20-for-20 with Emily Dickson

In another 20-something-question, fill-in-the-blanks series, we checked in with the world-class U.S. and Canadian biathletes that will be competing at 2017 International Biathlon Union (IBU) Youth & Junior World Championships Feb. 22-28 in Osrblie (also known as Brezno-Osrblie), Slovakia.

Here’s 19-year-old Emily Dickson, of the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre (BATC), who is representing Canada at her fourth Youth/Junior Worlds (first-year junior). She opened the championships with a 28th place in the 12.5 k individual. After placing 47th in Saturday’s sprint, Dickson is racing in the junior women’s 10 k pursuit today. 

***

“My full name is Emily Dickson, but you can call me Em. I was born in Burns Lake, B.C., raised in Burns Lake & Prince George, B.C., and one thing you should know about my hometown is that it is also home to one of the oldest ski clubs in Canada (Omineca Ski Club – founded in 1927). In other words, the club has had a lot of time to perfect their trails, go check them out!

I started cross-country skiing shortly after I learned to walk and started biathlon when I was 8, thanks to my dad and my oldest sister, Allie. I currently train in Canmore with the BATCave (Biathlon Alberta Training Centre).

If I’m not skiing, you might find me jamming to music while also browsing through catalogs of camera equipment that I will probably never be able to afford on an athlete budget… I can dream though, right?

If I had to pick a favourite book, it would be ‘Open Heart, Open Mind’ by Clara Hughes.

One of the things I’m most excited about for Youth/Junior World Championships in Brezno-Osrblie is to put all of the long months of off-season training to the big test, and, of course, to cheer on my awesome teammates as they do the same!!

This will be my fourth Youth/Junior World Championships, and this year, I’m competing as a first year junior. One race I’m especially targeting there is the 10 km pursuit.

The best advice anyone ever gave me about skiing or racing was, ‘Stay focused on the process and the outcome will look after itself.’

One of the best race memories I have is when I took the gold medal in the 10 km Pursuit at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George. The race came down to a sprint finish and it was incredible to be able to share that moment with my friends, family and the entire home crowd.

If I could meet one World Cup skier, it would be Marie Dorin Habert.

If I don’t end up being a professional skier, I’ll probably be … lost? Kidding aside, I’ve got a few different ideas of what I’d like to do after biathlon.. Maybe I’ll fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a firefighter? Or the next host of Top Gear? In any case, I’m hoping to have a few more years before I have to make that decision😉

I’m missing zero days of school to be here, and my teachers/professors are probably thinking, ‘It’s a good thing Emily is taking this photography course online, not on campus!‘

You can follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook at @emdickson23.”