Photo By Anthony Housey | Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer MacGillivary, a human resource specialist for the Command...... read more read more
CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. - A human resource specialist for the Command Group of the Maine National Guard competed in the National Guard Biathlon Championships at Camp Ripley, Minn. Feb. 26 - March 4, 2016 placing in two events and earning All National Guard Team honors.
The National Guard Biathlon combines Nordic skiing with shooting a .22-caliber rifle at 50 meter targets in the prone and standing positions. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer MacGillivary placed second in the Women’s 7.5k sprint and third in the Women’s Pursuit 10k race.
Her performance earned her a spot on the National Guard All-Guard Team; soldiers and airmen on this team represent their state in international competitions.
MacGillivary first competed in the Biathlon in 2014. She was forced to sit out the 2015 season due to illness, but came back this year at the top of her game despite the unfavorable weather conditions. Snow had to be transported to the race course due to the warm winter and each race had to use the same loop.
“I definitely like to challenge myself and see improvement from year to year,” said MacGillivary. “This year it was very exciting to see that all my hard work was starting to pay off. I felt more confident this year. It seemed easier.”
MacGillivary started skiing when she was three years old, inspired by her athletic father who took her along to sporting competitions. She competed in high school and now for the Army National Guard. She said skiing motivates her to stay in shape and gives more variety to her workouts.
Now she wants to set a good example for her kids. She said she wants to show them that it can be fun to stay in shape and that the cohesiveness of getting together with other runners and athletes is a really good feeling.
She often runs with her daughter, for fun and at road races. “It’s motivating now that my kids are older and can participate with me,” said MacGillivary.
MacGillivary enjoys working out on her own, but being a part of the Maine National Guard biathlon team means a lot to her too. Each member has strengths; some are better shooters and some are better at skiing.
“When you have the team there your mind isn’t thinking, ‘this is difficult’ or ‘how much longer do I have,” she said, “It’s a sense of camaraderie and helping each other get better.”
She said they very supportive and together the members make an effort to get to the range and work out during PT times and after hours. They did a week-long training exercise in Vermont at Camp Ethan Allen in February.
“Being a soldier, I want to make sure I stay in shape,” said MacGillivary, “and set a good example for my subordinates.”
MacGillivary said the biathlon team is definitely looking for more members and you don’t need to be an expert skier or shooter to get started, just be willing to commit yourself to time at the range, time running or time roller skating.
“Come talk to one of us on the team and we can give you pointers on what to do for training,” said MacGillivary, “Right now would be a great chance to join us in the off season and see us training throughout the year.”
The Maine National Guard relay team, which skied 7.5k together and shot both prone and standing placed 13th this year.
“We had a really solid team this year,” said MacGillivary, “It was a very fun week.”
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2016 14:28 |
| Story ID: | 191280 |
| Location: | CAMP RIPLEY, MN, US |
| Web Views: | 372 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Maine Guardsman earns National Guard all-guard honors at Biathlon Championships, by SSG Sarah Myrick, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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