Chilly NorAm closes with mass starts

FORT KENT, Maine - Late Saturday night and into Sunday morning, temperatures dropped to -18 degrees Fahrenheit (-27.8 C) in Fort Kent, Maine, forcing organizers to delay the mass start for both the men and the women biathletes on the second day of the North American Cup Biathlon competition.

25 HIT THE TRAIL - The men competed in the mass start, sending 25 competitors to race through the trails and fire rifles at targets at the NorAm Biathlon Cup No. 3 at the 10th Mountain Lodge in Fort Kent - Birden image

Once temperatures had risen to the minimum the International Biathlon Union allows for competition, 25 men accelerated onto the course at the Tenth Mountain Lodge, toting guns and skiing as fast as possible,

In the division for senior men, Marc-Andre Bedard of Quebec took first place once again, cementing his top position from the previous sprint competition. He finished the mass start in 47:27.8.  Barely three and one-half minutes later, Vincent Blais, also of Quebec, crossed the finish for second place. Mike Gibson of Vermont placed third.

PRONE RIFLEMEN - The biathletes shot twice in a prone position, and then twice in a standing position.  Between each attempt on the firing range, they had to race long distances on cross country skis. - Birden image

For the division for the junior men, local athlete Raleigh Goessling of the Maine Winter Sports Center finished first place after he shot all five targets in the final standing position and gained the lead. Andrew Chisholm of Quebec followed 42 seconds later for second place, even though he had better accuracy on the firing range than Goessling. The latter missed five targets and Chisholm only missed three. Goessling's accuracy in the final round and quick pace on the course brought the win. At the finish, the two men shook hands. Macx Davies of Quebec came in third.

In the youth division for men, Carson Campbell of Prince Edward Island came in first, followed by fellow PEI athlete Menno Arendz. Martin Boissonnault of New Brunswick, coming in nearly ten minutes after the other two men, was a distant third.

SPENT SHELL - A shell, discharged in the snow, is evidence of the competition that stays around long after the athletes have left. - Birden image

At the masters level, Stephan Hamel of New Brunswick took first, followed by Jim Ketterling and then Krzysztof Wierzchoslawski.  All three men were from New Brunswick.

All the men's races occurred in one mass start. The boy's division joined the mass start for women.

First place for the senior women went to Claude Godbout of Quebec. Bethann Chamberlain and Katrina Howe settled the contest for second and third place.

For the junior women, Audrey Vaillancourt of Quebec took the lead spot and the best record for marksmanship for the day, missing a single target in the contest. Julia Ransom of Alberta came in second and Emma Lodge, also of Alberta, rang the bell for third place.

A LINE OF ACCURACY

Gina Heppell of New Brunswick made top honors for the youth women, and Gabrielle Landry came in second.

In the senior boys division, Zachary Boissonnault of New Brunswick came in first, followed by Cody Johnson and Kamran Husain, both of Fort Kent.

GOESSLING WINS

EXPLAINING IT ALL - Carl Theriault of Fort Kent served as the announcer for the chilly weekend athletic spectacle.

AFTER THE MEN, BUT BEFORE THE WOMEN, A VOLUNTEER ENJOYS A PRECIOUS MOMENT OF REST.

THE WOMENS MASS START

KATRINA LINES IT UP - Katrina Howe takes aim in the prone position.

THERE'S YOUR SPOT - Volunteers directed athletes to specific lanes as the competitors came into the stadium for each round of target shooting.