20-for-20 with Amanda Kautzer

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 18-year-old Amanda Kautzer, of Michigan Tech and Loppet Nordic Racing, who is representing the U.S. at her third Youth Worlds. On Wednesday, Kautzer placed 53rd in the youth women’s 10 k individual and on Friday, she was 59th in the 6 k sprint.

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“My full name is Amanda Rose Kautzer, but you can call me Amanda, Mandy, whatever works. I was born in Singapore and raised in Plymouth, Minn.

I started cross-country skiing when I was 12 and started biathlon when I was 14, thanks to my coach Piotr Bednarski. I currently train in Houghton, Mich., and Plymouth with the Michigan Tech Nordic Ski team and Loppet Nordic Racing, respectively.

If I’m not skiing, you might find me skiing (the other kind). If I had to pick a favorite book, it would be ‘The Name of the Wind‘.

One of the things I’m most excited about for Youth/Junior World Championships in Brezno-Osrblie is fast skis from great wax techs. This will be my third Youth/Junior World Championships, and this year, I’m competing as a youth.

One race I’m especially targeting there is ummmm all of them of course.

The best advice anyone ever gave me about skiing or racing was: ski fast (thanks Dad, super insightful, later changed to: ski faster than everyone else).

One of the best race memories I have is getting silver in a skate sprint despite breaking a pole in the heats.

If I could meet one World Cup skier, it would be Laura Dahlmeier.

If I don’t end up being a professional skier, I’ll probably be a ski coach and do triathlons.

I’m missing 36 days of school to be here, and my professors are probably thinking, ‘Are you in my class? I haven’t seen you there, not even once.’

You can follow me on Instagram @amanda_rose_kautzer.”