HEADING TO NATIONALS

Heading into the provincial cadet biathlon tournament in Corner Brook Feb 9-10, Kristie Boyd thought she had a good chance at a qualification spot at the national tournament in Valcartier, Quebec.

She knew she would have to perform well at the event to qualify and she didn't disappoint as she finished second overall in the two-day event to secure a spot at the nationals.

Kristie was in fourth place overall after the first race on Saturday after shooting 14 for 15 targets. She had a faster ski on Sunday. That, combined with her perfect 10 for 10 shooting propelled her into second place overall in the tournament, missing the top spot by just two seconds. Kristie was one of the top two seniors in the tournament, which got her an invite to the nationals.

Jonathan Mills, another member of the four-person team representing the 617 Dambusters Squadron, won gold in the Junior male race on Saturday and just missed going to the nationals by five seconds. Jonathan also had a perfect Sunday shooting going ten for ten.

Holly Patterson experienced rifle trouble during the first day of the competition which was a setback for her but after her rifle was re-sighted, she rebounded quickly and went perfect on Sunday in shooting, going five for five and was the second fastest Junior female on the last day of competition.

Brittany Bown also experienced a tough fall and was injured in the first day of competition. Brittany has been practicing all year with the squad in Lewisporte.

Ambrose Patterson, coach of the Biathlon team was pleased with the team's performance.

"This was the best team I've coached at the provincials. The whole team did really well overall' he said.

The teams excellent shooting was contributed to use of a sling this year.

"After skiing 1.5 kilometers, it's hard to go to the range and keep control of your rifle, which the sling helps to do," explained Patterson.

Three members of the 617 Dambusters Air Cadet Squadron were selected to work as staff during the biathlon in Corner Brook.

Excited

After the tough two-day competition, Kristie was thrilled and excited to learn that she qualified for the nationals. She knew she had a shot and took advantage of that and performed very well throughout the competition.

She will now travel to Valcartier, Quebec March 9th for a weeklong competition. This is Kristie's third year in Biathlon and her first competition in any sport outside the province. She will be travelling with two other competitors to the nationals, one from St. Johns and another athlete from Corner Brook.