camp Director and Director of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (GRP) Run Team. She has since taken on a different set of jobs as Craftsbury’s Biathlon Director, Craftsbury Ski Club coach, Race Organizer, Biathlon Camp Organizer, Girls on the Run coach and mountain bike coach.

Elysha Dyer

Elysha currently serves as Nordic Director for Team Summit, where she leads program operations, manages budgets, oversees a coaching staff, recruits athletes, and designs training plans and camps. Previously, Elysha coached post-graduate athletes at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center, designing individualized training and strength programs, planning and leading domestic and international travel, and supporting athletes at major competitions. She has also coached at Freeport High School, guiding athletes through training, race preparation, and competition. Elysha’s experience also includes coaching at Junior Nationals, U16 Biathlon trips to Norway, and the Junior IBU Cup and Open European Championships. Holding an M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from Kansas State University, she is USSS Level 100, Biathlon Coach and Official, SafeSport, and Wilderness First Responder certified.

Grace Erholtz

Grace is the Development Coach and Central Region Sport Development Manager for Team Birkie/CXC Skiing, where she oversees regional athlete development programs, manages junior training camps, and supports elite athlete testing and technique analysis. Previously, as a Graduate Assistant Coach at the University of Wyoming, Grace helped guide the men’s team to the 2025 USCSA National Championship and the women’s team to a runner-up finish while completing a Master’s in Kinesiology and Health with a 4.0 GPA. Her coaching resume includes leadership roles at the National U16 Camp, CXC Dream Camp, and Junior Nationals, where she mentored athletes through all aspects of training, racing, and development. Dedicated to both athletic and academic excellence, she holds multiple coaching certifications and has been widely recognized for achievement and leadership.

Annika Martell

Annika was a competitive cross-country skier from 2011-2020 before transitioning into coaching. Following her graduation from Colby College, she joined U.S. Biathlon as a coaching intern, where she assisted and facilitated biathlon National Team Camp practices at Craftsbury Outdoor Center, often as the primary coach and built out youth program development and coach education framework. Since then, Annika has been the Cross Country Ski Coach at Ford Sayre Memorial Ski Council, Head Coach Summer Training Group at Berkshire Nordic Ski Club, Stratton Mountain School T2 Team Assistant Coach and Assistant Coach of Men’s and Women’s Ski Team at Williams College. Annika also had the opportunity to be a Trail to Gold Fellow with US Ski and Snowboard and travel as a coach and wax technician. In 2022, she attended the Cross Country World Cups in Beitostolen, Norway and Davos, Switzerland, and in 2023, she attended the Cross Country World Cups in Gallivare and Ostersund, Sweden.

Ruth Oppliger

Ruth currently serves as Assistant Coach for the Northern Michigan University Ski Team. In this role, she supports daily team operations, training plan design, athlete recruitment, and competition logistics. Previously, as Head Coach of the Vasa Ski Club, Ruth founded and directed the first year-round junior training program in Michigan’s lower peninsula, coaching over 40 athletes and leading a dedicated staff of assistant coaches. Her national-level experience includes the Trail to Gold Coaching Fellowship and Her Ray Cross Country Women’s Coaching Fellowship with the U.S. Ski Team, where she worked alongside World Cup coaches and athletes. A USSS Level 200 Certified Coach with CPR, First Aid, and SafeSport training, Ruth brings technical expertise, strong communication, and a deep commitment to athlete growth. Ruth holds a B.S. in Geological Engineering from Michigan Technological University.

Maddie Phaneuf

Maddie raced for U.S. Biathlon from 2017-2021, during which time she was a 2018 Olympian and competed at the 2017 World Championships. During her time as an athlete, Maddie was a part of launching Girls with Guns and was selected to represent Protect our Winters (POW) Rider’s Alliance. Following her retirement from racing, Maddie was named as the New York Ski Education Foundation (NYSEF) head biathlon coach and assistant Nordic coach. In 2022, Maddie received her U.S. Biathlon Official’s License and USSA L100 Coach Certificate. In 2023, she received her International Biathlon Union (IBU) International Referee License, and in 2024, she completed the IBU Academy First Level Course. In addition to coaching with NYSEF, Maddie was also selected for U.S. Biathlon’s Coaching Fellowship in 2023, spending two weeks in Europe on the IBU Cup, and had the opportunity to travel back to the 2018 biathlon Olympic venue in PyeongChang to coach Team USA at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games. 

Isabel Seay

Isabel, a 2024 Colby College graduate with a B.A. in Environmental Policy and Spanish (3.89 GPA), completed an honors thesis exploring climate anxiety in cross-country skiing and received multiple academic and athletic awards, including the Sonya Hall Award and F. Russell Cole Research Fellowship. As Assistant Coach for the Ford Sayre Junior Nordic Team and Co-Nordic Coordinator for the club’s youth and masters programs, Isabel supports athlete development, program coordination, and community engagement. She also coached the U18 Girls for Team New England at Junior Nationals and taught in the SAU 70 school district as a substitute teacher. A former two-time captain of Colby’s NCAA Division I Nordic Ski Team, Isabel brings experience in mentorship, communication, and youth empowerment both on and off the snow.

Annelies Cook

Annelies has been a part of U.S. Biathlon since 2001. First as a part of the development and junior team, then the World Cup and World Championships team, competing for Team USA at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games. After retiring from racing in 2016, Annelies worked for U.S. Biathlon as a part-time IBU Cup wax technician from 2017-2021, for the U.S. Paralympic Team as a guest assistant coach in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021, and most recently as a U.S. Biathlon assistant coach from 2021 until now. Outside of competing in biathlon, Annelies founded GO GIRLS, a Female Youth Programming in her hometown of Saranac Lake, New York. She currently resides in Germany, where she has also been a Biathlon Oberland Schuler coach since 2017.

Annika Martell

Annika was a competitive cross-country skier from 2011-2020 before transitioning into coaching. Following her graduation from Colby College, she joined U.S. Biathlon as a coaching intern, where she assisted and facilitated biathlon National Team Camp practices at Craftsbury Outdoor Center and built out youth program development and coach education framework. Since then, Annika has been the Cross Country Ski Coach at Ford Sayre Memorial Ski Council, Head Coach Summer Training Group at Berkshire Nordic Ski Club, Stratton Mountain School T2 Team Assistant Coach and Assistant Coach of Men’s and Women’s Ski Team at Williams College. Annika also had the opportunity to be a Trail to Gold Fellow with US Ski and Snowboard and travel as a coach and wax technician. In 2022, she attended the Cross Country World Cups in Beitostolen, Norway and Davos, Switzerland, and in 2023, she attended the Cross Country World Cups in Gallivare and Ostersund, Sweden. 

Clare Egan

Clare competed for U.S. Biathlon’s National Team from 2017-2022, retiring as a 2x Olympian, 5x National Champion, 6x World Championships team member and World Cup bronze medalist. Since 2018, Clare has been actively engaged in international sport, first on the International Biathlon Union (IBU) Executive Board, then as Athletes’ Committee Chair. Since retiring in 2022, she has worked on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Athletes Council and was the on-site athlete ambassador and anti-doping educator at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, Korea, as well as a freelance international sport organization and event consultant. Fun fact: Clare is fluent in English, Italian, French and Spanish, with intermediate knowledge of Russian and German and elementary-level knowledge of Korean! 

Kate Halligan 

Kate has a long history as a member of the Nordic community, having raced for St. Lawrence University’s Nordic Ski Team where she was named Team Captain in her junior and senior years. While she was pursuing a career in law, Kate remained actively engaged in the cross-country ski world. Since 2015, Kate has coached with Mansfield Nordic Club in Jericho, Vermont and Auburn Ski Club in Soda Springs, California. Additionally, she was the head coach at the National Team Training Centre in Victoria, Australia in 2022 and was on the Women Ski Coaches Association Board from 2021-2023. Most recently, Kate has balanced her time as an Associate Attorney and volunteered with U.S. Biathlon at both domestic and international competitions, including the World University Games, IBU Cup, World Cup, Youth & Junior World Championships and Junior Open European Championships.   

Maddie Phaneuf

Maddie raced for U.S. Biathlon from 2017-2021, during which time she was a 2018 Olympian and competed at the 2017 World Championships. During her time as an athlete, Maddie was a part of launching Girls with Guns and was selected to represent Protect our Winters (POW) Rider’s Alliance. Following her retirement from racing, Maddie was named as the New York Ski Education Foundation (NYSEF) head biathlon coach and assistant Nordic coach. In 2022, Maddie received her U.S. Biathlon Official’s License and USSA L100 Coach Certificate. In 2023, she received her International Biathlon Union (IBU) International Referee License, and in 2024, she completed the IBU Academy First Level Course. In addition to coaching with NYSEF, Maddie was also selected for U.S. Biathlon’s Coaching Fellowship in 2023, spending two weeks in Europe on the IBU Cup, and had the opportunity to travel back to the 2018 biathlon Olympic venue in PyeongChang to coach Team USA at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games.  

Naomi Kiekintveld

Naomi comes from the Nordic ski community with 7+ years of experience including assistant coach and wax technician for the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center, head coach of the South Anchorage High School Nordic Ski Team and, most recently, assistant coach for the Alaska Winter Stars. She is USSS L100 Certified, having traveled as a coach for U18 NEG, Team Alaska and Alaska Pacific University’s Wax Tech team. Naomi was a U.S. Ski & Snowboard Trail to Gold Fellow for the 2022/23 season, where she traveled to Ruka, Finland and Lillehammer, Norway with the U.S. Nordic Ski Team. 

Susan Dunklee 

Susan raced for U.S. Biathlon on the National Team from 2008-2022, ending her career as the most decorated U.S. biathlete in history. She is a 3x Olympian and 8x World Championship team member with 2 World Championship silver medals and 5 World Cup medals. During her time as an athlete, Susan organized Women’s “Mini Camps” to bring National Team and top senior and junior women together for training, learning & team building. She also created Girls with Guns beginner clinics together with National Team teammates and put on events in 3 different states. Following her retirement as an athlete, Susan was hired as Craftsbury Outdoor Center’s Running Camp Director and Director of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (GRP) Run Team. She has since taken on a different set of jobs as Craftsbrury’s Biathlon Director, Craftsbury Ski Club coach, Race Organizer, Biathlon Camp Organizer, Girls on the Run coach and mountain bike coach.  

Sydney Michalak 

Sydney competed as a Nordic skier in both high school and college through the University of New Hampshire’s club Nordic program. After graduating from UNH, Sydney learned about the sport of biathlon in 2019 at Craftsbury Outdoor Center, where, at the time, she was training and competing as a rower. After becoming involved in biathlon, she worked as a Nordic ski instructor at Crosscut and with BSF in Bozeman, Montana. In 2021, she competed at U.S. Biathlon Nationals in West Yellowstone, Montana, where she placed fifth. That same year, Sydney began working as coach of the Elite Biathlon Team at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center, where she also works with masters and youth programs throughout the year. Sydney also coached on the IBU Cup during the 2022/23 season, at the West Regional Select Camp last summer and traveled to Vuokatti, Finland in November 2023 to coach at U.S. Biathlon’s on-snow training camp, continuing on to Kontiolahti, Finland for IBU Cup 1. Fun fact: Sydney has her Masters of Science in Mechanical-Aerospace Engineering!