The opening of the BMW IBU World Championships Biathlon in Lenzerheide will mark another milestone in a campaign to recruit more women into coaching and officiating. U.S. Biathlon’s Sara Studebaker-Hall, an Olympic veteran, will serve at technical delegate for the prestigious event. Heartbeat spoke to Studebaker-Hall as she prepared for the Championships, which begin Feb. 12.

An impactful advocate for women in officiating, Studebaker-Hall has spent the last few years working her way up the officiating ladder, eventually becoming an IBU referee and passing her technical delegate exam. She made a big step a year ago by serving as a referee at the Hochfilzen IBU World Cup. This past December, she had her first TD assignment at the Junior Cup in Ridnau, Italy.

Serving as technical delegate at the World Championships is clearly a major assignment. Studebaker-Hall had been in Lenzerheide last summer for a workshop, and received the news of her prestigious assignment on her way back to the USA.

She was humbled by the role. “The IBU has a lot of female technical delegates at this point, and many who are more experienced than myself,” she said. “I'm very honored to fill this role.”

Thanks in part to Studebaker-Hall’s advocacy the past few years, there is a growing number of women in officiating in America. But her passion still runs deep. “Without the officials, without the volunteers, you can't do the sport,” she said. “It doesn't work. And so being part of that and making sure that the races go off according to the rules and according to what the athletes are expecting is is really gratifying.”

Studebaker-Hall goes into detail on her role at Lenzerheide, and the steps other can take to follow in her footsteps as a biathlon official. She also dives into the qualifying criteria for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina.

PAST EPISODES WITH SARA STUDEBAKER HALL
Achieving IBU TD Certification - S3 Ep1 - Sept. 2022
Bringing Life Experience to Biathlon - S1 Ep - S1 Ep2 - June 2020

S5 Ep9 - Sara Studebaker-Hall - TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Tom Kelly: Welcome to Heartbeat, everyone. Today we have someone who actually, I think, is the most frequent guest on Heartbeat, Sara Studebaker-Hall. Sara, thank you for joining us once again.

[00:00:13] Sara Studebaker-Hall: Yeah, Tom, it's always a pleasure to be here. I love talking with you.

[00:00:15] Tom Kelly: And we're going to talk about a couple of different things today. We're going to talk about the World Championships. Sara will actually be serving as the technical delegate at the World Championships. World championships in Lenzerheide that start on February 12th. And we're going to also take a few minutes at the end to talk about the Olympic selection criteria. Qualifying criteria, as we are now literally just one year out. Actually just under one year out when this podcast comes out to the start of the games in Milan-Cortina. So, Sara, when are you heading over to Switzerland?

[00:00:51] Sara Studebaker-Hall: Yeah. So I head over on Friday, so the seventh of, of February. So, um, just a few days before the event starts, but trying to be there enough ahead of time to kind of check things out before everybody gets on the ground.

[00:01:05] Tom Kelly: Well, the last time we had you on, actually, no, I have to go back two times. Last time we had you on, it was a preview of the World Cup. And then two years ago, we had you on to talk about, uh, how you have been climbing up through the ranks of biathlon officials worldwide. But you will be the first female in IBU history to be the technical delegate at the World Championships. Congratulations.

[00:01:27] Sara Studebaker-Hall: Thank you. Yeah, it's kind of a funny thing. I didn't quite believe it when. When someone told me that that was the case.You know, I know IBU is they've got a lot of female technical delegates at this point, and many who are more experienced than myself. But, of course, I'm very honored to fill this role and be that person.

[00:01:48] Tom Kelly: If you look back, though, over the last few years, I know that you have been very active in this area, encouraging other women to get into coaching, to get into officiating. So, do you find that there is now a fraternity of sorts of women officials growing up within the international biathlon community.

[00:02:09] Sara Studebaker-Hall: Yeah. For sure. You know, there's the group that I took my technical delegate test with included several women, and we've remained pretty close, and I've been lucky enough to serve with several of them and several of the other women who have more experience, as well as some women who are more new to the technical delegate pool. And in the other events that I've I've been an official for with IBU and it's it's really fun to see and I think it helps a lot. It helps the athletes to see more diverse faces out there officiating. And I think it helps, you know, within our community in the US, women who are wanting to become officials, to see that there are other female officials out there in other countries that are serving as technical delegates and serving as referees all around at different levels at the different venues.

[00:03:00] Tom Kelly: You are qualified as a referee in your sport, and I'm going to turn it over to you to explain that you will be working with other referees over in Lenzerheide, but you will be the technical delegate. So give our listeners a sense of how that process works. What does it mean to be a referee and then what does it mean to be the technical delegate?

[00:03:21] Sara Studebaker-Hall: Yeah for sure. So I think, you know, we gave a general overview of the process and one of the previous podcasts I've been on. But you know, generally you're coming up educated as a basic official within your governing body. So we have a level one and two officials status in the US. And after you've served in, you know, volunteered in as an official domestically for 3 or 4 years, then you can be eligible to take the international referee exam. And that's an exam that's run through the EBU. You have to be nominated by your federation. So by the US Biathlon Association in order to take that. So we have several referees in the United States who have that international referee distinction. And then once you've been in that position for a couple of years, you can be eligible to take the technical delegate test with EBU. And then once you pass that, you can be assigned as a referee. So even though you're a technical delegate, you're assigned as a referee to all the different levels of EBU events. So EBU World Championships, World Cup, IBU Cup, Junior Cup, junior Youth and Youth and Junior World Championships. Um, you know, even the Olympics. So those people are all technical delegates, even though they might be assigned as the referee for the start finish, for example. And all of those people are serving together with and underneath a technical delegate who has the same level of education as as they do, but is serving as the technical delegate for the event. So is technically in charge of those referees.

[00:04:52] Tom Kelly: When you're in Lenzerheide at the World Championships, you will be working with a number...

From Feb. 12-23, the biathlon world will gather amidst an idyllic alpine setting for the BMW IBU World Championships Biathlon Lenzerheide. It will be the first World Championships in Switzerland since 1985 – an initiative to grow the sport in the picturesque alpine nation. Heartbeat sat down with organizing committee CEO Jürg Capol to learn more about the motivation of the Swiss community to build a biathlon arena, host the world, and seek to expand the footprint of the popular winter sport.

The event will be the focal point of the season for biathletes from more than two dozen nations. Tens of thousands of spectators will arrive in the valley outside of Chur, while tens of millions will watch live broadcasts around the world.

Switzerland last played host to the Championships in 1985, when the women’s events were held in Egg im Etzel, a small community in the rolling hills of northeastern Switzerland. The concept of biathlon in the Albula Valley dates back to 2006. The vision took hold, and in 2013 a trail network and stadium debuted with a 30-point range – Switzerland’s first permanent biathlon venue!

From there, the sport escalated quickly. By 2017, the venue had its A-license from the IBU. In the 2020 season, the IBU Youth and Junior World Championships were held there. And in November, 2020, Lenzerheidi won the right to the 2025 World Championships. Its first World Cup came in December, 2023.

Capol spoke with Heartbeat on the eve of the Championships. The episode covers plans for the championships, how it is already building a legacy for biathlon, and its steps to produce a sustainable event in a valley that has limited access.

The Chur native is somewhat of a legend in winter sport. For nearly a decade, the 1994 Olympic cross country skier Capol was cross country director for the International Ski Federation. He led during a time of notable change in cross country, popularizing new formats and debuting the concept of the Tour de Ski.

Switzerland has long been a nation aligned with nordic sport. But its success in biathlon has been limited. It’s most notable athletes have been the Gasparin sisters, from over the mountain in Samedan (near St. Moritz). Selina Gasparin won silver in the 15k individual at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi – Switzerland’s only Olympic biathlon medal. 

Lenzerheide 2025 is hoping that the attention from the World Championships will jump start the sport. Already, its Biathlon 4 You program is getting youth started through laser rifles.

It’s a fascinating episode with Jürg Capol as he dives into the depths of organizing the sport’s biggest event. And he reminisces of his past visionary success with programs like the cross country Tour de Ski.

The last six months for biathlete Luci Anderson have been exhilarating, to say the least. The Minnesota native entered her first biathlon race last August. Just over three months later, she was on the IBU Cup tour. A few weeks later, she was racing World Cup.

Anderson joined U.S. Biathlon’s Heartbeat podcast from the U.S. Cross Country Championships in Anchorage, where she was among the top U.S. athletes. It was a warmup, of sorts, for her anticipated appearances at the Ruhpolding and Antholtz World Cups.

Growing up in Minnesota, she found cross country skiing through the Minnesota Youth Ski League at Theodore Wirth Park, eventually gravitating to the acclaimed Loppet Nordic Racing program. She earned All State honors in high school, before heading to the University of New Hampshire where she raced five seasons with the Wildcats – earning nine podiums including six wins. 

The summer before her final year competing for UNH, she discovered biathlon at a try-it camp. She tucked the idea in the back of her mind, finished her masters degree in biotech, then dusted off the concept of biathlon after graduation. She was hooked.

Anderson’s story is similar to those of others, like Margie Freed and Grace Castonguay. But her progress curve is quick – qualifying for the IBU Cup at October trials then quickly advancing to the World Cup after two weekends.

Today, Anderson is skiing with Team Birkie and U.S. Biathlon’s Project X. In her conversation with Heartbeat, she conveys a great sense of organization as she maps her plan. At the same time, she exudes confidence in herself. When the phone call came from High Performance Director Lowell Bailey that a World Cup spot was available, she quickly consulted with coaches and took on the opportunity.

This episode of Heartbeat is another refreshing look at the excitement cross country athletes are finding with biathlon. Watch for Luci Anderson on the IBU World Cup tour this month.

From its origins with U.S. Biathlon in 1958 at Fort Richardson, Alaska, the partnership with the National Guard has been a vital tool in the success of the sport in America. Today, many core athletes on the U.S. Biathlon Team – men and women – are supported by the National Guard. In this episode, Heartbeat explores the longstanding National Guard partnership with Sergeant First Class Quenten Jones, who administers the program, and longtime national team member turned coach, Warrant Officer Leif Nordgren.

Nordgren, who retired in 2022 after competing in three Olympics and nine World Championships, has taken over as coach from longtime leader Travis Boyer. Now a Blackhawk helicopter pilot in the Vermont National Guard, Nordgren makes his home in Vermont working out of the National Guard training base in Jericho.

In the early years of his career, Nordgren had looked at the National Guard program but opted to stick with the national team. But after his second Olympics in 2018, he revisited the opportunity to join the program for his final Olympic cycle. It was a productive program for him, not only as an athlete but in setting him up on a career path in the Guard, including a role with the sport he loves.

Jone and Nordgren dive into insights on the National Guard program with U.S. Biathlon, including the World Class Athlete Program (WCAP). They talk about the national team athlete support, but also the opportunities for biathletes nationwide. They also speak to the training center at Jericho, which has long partnered with regional club programs, and some of the upgrades in planned renovations.

It’s an especially deep look into the impact on athletes from Nordgren, who has the benefit of experiencing the national team program, four years of National Guard support, and how his own experience as a coach. 

Nordgren, who appeared as a guest twice previously on Heartbeat, also takes advantage of the opportunity to talk about his new passion for flying Blackhawk helicopters.

An underlying principle both Nordgren and Jones feel deeply in their heart is pride of their country, and of their engagement with the National Guard.

Listen in now as Leif Nordgren and Quenten Jones take us inside the relationship between the National Guard and U.S. Biathlon on Heartbeat.

Past Episodes

Leif Nordgren: A Distinguished Career - May 6, 2022

Leif Nordgren: A Family Affair - Jan. 29, 2021

More Information on National Guard

Our Mission: Biathlon

JAKE BROWN: CARRYING CONFIDENCE INTO THE SEASON

November in Finland is a fascinating time, with limited daylight, big snowflakes falling from the heavens, and an electric atmosphere as the U.S. Biathlon Team makes final preparations for the season just days away. Heartbeat headed to the team camp in Vuokatti this week to catch up with veteran Jake Brown, a key figure on the U.S. Biathlon men’s team that caught the world’s attention last season.

A Minnesota native, Brown came into biathlon late after a strong career as a runner and cross country skier. Now 32, the 2022 Olympian is the backbone of a young team that burst onto the scene last season with a pair of top-five relay finishes with Brown anchoring.

“The vibe is great here,” said Brown to open the podcast. He was coming from an evening ‘team culture session,’ which brought athletes, coaches, and technicians together. He reflected back to the team four years ago – four guys and a coach. “Now, we have a bigger U.S. Biathlon Nation that we consider as our team.” 

Vuokatti has now become a melting pot for both the IBU World Cup and IBU Cup teams, all working together with an expanded staff.

“It feels like we all get to know each other a little bit better – that’s the general theme and vibe of Vuokatti!”

In an hourlong interview with Heartbeat hosts Tom Kelly and Sara Donatello, Brown covers a wide range of topics from missing World Championships in 2023 because of illness, to the challenges of a pandemic Olympics in Beijing, to the cosmic vibe after anchoring the men’s relay to an unprecedented fifth place finish last February. You’ll want to listen in to learn who broke out their guitar in the wax cabin in celebration!

Jake Brown has long been a fan favorite on the U.S. Biathlon Team. In this episode, he takes us deep into the Vuokatti camp, and shares his philosophies on sport that have served him well. He also reflects back on what advice he would give his younger self, plus outlines three valuable travel essentials for a globetrotting athlete.

Join hosts Tom Kelly and Sara Donatello for this fast-paced conversation with one of U.S. Biathlon’s stars on the eve of the 2024-25 season.

There is a high level of anticipation at the U.S. Biathlon Team training camp in Vuokatti, Finland, with both the IBU World Cup and IBU Cup series about to begin. Coming off a season of promising results followed by eight months of an innovative preparation period, now it’s go-time! Heartbeat headed to the Vuokatti camp this week to catch up with U.S. Biathlon High Performance Director Lowell Bailey to recap the past and outline the plan for the coming season.

The BMW IBU World Cup opens Saturday, Nov. 30 in Kontiolahti, Finland, with the IBU Cup getting underway Thursday, Nov. 28 at Idre Fjäll, Sweden.

Bailey, a world champion, is now entering his seventh season since retiring in 2018. Since then, he’s led high-performance efforts for the next generation of biathletes. 

“The more time I spend in this role, the more I realize the commonalities between what you do as an athlete and what you do as a sport director,” he said. “As an athlete, you're just trying to figure out ‘how I get better, how I find that half a percent improvement? Where is it going to be? Can I shoot a little bit faster? Can I ski a little bit faster? Can I ski a little bit smarter?’ You're constantly trying to find those little nuggets. My role right now is not that much different.”

It’s always fun to look back at milestone results. Last season’s men’s relay results, career-best finishes for Deedra Irwin and Campbell Wright, and an emergence of new future stars coming onto the scene form the foundation. The preparation period since last April was highlighted by a spring on-snow camp in Bend, Ore., European high-altitude camps at Lenzerheide and Livigno, an increasingly valuable October camp in Soldier Hollow, and now the final tune-up in Vuokatti.

Bailey is also quick to point at partnerships established with the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, USOPC, and a valuable physiological testing program with Montana State University that provides some of the best physical feedback for athletes and coaches ever.

Conditions in Vuokatti have been snowy and dark, with only a few hours of daylight each day. But the culture and training facilities have attracted more teams each year.

“Finland has a great culture and heritage of cross country skiing, so their venues are just top-notch, world-class venues,” said Bailey. “Because of that, you see a lot of the big teams from Central Europe making the trip up here to train.”

Listen in now to episode four of Heartbeat as Lowell Bailey sets the stage for the season ahead. And watch for another Vuokatti update with men’s team star Jake Brown coming soon.

From a nationwide laser rifle program to club development tools and a new online-based education center, U.S. Biathlon sport development efforts are resulting in strong growth in the popular, fast-rising sport. To learn more, Heartbeat caught up with U.S. Biathlon’s Director of Sport Development John Farra. His enthusiasm is contagious!

A longtime Olympic athlete, coach, program leader, and high-performance director, in 2022 Farra embraced an opportunity to join the team at U.S. Biathlon as director of sport development. Two years later, aspiring biathletes and local club programs have a wealth of new tools to both help them with an introduction to sport and to perfect their craft.

Farra grew up in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where his family owned a cross country ski center. He competed in the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, became an NCAA All American at Utah then embarked on a career in sport leadership. His career took him to Lake Placid’s National Sports Academy and the Maine Winter Sports Center, a stint as nordic director for the U.S. Ski Association, as well as high-performance roles with U.S. Paralympics and USA Triathlon. Today, Farra has found excitement and satisfaction in a role from his home base near Soldier Hollow, impacting the sport nationwide.

“The common thread for me has always been the athletes,” said Farra. “It really is a fantastic experience for me to find ways to add value, to allow athletes to create the best performance they can create and to be the team behind the team.

After more than a decade working in high performance, Farra has a different role now, which he embraces wholeheartedly – building the sport from the grassroots to ensure participants have a fun and positive experience.

“When you know that you're adding value, you're doing the little things – I think of this job as pieces to the puzzle. I know that the pieces that I'm working with and the pieces that I'm putting into the puzzle are important to the overall foundation for the sport, and that gives me great pleasure.”

One of Farra’s first initiatives two years ago was to learn from clubs and build the base. He logged many miles visiting biathlon programs in every corner of America. Today, U.S. Biathlon has grown to encompass 44 clubs nationwide. Glancing at his yellow legal pad, he counted 14 more communities where he has active conversations.

What was the catalyst? Farra quickly points to U.S. Biathlon’s laser rifle program. One of the biggest supporters has been the International Biathlon Union, which provided 10 laser rifles last year with more anticipated for the future. Farra has set up an easy-to-use program for local clubs and communities to reserve laser rifles and have them shipped from U.S. Biathlon’s Utah headquarters.

The result? Last season, over 2,400 athletes tried biathlon – a jump from 800 the year before!

In addition to local try-it programs, U.S. Biathlon has also coordinated with existing major cross country youth festivals around the country – going to events that already attract skiers and offering them a fun add-on. Youth have responded!

U.S. Biathlon has also focused on growth of its annual coaches conference. This past season, the event was held at U.S. Biathlon’s National Training Center, the Ariens Nordic Center in Wisconsin, attracting the largest number of coaches ever.

Events are where the skis meet the snow. And while winter events are continuing to grow, Farra cites a focus on summer as really starting to make a difference. With plenty of events occupying winter weekend, U.S. Biathlon has started to look more to summer, creating the Summer Biathlon Championship series. This past summer, the new series tallied around 400 starts with more than 200 participating athletes from around the country.

This episode of Heartbeat is full of fascinating discussions on sport development programs that are really starting to make a difference for U.S. Biathlon. Listen in with U.S. Biathlon Director of Sport Development John Farra.

U.S. BIATHLON LAUNCHES ONLINE CENTER

With dozens of clubs and thousands of members scattered across America, the new digital U.S. Biathlon Center is providing a centralized source of valuable sport education information. Launched in 2023, The Center is available online and through a unique mobile application. It offers education content geared towards athletes, coaches, officials, clubs and volunteers. As an example, The Foundations of Biathlon Coaching is an excellent starting point for prospective coaches. The Center also provides easy access to information on upcoming events. It even includes a section for the burgeoning masters biathlon population. Registration is free. Check it out and register at: usbiathlon.org/the-center.

A standout cross country runner and skier from Wisconsin, Deedra Irwin picked up biathlon at age 25. Now, seven years later, her poise and confidence are readily apparent as she talks to Heartbeat about the World Cup season ahead.

Now a seasoned veteran, she’s coming off a season that saw her score her first top-10 World Cup finish, moving up 20 places in the season rankings.. She also recorded her 100th World Cup start last March in Oslo. And she teamed up with rising star Campbell Wright for a pair of top-seven single mixed relay finishes.

A frequent guest on Heartbeat the past few seasons, Irwin’s smile showcases the joy she is finding in the sport today. In the midst of the final dryland camp before the World Cup season begins in late November at Kontiolahti, Finland, Irwin shared stories of her passion for biathlon, the success she enjoyed last season, and reflected back to her historic seventh-place finish at the Olympics in Beijing. Most of all, she exuded the happiness she is finding in the sport today.

Staff Sergeant Irwin also discussed the value she’s garnered as a soldier athlete in the Vermont National Guard and the World Class Athlete Program (WCAP). The program has provided her with strong athletic support and an opportunity to benefit from cross-pollination among athletes from other sports.

Heartbeat also welcomed a new co-host, U.S. Biathlon Communications Manager Sara Donatello, with this episode. 

Our hour with Deedra Irwin was one of the most joyful interviews yet in five seasons of Heartbeat. Settle in to enjoy this Heartbeat episode with one of biathlon’s great stars.

Just three years ago, Susan Dunklee was a regular on the IBU World Cup Biathlon tour. Today, she’s evolving into a formative biathlon coach at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center with its Green Racing Project program. Heartbeat caught up with Dunkee at Craftsbury with the winter season quickly approaching, kicking off season five for the U.S. Biathlon Podcast.

After retiring in 2021 after an illustrious career, Dunklee took on the running program at Craftsbury. Then, last season, she returned to her roots, switching to a new role heading biathlon.

Dunklee is quick to cite balance as a key to her success as an athlete, and it’s something she finds in the program at Craftsbury. “I always needed balance in my life,” she said. “I think it's really easy to get wrapped up in the result sheet and have all your value reflected in what your most recent result says. To avoid that trap, I needed to have other interests and being able to feel connected to place, connected to community, and being able to contribute to the community. And the Craftsbury model of athlete support is, is all about that.”

As an athlete, she admits that coaching had crossed her mind. “I’ve definitely thought about it,” she said. “It's funny because when you spend so much time in one world, sometimes you forget that other options exist. But because I was surrounded by it, I was interested in it. And I had a lot of conversations over the years with (coach) Armin (Auchentaller) what is your coaching philosophy? What advice do you have? How would you deal with this situation? How do you connect with different personality types? So, yeah, I was thinking about it.”

Her Heartbeat interview covers a wide range of topics, including her philosophy on the importance of cross country skiing, the feeling of seeing one of your athletes have success, and how her program at Craftsbury could be a role model for others.

The 2023-24 season was filled with athletic advancement with personal bests across both men’s and women’s team. And with the IBU World Cup in the books, the team has headed to Bend, Ore. for on-snow training six months out from next season’s tour. Heartbeat caught up with head coach Armin Auchentaller live from Bend to analyze the team’s success, and to look forward to the season ahead.

A native of the renowned biathlon venue community of Antholz, Italy, Auchentaller has a strong background with U.S. Biathlon. A former biathlete himself, Auchentaller coached in the USA from 2009-14 before leaving to head the Swiss women’s team. He returned to U.S. Biathlon in 2018 and now leads both the men’s and women’s national team.

“I like to develop things and bring the athletes up to a very high level and succeed in the World Cup,” said Auchentaller. “I really like that journey of having athletes who come from nowhere, almost, and trying to guide them to the top level.”

The 2023-24 season was showcased with notable results by a wide range of athletes. Auchentaller methodically walks through the highlights, both celebrating the success and having an eye on the future.

The season saw Deedra Irwin claim her first top-10 World Cup. Newcomer Campbell Wright did the same, setting a new personal best six times. Campbell and Irwin teamed up for three top-10 finishes in the single mixed relay. Crossover cross country athletes Margie Freed and Grace Castonguay had strong debuts. The entire biathlon nation rose up to cheer on the men’s relay to historic finishes at the World Championships and Soldier Hollow World Cup.

What’s the secret? Auchentaller pointed to closing the gap on skiing, but also a strong focus on shooting. “That’s crucial – the shooting time of a team. Four members – four members – need to be around four minutes and a couple of seconds. Four minutes is a goal for us to accomplish.”

Auchentaller also shared his view on the Olympics coming to his own hometown of Antholz – one of the most legendary venues in biathlon.

The interview with head coach Armin Auchentaller offers more benchmarks of a team on the rise, with a new generation of biathletes making their mark on the sport. Tune in now!

This wraps up season four of Heartbeat. Thanks to U.S. Biathlon fans for listening. We’ve had some great episodes throughout the season. Check them out as you head into summer. And we’ll see you back again this fall on Heartbeat, the U.S. Biathlon podcast.