AUBURN SKI CLUB ATHLETE NAMED TO BIATHLON IBU CUP TEAM
The United States Biathlon Association has named Auburn Ski Club Senior Biathlete, Patrick Johnson to the US IBU (International Biathlon Union) Cup Biathlon Team. Patrick, 25, has been living and training in Truckee, CA for the past two years.
Patrick will be competing in the IBU Cup races in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, February 27th to March 7th. More information on the races will be available at: http://canmorebiathlon.ca/.
Patrick qualified for the team by winning the most recent Biathlon NorAm Cup race, a 12KM pursuit race with 4 shooting stages, in Lake Placid, New York on February 14th. Patrick, an accomplished collegiate cross-country skier, started training full-time for Biathlon in the spring of 2014 at the Auburn Ski Club Training Center. According to Patrick’s coach, Olympic Biathlete Glenn Jobe, “It is amazing to see how successful Patrick has been in Biathlon in such a very short time. He’s a great skier, and in just one season Patrick has gained the shooting skills to compete with the best in the country”.
The US Biathlon World Championship team consists of 4 men and 4 women while the IBU Cup Team (the next level below the World Championship Team) that Patrick has been named to consists of 5 men and 3 women. The ASC Biathlon program has seen great results this year, after only three years of a year-round training program; Patrick Johnson was first named to the US Biathlon development team this past fall and has now been named to the IBU Cup Team. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Sam Zabell qualified for the Youth/Junior World Championship Team in December and is Minsk, Belarus this week competing in the Biathlon Youth/Junior World Championships.
To learn more about the ASC Training Center Biathlon program visit the ASC Training Center website. The Auburn Ski Club Biathlon Program is open to all athletes ages 10 and up, and both winter and summer programs are available. With Olympic and World Cup Biathletes on the coaching staff, the ASC Training Center has established itself as a national class Biathlon and cross-country training and racing venue.
ASC is proud to be hosting the 2015 USBA Biathlon National Championships, March 19-22nd, and the 2015 USSA Cross-Country Junior National Championships March 7-14th. Both of these events will bring the best Biathlon and Nordic skiers in the country to the ASC Training Center.
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