20-for-20 with Grace Gilliland

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 16-year-old Grace Gilliland, of the Alaska Biathlon Club and Alaska Pacific University (APU) Junior Ski Team, who is representing the U.S. at her first Youth Worlds. She qualified for today’s youth women’s 7.5 k pursuit with a 46th place in Friday’s sprint, and earlier in the week, she finished 55th in the 10 k individual.

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“My full name is Grace Gilliland, but you can call me just plain Grace. I was born and raised in Eagle River, Alaska, and one thing you should know about Eagle River is that we have brown bears that try to rip open building doors.

I started cross-country skiing right after I learned how to walk (about two years old), and started biathlon when I was 11, thanks to my oldest brother Simon. I currently train in Anchorage with Alaska Biathlon Club and Alaska Pacific University Junior Ski team.

If I’m not skiing, you might find me camping, halibut fishing, fly fishing, or set netting. Periodically I am found in the garden planting flowers if it’s warm enough outside.

If I had to pick a favorite book, it would be the ‘The Wide, Wide World‘.