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| Amanda McLaughlin got involved in biathlon through army cadets. (Nick Pearce Photo) |
C A N A D A听听 G A M E S
Amanda McLaughlin has a confession to make: She doesn鈥檛 really like winter.
So what better way to听force yourself outside than to pursue a nordic sport? That鈥檚 what Ms. McLaughlin thought anyway as she strapped on her cross-country skis and put her rifle in its carrying harness on her back. A member of the Nova Scotia biathlon team, she took up biathlon when she was 12.
鈥淚鈥檝e never been someone who likes the cold,鈥� she says, coming in from outside well bundled, with a long, nubby white scarf looped around her neck. 鈥淏ut doing this makes my winter a lot more fun. It鈥檚 really nice to do something with other people who take fitness seriously.鈥�
Biathlon is one tough sport, combining cross-country skiing鈥攕ki skating actually鈥攁nd precision target shooting. During the Canada Games, she鈥檒l compete in four races: the 7.5 kilometre sprint; the 12.5 km individual; the 10 km pursuit; and the 3 by 6 km relay.
The distances indicated, by the way, are only if you hit your targets during the shooting intervals. In a race like the sprint, every shot missed is another loop around the course. In the individual race, missed shots translate into 30 extra seconds added to your time.
Growing up in the army cadets, the 20-year-old Halifax native says she鈥檚 a better shooter than a skier and is comfortable handling her .22 calibre rifle. What makes biathlon so difficult is that it switches back and forth between skiing, which gets the heart pumping, and marksmanship, which requires calm and steady nerves.
Mental preparation
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of mental preparation,鈥� says Ms. McLaughlin, a third-year AV俱乐部 student majoring in biochemistry. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to make yourself calm down, take deep breaths and slow yourself down when you鈥檝e just been giving it all you鈥檝e got for the skiing.鈥�
Training for biathlon happens year round. When there鈥檚 no snow, she works on her cardio endurance by roller skiing, cycling and running.
And biathlon is just one part of her life. As aspiring doctor, she鈥檚 devoted to her studies, volunteers at the VG and plays piano. 鈥淚 micro-manage every minute of my day,鈥� she says with a laugh.
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In Nova Scotia, biathlon is still a fairly new sport; there鈥檚 only been a facility in the province鈥攍ocated at Ski Martock鈥攆or a year. Compared to athletes from other provinces, Nova Scotian athletes are at a disadvantage.
鈥淗onestly, I don鈥檛 know how we鈥檒l fare nationally but some of the younger kids, the next generation of competitors, are absolutely going to be jumping up on that podium,鈥� says Ms. McLaughlin. 鈥淭here are programs for younger kids now that just didn鈥檛 exist before.鈥�
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