Summer 1998 Newsletter

Creede Race Results:

Place	Name	Running Time	Prone HITS	Standing HITS	Total Time	Age	Time Credits
1	Laura Haefeli*	23:55	5	4	19:25	30
2	Steve Arnold	24:42	0	3	22:05	23	67
3	Ann Sorenson*	28:41	3	2	25:22	30	19
4	Jeff Barker	27:53	5	0	26:38	43
5	George Rutherford*	30:06	2	3	27:76	41	10
6	Lanny Barnes*	29:01	0	1	28:31	16
7	Kim Eggert	29:48	4	0	28:48	36
8	Ronnie Pryor	31:54	4	3	29:24	51
9	John Goss	31:18	3	1	29:42	46	21
10	Brandon Hosselkus	32:33	3	3	30:18	15
11	Julia Collins*	33:41	3	3	30:41	35
12	Fred Korpi	31:34	0	1	31:04	14
13	Jennifer Downey*	36:40	4	3	32:55	24	15
14	Bev Shepperd	35:10	1	2	33:50	48	5
15	Deb Haverfield	34:55	3	0	34:10	39
16	Casey Adelman	37:57	2	1	36:57	14
17	Samuel Ray	39:37	3	0	38:52	48
18	Alycia Riggs	40:49	4	0	39:28	14	21

*Elite category (used sling/cuff and prone targets)

The summer races in Bozeman and West Yellowstone, Montana (July 18 and 19th, respectively) featured hot temperatures and even hotter competition. Several National Team members on both the men's and women's side participated in the weekend's events. The Bozeman race followed the 5K run/2 shooting stops format, with time credits for each hit target. Sunday's event included an open 5K race, plus an International format race of approximately 8K for the men and 6.5K for the women, each with four shooting stops and one minute time penalties added for missed targets. The long format added more shooting interest to the race, but -- as your friendly newsletter editor quickly discovered -- the one minute time penalties made for some rather sobering adjusted race times!

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Race volunteers are also needed, including instructors for the Saturday practice and certification session, setting the course on Saturday, race timers, course monitors, shooting lane attendants, water/beverage servers, and clean up help. Contact Bill if you're available to help out.

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1. Target assignment: Unless stated otherwise, all zeroing is done on paper, usually one paper initially assigned per person. In the case where a range official is present to assign targets, get your target assignment from the official before approaching any firing point. Typically there will be several lanes allocated to zeroing, with multiple (paper) targets at each point. The targets will be identified as a, b, c...etc. when you receive your assignment (the targets are labeled from left to right). Note that multiple competitors may be -- and usually are -- assigned to any one point.

   Often it is necessary to find another open (paper) target to confirm your zero after shooting up your first paper. If the full length of the range at Snow Mountain Ranch is open, that provides more chances to find clean paper. Remember that if lanes and paper are assigned, you should check with the range official before using another paper at the assigned lanes. Some lanes may be unassigned and available for standing/dry firing/paper confirmation.

2. Scopes: Usually there are several club/personal scopes set up at the range. These should always be well back of the firing line, in the coaching area! No personal scopes should be placed at any of the firing points. Obviously it's easier the more scopes we have, but at bigger events it may be that as many as 8 athletes work with one coach who spots shots with the scope. This person suggests sight movement (if he/she knows how sensitive your clicks are), shows a diagram with the shots marked on it, allows the athlete to look at the group themselves, or all of the above. The athlete needs to be happy with the zero! A handy tool is a ping-pong paddle type-thing with a target on it, on which you place pins to mark the shots. This can easily be held up and shown to the athlete.

3. All warm-up kits, rifle covers, and ammunition should be away from the firing point. These items should all be stored in the warming hut or at rifle stands. Extraneous equipment left at the firing points just clutters the firing points and holds the position up from being used by another.

4. Ammunition should be loaded into magazines away from the firing point. Have your magazines ready to go, so you are ready to zero when your turn comes up. Fiona notes: I used to have 12 magazines, which was great. I could have my ammo clean and ready to go the night before for long combi session with minimal amount of reloading...

5. Skis should always be on in the range (except range officials) and for zeroing. It's hard at first, but with practice getting up and down with skis on becomes easier -- after all, it's part of the sport. This is a good thing to practice in your range drills, so that you can get in and out of the range more quickly.

6. Once you're at the firing point, shoot up to one magazine of rounds (or perhaps two, if you need to shoot some fouling shots), then move away from the point to let the next person shoot. Check with the person manning the spotting scope and/or go to the coaching area and look at the group yourself, and make any sight adjustments. Then continue taking your turn at the firing point as necessary, each time shooting your five shot zero and then moving aside to check your results.

7. After you have done a 5 shot zero and want to view your shots through the scope, decide whether it's easier to take your skis off while standing at the scope to look, or keep them on, depending on how bunched we are. N.B. if you take them off, you might need your poles to clear your binding to then put your skis back on. You do gradually get more agile on skis without your poles!

8. Ski poles can be left at the rifle stands while you do your zero. It is not necessary to zero with your poles, unless you are skiing into the range to confirm your zero with a pulse. It is often less cumbersome and quicker to do your first 2-3 (as necessary) 5 shot zeros without poles, then take your poles to do a short ski to get your pulse up and come into confirm your zero on a paper target. Make sure your coach/group knows this is what you are doing when you disappear for your ski -- it need only be 2-5 minutes. Also make sure that you and the rest of the group at your lane know what paper you plan to shoot at when you return from your ski.

9. If you don't already have a set pattern for your zeroing, here are some guidelines:
   • Two or three 5-shot zeros to get on the paper and make any adjustments. These are shot without poles for speed and simplicity.
   • One or two 5-shot zeros, each preceded by a short ski so that you're skiing in to the range with a slightly raised pulse.
   • Optionally, another 5 shots on paper in offhand position.
   This results in a range of 15 - 30 shots for your zero.

10. 30 rounds of ammo should be more than enough to get a good zero. Unless something really went wrong -- e.g., your sights were loose and moved on their mount -- it's really not worth using any more ammo. If you just can't get on and it's not a technical problem with the gun/sights, chances are it's your position you need to concentrate on. Do your best for that race and go back to the drawing board in training -- you'll just get yourself wound up before the competition. The competition is not the time to train -- it's the time to be composed and just do what you can do on the day.

11. Be aware of skiers coming through the range to different firing points. If you have been back at the coaching area and you want to go to the firing point, look first to see if some one is skiing through your path. Anticipate your ability to pass in front of them without cutting them off, and decide to go hastily or wait for them to pass; likewise on returning from the firing point to the coaching area. In many cases you are not allowed to ski backwards through the range. (This may be hard to enforce at the range at SMR, though if rifles are ready at your allotted lane before zeroing, then it's only necessary to go through the range for confirming your zero.) Go carefully if you do go backwards!

12. Those observing and not coaching or zeroing should leave the range and coaching area as free as possible to allow easiest possible mobility for others who need to be there.

We may want to consider putting the groups assigned to particular zeroing lanes in charge of painting/checking the targets and putting up paper/unrolling/rolling up ropes for their respective lanes. This means we have to know ahead of time who we are going to work with for both preparing and zeroing. At least one person from each zeroing group then has to be at the range to make sure the ball rolls, and we have to know whether men or women are racing first.

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1. Summer Biathlon Orientation. 9 AM at the Legett Events Center at Snow Mountain Ranch, August 23 and September 5. These will be short presentations to prepare newcomers for the race that day only. There will not be a test and participants will not receive their Certification Red Book, although they will receive a card indicating attendance if they wish to take part in the full Winter Certification.
2. Thanksgiving Biathlon Camp at Snow Mountain Ranch, as part of the three day program that precedes each Winter race season, usually on a Saturday. This will be the full day clinic with test and range procedure orientation.
3. Late December/Early January - full day clinic.
4. Late January/Early February - full day clinic.

Contact Dave Wells (H-303.985.4481, davidwells@earthlink.net) or Dave Martinez (H-303.932.0748, martinezda@co-mail.ngb.army.mil) for more information.

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• For Sale: Alpina skate boots, size 37. Require NNN bindings. $25. Click photos below for larger image:
  
  Contact Julia at 303.946.5298 or collinsj@colorado.edu (February 15, 2008)


• For Sale: Anschutz 1827L left-handed bolt-action (non Fortner) rifle in excellent condition with ICC 14"x52"x4.5" case. Sling, harness, five magazines, aperture set, factory test target and manual. Rifle is in Grand Junction, CO. $1,750 or best offer. Contact Mike Everett at 970.623.3434 or me-nh@q.com. (January 21, 2008)


• For Sale: Left handed Lakefield model 90B Biathlon rifle. Lyman peep sight, four magazines, no sling. Very good condition. Just gone over by a qualified gunsmith. Price negotiable. Rifle is in Boulder, Colorado. Contact Kimm Singer at 303.443.3031 or kimmsinger@qwest.net. (November 21, 2007)


• For Sale: Anschutz 1827L left-handed bolt-action (non Fortner) biathlon rifle in very good condition. Complete with sights, K.G. Larsen harness, four magazines (storage in stock), manual, etc. $1650 or best offer. Rifle is in Pleasant Hill, California. Email kerriganbennett@comcast.net. (February 19, 2007)


• For Sale: Swix Team poles (one level down from top-of -the-line Stars)
  • 134 cm, 2002?, good used condition, $50
  • 145 cm, 2002?, good used condition, $50
  Alpina skate boots (all top of the line models for given year, current retail is $349!!!)
  • size 36.5, 2005, almost new, $150
  • size 37, 2004, used, $50
  • size 37, 2005, brand new, $175
  • size 37, 2006, almost new, $200
  • size 38, 2006, almost new, $200
  Contact Sarah Konrad at skonrad1@gmail.com. (January 3, 2006)


• For sale: Brand new 2005 Salomon Racing 'Skate 9' boots (size 7.5 US, 40 2/3 Euro) and Salomon Pilot bindings (still in box -- won from Salomon Series last year and just received). Most Nordic stores should be able to exchange the boots for a different size if needed. Price: $175 for boots (retail for $280), $50 for bindings (retail for $90), or both boots and bindings for $200 total. Contact Michael Brothers at 719.487.2912, brothersmichael@hotmail.com


• David Wells has produced and printed a 'CBC Snowflake' sticker to enhance your rifle, gun case, car, dog bowl, etc. (see example at right). The actual product measures 2 3/4" high and is IBU size compliant, so there's no problem having one on your rifle no matter where you compete. It's available for $3 and can be ordered through David directly: 303.985.4481, davidwells@earthlink.net.


• For sale: all things biathlon. Altius Handcrafted Firearms is the only biathlon specialty shop in the U.S. We offer Anschutz products at reasonable prices, plus our own line of accessories and custom stocks. Ammunition from Eley, Federal, RWS, Lapua, and others is available. Biathlon targets, skis, wax, and all accessories complete our product line. Gunsmithing and stock repair by factory-trained service technician also available. Contact Marc Sheppard at Altius Handcrafted Firearms at 406.646.9222 or altiusguns@earthlink.net.

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Julia Collins
1656 North St.
Boulder, CO 80304
303.492.0842
collinsj@colorado.edu

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