On this episode I welcome Luci Anderson! Luci is a U.S. biathlete from Golden Valley, Minnesota, and a lifelong skier who grew up racing in the Midwest before going on to ski for the University of New Hampshire. After graduating in 2024, Luci found herself at a crossroads, unsure if she was ready to walk away from competitive skiing, but also curious about what else might be possible.

That curiosity led her to try biathlon, a sport she’d always been intrigued by, but had never actually trained for. Within a year of picking up a rifle for the first time, Luci went from U.S. Biathlon development camps to racing on the IBU Cup, the World Cup, and even the World Championships, all in her debut season. For those who aren’t familiar with the biathlon world, the IBU cup circuit is essentially a step just below World Cup. It is still incredibly competitive and has athletes from all nations racing. It’s something that the Biathlon world has that the cross country circuit does not, to help support the development of athletes in the sport.

In this episode, we talk about taking risks, learning something completely new under pressure, and what it’s like to live between two sports. Because Luci is ALSO racing Cross country world cups!! 

I think Luci’s story reminds us that sometimes the most exciting paths are the ones you don’t plan for.