![Dunklee in Lake Placid.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/10/IMG_0246.jpg")
There could be such a thing as national-team walk-ons as a result of an upcoming US Biathlon (USBA) tryout camp, a new format of its kind aimed at talented endurance athletes in the J1, OJ or collegiate age category.
The camp itself will be include four straight days of dryland sessions and evaluations from June 23-26 at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. Anyone interested in becoming world-class competitors is encouraged to submit an application.
Max Cobb, the USBA president and CEO, explained in an email that the camp is about evaluating one’s stage in the journey toward becoming a world-class competitor. “If you are a top J1 / OJ or college age skier and want to pursue biathlon this is a great opportunity for you to get to know the sport and hear from top World Cup biathletes,” he wrote.
![Coach Jonne Kähkönen (l) assists Leif Nordgren with his final lactate test on Oct. 3.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/10/IMG_0286.jpg")
“We will not have more than 10 athletes at the camp to ensure they get good coaching attention and we have time to get to know each athlete,” Cobb explained. “We hope to find athletes that, with a year or two of training, could be on the X-Team, and if they progress as fast as Susan Dunklee did perhaps contend for a spot on the 2018 Olympic team and be medal contenders for the 2022 Olympics.”
He added that there is no fixed upper age limit, but the USBA is looking for athletes ready to commit four to eight years to succeeding at the Olympic level.
Women’s national-team coach Jonne Kähkönen, who heads up most of the team’s offseason training in Lake Placid, explained that they came up with the tryout format due to growing interest and inquiries received in the past year.
“We also will focus more on the biathlon development to ensure a good pool of athletes in the future,” Kähkönen wrote in an email.
As for who should apply, Kähkönen wrote that those who’ve achieved some top results would be a plus, “but we will run a few field tests and want to see the potential the individual has to grow as a biathlete. Any biathlon experience is also a plus, but not necessary; it is more about the talent and the ability to learn the skills. We have done this successfully with college-aged athletes and they have been able to built the skills at a later age, so any ‘time gain’ we can get is a good thing.”
And what will the four days hold?
“We haven’t finalized the exact schedule for the days, but it will be full four days of action,” Kähkönen explained. “We want to see everyone on foot / on roller skis, shooting, skills / coordination in general physical exercising (games, strength circuit, flexibility etc.), so it will be an exciting and action packed mini-camp!”
Details below: