Adirondack Sports January 2024

■ ST. LAWRENCE
UNIVERSITY SKI RACE
WITH NYSEF NORDIC
COACH MARGE
MAHER IN 2019.
■ FUN WITH TEAMMATES,
DEWEY MANAGER JASON
SMITH AND FRIEND
MAGGIE PEER, AT A 2012
DEWEY DAYS RACE.
Entry into Biathlon – Biathlon, a
niche sport in the United States, is the
combination of cross-country skiing and
rifle marksmanship. Therefore, to host a
biathlon race, a venue needs trails to ski
on and a biathlon range. Luckily for Jackie,
her hometown of Lake Clear neighbors
Lake Placid, home of the 1980 Winter
Olympics and one of the few venues in
the country equipped to host biathlon
races and events. Jackie was introduced to
biathlon through events put on by members
of the biathlon community, including
biathlon clinics and paintball biathlon.
In addition, she attended a Talent ID
Camp hosted by US Biathlon when she
was seventeen. The Talent ID program is
designed for current or recently graduated
collegiate cross-country skiers “who are
interested in continuing their athletic ski
racing careers professionally after college,
but need professional support and guidance
in committing to their next step.” At
the Camp, Jackie gained further exposure
to handling the rifle and shooting.
After graduating from St. Lawrence
in 2020, Jackie recognized the potential
biathlon offered for her to continue her
athletic career. Jackie moved to Truckee,
Calif. and joined the Auburn Ski Club Elite
Team led by Biathlon Program Director,
and New York native, Brian Halligan.
Although faced with challenges, including
the pandemic and limited housing, Jackie
enjoyed that California offered the unique
combination of year-round sunshine and
ample snow for training. While with the
Elite Team, Jackie made her international
debut, racing at the International Biathlon
Union Youth/Junior World Championship
in Obertilliach, Austria.
After spending two seasons in California,
Jackie moved back to the East Coast. Going
into the 2022-23 season, she earned a spot
with the Craftsbury’s Green Racing Project,
based out of Craftsbury, Vt. Through the
■ WORLD CUP WOMEN’S TEAM TRAINING (DEEDRA
IRWIN, JACKIE, KELSEY DICKINSON, MARGIE FREED)
AT OESTERSUND, SWEDEN, NOVEMBER 2023.
■ WITH SCOTT
SCHULZ AT
OLYMPIC JUMPING
COMPLEX AS
2016 INDIVIDUAL
NYS NORDIC
CHAMPIONS.
GRP, athletes are provided housing and live
right on the edge of the Craftsbury Outdoor
Center trail system. In addition, the athlete
house is only a short distance from the
biathlon range and training.
During her first season with the GRP,
Jackie secured a spot on the United States’
International Biathlon Union Cup team.
While racing in Canmore, Alberta, Jackie
placed 22nd in the 7.5K Sprint race, her
career best. The result is particularly
impressive based on the circumstances
in the lead up to the Sprint, with races
postponed due to below freezing temperatures,
eliminating rest days between
races. By the time of the Sprint race, Jackie
had raced four times in five days. Needless
to say, she was tired. But Jackie’s coach
reminded her that all the racers were
tired so the race would come down to who
could fight. That day, Jackie tapped into
her North Country grit and fought through
the fatigue. Not only did she ski fast, but
she also hit 90% of her targets, proving that
biathlon really is a two-sport competition.
During the 2022-23 season, Jackie also
made her debut on the World Cup circuit.
The jump from the IBU Cup team to the
World Cup level is not to be underestimated.
Not only are the competitors the best
in the world, but most of them have years
of experience competing internationally.
For Jackie, the experience was jarring and
disorienting. She felt she had been developing
as a biathlete and had been getting
promising results, both at the national
level and on the IBU Cup Circuit. However,
in her first World Cup race she finished
second to last. For Jackie, the experience
put into perspective how much more
there was to learn about biathlon and the
possibility for development.
2023-24 Season – In November, the
US Biathlon Association announced the
International Biathlon Union World Cup
roster for the first trimester of the World
Cup circuit. Jackie earned one of the four
spots on the women’s team based on her
strong results last season, US biathlon
trials in Solider Hollow, Utah, and the
European preseason camp in Finland.
Despite her successes and prior World
Cup race experience, being on the World
Cup Team was not one of Jackie’s goals
for the 2023-24 season. Instead, Jackie set
goals related to her ski technique, shooting
speed, and her process. The purpose
of these goals is to focus on things within
her control, with the belief that the results
will come on their own from it.
During the first trimester, Jackie raced
in Sweden, Austria and Switzerland, all
JANUARY 2024 25
countries with a strong biathlon following.
In contrast to the US, biathlon is extremely
well known and followed in Europe. Due
to the popularity of the sport, the race
day experience in Europe is quite different.
For example, athletes shoot in front
of bleachers full of fans, something that
Jackie says can be quite nerve racking.
Additionally, there is a constant din of
voices, as hundreds of people cheer over
each other in multiple languages.
In addition to the challenges of competing
on the world stage, Jackie notes
that there are unexpected challenges of
being a professional athlete. For example,
athletes live in what seems like an endless
series of hotel rooms. Oftentimes, athletes
must do laundry in a sink or bathtub, and
are always going through a repetitive cycle
of packing and unpacking. While initially
novel, living out of a suitcase and constant
travel can also be draining.
In December, Jackie was again named
to the World Cup circuit to compete
during the second trimester. The second
trimester will begin on January 4th in
Oberhof, Germany. As Jackie gears up for
the next trimester, she states she wants to
“clean” a race, a term used to describe hitting
all five targets. To put into perspective
the challenge of this goal, the top-ranked
woman of the 2023-24 season has only
cleaned two out of eight individual races.
Overall, Jackie still has a lot of opportunities
left in biathlon, and her discipline
as an athlete will be an asset as she
advances within the sport. “This might
sound weird, but I actually don’t consider
myself to be a very motivated person.
Doing biathlon is fun and I’m improving
at it, and learning and growing as a person.
When these experiences stop being
true – when training becomes something
that I need to motivate myself to do, then
I’ll probably stop.” Until that time comes,
all of us at home will be cheering her on.
To follow Jackie’s journey, race results
can be found on through the IBU app or
online: biathlonworld.com/results. To
support Jackie, please consider donating
to the US Biathlon Women’s Team
Fundraiser: gofundme.com/f/us-biathlon-womens-team-fundraiser.
As a final note, Jackie would like to give
a HUGE shout out to her parents, Joe and
Cindy for all their support!
Kate Halligan (khalligan74@gmail.
com) of Glens Falls is a freelance writer,
ski coach and attorney in California. She
graduated from St. Lawrence University
in 2015 and Vermont Law School in
2018. Kate enjoys all forms of skiing,
ultra running, reading and writing.