JERICHO, Vt. - The Vermont National Guard hosted the 39th Annual Chief, National Guard Bureau (CNGB) Biathlon Championships at Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho, Vermont. The six day event featured more than 120 soldiers and airmen representing 21 states, competing in six different competitions.
“Biathlon is a sport that combines both cross country skiing and shooting. This program focuses on critical soldier skills, physical fitness, discipline, and marksmanship, while incorporating fundamental soldier skills of shoot, move and communicate,” stated Maj. Christopher Ruggerio, coordinator of National Guard Biathlon.
Biathlon is a unique sport, in that it occurs at opposite ends of the athletic physiology spectrum combining extreme cardiovascular stress with absolute mental focus. Participants alternate between skiing trail loops intended to get their heart rate up, and then transitioning to shooting half dollar sized targets at 50 meters (150ft) while attempting to control their breathing.
Athletes competed in Sprint, Pursuit, Patrol and Relay races, as well as a non-biathlon Super-Sprint race and Shoot-off competition. In order to participate in the CNGB Biathlon Championships, biathletes had to qualify in either the Eastern, Western or Central Regional competitions.
“What you’re seeing out here, is novices, intermediates, and Olympic athletes participating in this week’s events,” said Ruggerio. “This makes it a great event for our young soldiers and airmen, to come out and get advice from our expert athletes.”
Spc. Conrad Roberts, a soldier with the North Dakota National Guard since 2012, has been competing in biathlon events for the last seven years. He originally enlisted in the National Guard two and a half years ago to obtain assistance for his education, but was contacted about competing on the biathlon team due to his experiences with the sport.
“This is one of the biggest competitions of the year, defiantly a culmination of all the hours we put in throughout the year,” Roberts said. “To be competitive in this sport, it requires about 250-300 hours of annual training a year. That’s six days a week, 365 days a year.”
For Spc. Gregory Lewandowski, a soldier with the Wisconsin National Guard, this is his first year competing with the National Guard Biathlon and he is the lone athlete representing Wisconsin at the CNGB Biathlon Championships.
“There is a great camaraderie here, everybody is helping each other out,” Lewandowski said. “I’ve gotten assistance from the Ohio guys to help get me zeroed on the range and I’m competing on a relay team with members of both North and South Dakota. You really get the sense that National Guard is national.”
Results from the CNGB championship allowed for the selection of an all guard team. These soldiers and airmen will represent their states, the National Guard and the U.S. in international competitions.
Overall results are as follows:
Men’s Sprint Race:
1st- Staff Sgt. Jeremy Teela, Vermont
2nd- Spc. Wynn Roberts, Vermont
3rd- Lt. Col. Duncan Douglas, Rhode Island
Women’s Sprint Race:
1st- Maj. Barb Blanke, Utah
2nd- Sgt. 1st Class Erin Graham, Vermont
3rd- 2nd Lt. Kristi Ann Laughlin-Hall, Alaska
Junior Men’s Sprint Race:
1st- Pfc. Jordan McElroy, Vermont
2nd- Pfc. Tadhg Nakada, Alaska
3rd- Pvt. Warren Rosholt, Minnesota
Men’s Novice Sprint Race:
1st- Lt. Col. Matthew Schell, Alaska
2nd- Sgt. Alex Goldfarb, Wyoming
3rd- Spc. Gregory Lewandowski, Wisconsin
Women’s Novice Sprint Race:
1st- Spc. Ashley Anderson, Missouri
2nd- Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer Akoa, Maine
3rd- Sgt. Teddi Jerles, Ohio
Men’s Pursuit Race:
1st- Spc. Wynn Roberts, Vermont
2nd- Staff Sgt. Jeremy Teela, Vermont
3rd- 1st Lt. Blake Hillerson, North Dakota
Women’s Pursuit Race:
1st- Maj. Barb Blanke, Utah
2nd- Sgt. 1st Class Erin Graham, Vermont
3rd- 2nd Lt. Danielle Bean, Vermont
Junior Men’s Pursuit Race:
1st- Pfc. Jordan McElroy, Vermont
2nd- Pvt. Warren Rosholt, Minnesota
3rd- Pfc. Tadhg Nakada, Alaska
Junior Women’s Pursuit Race:
1st- Pvt. Elise Putnam, Washington
Men’s Novice Pursuit Race:
1st- Staff Sgt. Jamie Haines, Alaska
2nd- Lt. Col. Matthew Schell, Alaska
3rd- Spc. Gregory Lewandowski, Wisconsin
Women’s Novice Pursuit Race:
1st- 2nd Lt. Kristi Ann Laughlin-Hall, Alaska
2nd- Spc. Ashley Anderson, Missouri
3rd- Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer Akoa, Maine
Team Patrol Race:
1st- Vermont
2nd- North Dakota
3rd- Minnesota
Team Relay Race:
1st- Vermont
2nd- North Dakota
3rd- Alaska
Team Award:
1st- Vermont
2nd- North Dakota
3rd- Minnesota
2014 ALL -GUARD TEAM
Staff Sgt. Jeremy Teela (VT)
Spc. Wynn Roberts (VT)
Lt. Col. Duncan Douglas (RI)
Staff Sgt. Jesse Downs (VT)
1st. Lt. Blake Hillerson (ND)
Spc. Conrad Roberts (ND)
Maj. Eric Nordgren (ND)
Lt. Col. Paul Peterson (MN)
Maj. Daniel Morken (UT)
Sgt. Andy Wilkens (CO)
Pfc. Jordan McElroy (VT)
Pfc. Tadhg Nakada (AK)
Pvt. Warren Rosholt (MN)
Maj. Barb Blanke (UT)
Sgt. 1st Class Erin Graham (VT)
2nd Lt. Kristi Ann Laughlin-Hall (AK)
2LT Danielle Bean (VT)
TSgt Danelle Card (ND)
PVT Elise Putnam (WA)