WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. – The move south was a welcome change for the Maine Winter Sports Center biathletes as temperatures were over 20 degrees warmer from the previous week’s NorAm opener in Canmore, Alberta. The simple fact that the athletes would be able to feel their trigger fingers was the first sign that shooting scores would be better than in the first two races.
Picking up where she left off, the Maine Winter Sports Center’s Haley Johnson (Lake Placid, NY) won for the second time in two races hitting 8 of her 10 shots. Following Johnson was fellow MWSC teammate Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) with only one penalty and just 12 seconds back. Rounding out the top three overall (combined junior and senior athletes) was Brynden Manbeck (Grand Rapids, MN) also with one penalty. Both Spector and Manbeck are juniors (under 21 years old). BethAnn Chamberlain (Caribou) turned in one of the top ski performances on the day, but five penalties set her back.
In the men’s race, MWSC’s Russell Currier (Stockholm) appeared to be getting back to his normal form as he flew around the ski tracks.
Currier, fighting off a cold from the previous week, hit six of his 10 shots taking two penalties in each of his two shooting stages to finish seventh overall.
Spector finished for the second time in four races as the top American female in the combined senior and junior category. Spector hit 16 of her 20 targets, but had to settle for third overall, 12 seconds behind the eventual winner. Chamberlain finished 13th with eight misses. Both Johnson and Spector qualified to race European Cups (Langdorf, Germany and Osrblie, Slovakia) in January, and Spector also pre-qualified for the Junior World Championships in Ruhpolding, Germany at the end of January.
In the men’s race Currier had a stronger day in the range hitting 15 for 20 to finish seventh overall in the combined senior and junior category.
Starting ninth on the day Currier took advantage of the hilly course to reel in his competitors gaining two places from the previous day’s sprint competition.
The MWSC biathlon team will now come home for a couple weeks of rest and training. Currier along with seven other junior biathletes from Maine will travel to Anchorage, AK for the junior team trials after Christmas. This event will pick the remaining members for the Junior World Championships.
Contributed photo Pushing the pace, Russell Currier of Stockholm starts off at a recent race in Montana. Despite fighting off a cold, Currier participated in the NorAm races. He will travel to Alaska for junior team trials after spending Christmas at home.
