Locals to compete in provincial biathlon
New sport activity for Whitecourt Air Cadets highlights talents among the group By Brigette Jobin Whitecourt Star Posted 8 hours ago
Flight Cpl. Tyson Soch knew what a biathlon was but never in a million years thought he’d try it — let alone compete provincially in the sport.
“I’ve watched it and I thought it would be cool to do but never thought we’d be able to do it through cadets,” said Soch, 13.
Training officer Ken Westling of the Whitecourt Air Cadets said this is the first the members have participated in the sport.
“It’s to increase the physical fitness of the squad and give the air cadets a greater opportunity to take advantage of the things that are available,” said Westling.
Eight members of the Whitecourt Air Cadets travelled to Grande Prairie recently to compete in the zone competition.
The zone competition included a run-and-shoot component and then a skiing component where the athlete skiis for a kilometre, then stops and shoots five targets and then skiis for a kilometre again, repeating this process three times.
“They have to have conditioning to bring their breathing down when they shoot,” said Westling. For every target missed 40 seconds is added to the participants total time.
At zones, the Whitecourt squad entered a three-man team consisting of Soch, Flight Cpl. Derek Snow and Air Cadet Austin Baker.
The team placed second, just missing out on the chance to advance to provincials, which is being held in February in Canmore, Alta.
However, Soch’s time for his leg of the run was so fast that he was advanced to provincials to compete individually.
Three of the cadet members — Air Cadet Darin Orge, Sgt. Kendra Westling and Warrant Officer Kelly Roach — competed individually.
Kendra placed first in the female category, landing her a spot to compete provincially. Roach was a close second.
Not knowing how the team would do, Westling said he is impressed that two members will be competing provincially.
It’s a sport that could one day land a local member at the Olympics.
“Most of the people in the Olympics come from the cadets,” said Westling.
Kendra said she volunteered to go compete at zones because she was interested in the sport.
“I thought the running was hard,” she said, adding she isn’t an overly athletic person. She had no problem with the shooting part.
Kendra said she was surprised to find out she won her class and would be competing in provincials.
“I thought it was crazy because I knew I wasn’t strong in the physical aspect,” said the 15-year-old St. Joseph School student.
Kendra and Soch will be spending a lot of time practicing over the next few months. The provincial biathlon competition is different from zones. For example, the rifles are different. Instead of using an air rifle, the competitors use a .22 and have a further distance to shoot.
The addition of biathlon training to the Whitecourt Air Cadet program is why Kendra likes being a cadet.
“There is everything for everyone,” she said, adding she doesn’t like the flying component of the air cadets but enjoys other aspects. This is Kendra’s fourth year with the cadets.
Soch is in his third year with the cadets and he says he enjoys it because it’s an equal opportunity group.
“It’s free,” he said. “There are people who can’t afford sports but they can do it through cadets.
“It’s also a great learning opportunity,” added the 13-year-old who attends Hilltop High School.
Both Soch and Kendra also qualified to be sports and fitness instructors at the Cadet Summer Training Centre in Cold Lake, Alta. They both enjoyed the experience.
If either Soch or Kendra wins at the provincial competition they will advance to compete nationally in Nova Scotia.
Source:
