Liatoppen: COC junior biathlete Amalie Pratt reflects on racing in Norway

by GRP Biathlete Luke Brown

Luke Brown: In April, you and 4 other Craftsbury juniors traveled to Liatoppen, Norway to participate in the world’s largest biathlon festival, with over 1,000 youth athletes competing. That sounds so cool! Could you tell me a little about your expectations heading into the trip - what were you looking forward to the most? Were you nervous? Had you ever traveled abroad for biathlon before? 

Amalie Pratt: Going into the trip, I did not have many expectations, but I hoped to do a lot of training and also get to explore the cultures there and meet new friends. I was looking forward to skiing where I hoped there would be nice views and snow, and I was excited to get to talk to people in different languages and see how Norway was different from Vermont. I was definitely nervous, because I had doubts about my shooting this season, and I was worried about my ski speed with an injury, and it was intimidating to represent my country among the best biathletes from so many other countries, and so many athletes who were older, more prepared and more experienced. I had only ever raced in New England and Canada before, so this was my first time going to Europe.

LB: The end of winter in Vermont was tough with snow melt and warm temps and some of the season end biathlon races and training sessions getting canceled. What was it like to then travel back into winter and get to race more? 

AP: After the snow faded away at Craftsbury, I was hoping for some cold temperatures and good snow in Europe, but it was still quite warm and Norway had a snow shortage due to a drought. But, it was really nice to ski with slightly more snow coverage than in Vermont, and it was nice to 'go out with a bang' having my last race of the season be in Liatoppen. It was fun to get to extend the winter season and keep skiing longer than others. 

LB: For the festival itself, it looks like opening day was Friday with training opportunities to check out the range and courses along with a fun soccer competition and an opening show. Then you went into a sprint competition on Saturday and a mass start on Sunday. Which day did you like the most? How did the races go for you? 

AP: I found the relay race really fun. I’ve had muscle tightness issues in my shins this season, but that race wasn't too bad for me. I hit 6 out of 10 targets (with spares), which was better than I had been shooting. The next day, I was still very happy with hitting 4/10 targets, and while I still had some physical pain, I see it as a good race looking back. My last race, after being far back due to not skiing very well, I only hit one target, but I was able to laugh at it because I didn't miss everything and I'm in Norway in the first place, and I was just proud to hit anything. Overall, some might not view my shooting as great, but I was happy with hitting targets after a tough shooting season, and skiing decently well with an injury. 

LB: In a biathlon festival like this, obviously the races are cool, but there’s a lot more to this than just the results - competing in the USA uniform, interacting with competitors from other countries, being in a foreign country, skiing on snow in April… what were your non-racing highlights?

AP: I really enjoyed making friends with the other American girls in our cabin and getting to try some Norwegian foods. We didn't to try much cultural food at our house, but it was fun to try Norwegian ice cream and a few other breakfast items. Mostly, hanging fun with the others in our cabin was great. 

LB: Finally, if you had to pick 2 of the most impactful things from this trip that you want to hold on to and take with you into another year of doing biathlon with the COC junior team, what would they be? Maybe things that you won’t forget or that will inspire you when it’s hot and buggy on the range?

AP: One thing I'm going to take with me is my attitude toward my lowest race moments. I was honestly really proud of myself for how I was able to view only hitting one target, and how I still managed to ski fast penalty loops and hop-skate even with the pain in my shins. Being able to find good parts or laugh at the less good parts of a race is, in my opinion, a really good skill to have as a biathlete, and it's certainly something I want to try to do as often as I can.

A second thing to take home is the fact that "The race isn't the result." I sometimes find myself feeling disappointed in my results even though I felt good about my performance, but placing lower on the list after a few races was something that I saw as not in any way defining my skills or abilities. I said to myself, "Hey, I got a much lower place than I know I could have. But, I was skiing though pain and slush, and I actually skied quite fast considering all the penalties I did." And I chose to think about how well I could have done if I shot just a few targets more.

These two things I chose are quite similar, but I find that thinking of each of them kind of helps me visualize the fact that there is so much to be proud of in worse races and better races, because I tend to be harsh on myself when I don't do great. But I want to forever be proud of how I did when I was having trouble, so that I can implement those ideas and help myself improve.