Heartbeat: US Biathlon Podcast

Both Susan Dunklee and Clare Egan had their share of top international results. But as they retire from the international tour to pursue the next chapter of their lives, both will be remembered most for the spirit and leadership they brought to biathlon. In this episode of Heartbeat, we'll hear from Susan and Clare as they ski down memory lane, speak to their futures and take us inside their own l...

The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games provided some strong highlights for the U.S. Biathlon Team. Heartbeat explores Beijing with US Biathlon High Performance Director Lowell Bailey and recaps highlights of the Youth and Junior World Championships at Soldier Hollow with Development Director Tim Burke.

A native of Minnesota's Iron Range, Salmela had a strong career as an athlete on the U.S. Biathlon Team, then as a coach with the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn. He is most noted for his broadcast voice with NBC and Peacock TV, where he will be calling his fifth Olympics for the network at Beijing. Salmela has been at the microphone for cross country skiing and biathlon for the network...

Biathlon will be one of the most viewed events at the upcoming Olympics in Beijing. And it comes with long history, from the days of hunters on skis with bows and arrows 1,500 years ago to the military patrol event at the first Winter Olympics in 1924. Art Stegen, one of the foremost historians on the sport, joins Heartbeat for some fascinating history taking us from times of old to the modern Oly...

Paul Schommer wasted no time in November, qualifying for an Olympic spot for Beijing at the opening races of the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon. The Wisconsin native had a promising career as a wrestler in high school, before discovering cross country skiing. While at St. Scholastica College, he found biathlon. Schommer is also known as the visionary behind Biathlon Uncharted, his. YouTube channel whe...

Dickinson is a fascinating young athlete. She was just six when her parents followed family friends in a move to Winthrop, Wash. at a time when the community was starting to make a splash as a premier nordic center in America. Cross country skiing became a way of life, with junior racing and high school as she forged her path in the sport. For Dickinson, her joy of shooting came early on an improm...

Growing up in Wisconsin, Deedra Irwin loved to run. She had never heard of cross country skiing. But a friend introduced her to the sport as a winter training opportunity. After a strong high school and college career at Michigan Tech, she was ready to retire until another friend, biathlete Joanne Reid, introduced her to biathlon. Now in the national guard biathlon program, Irwin is a rising star...

Lowell Bailey and Tim Burke grew up together in Lake Placid, both finding their passion in biathlon. After strong careers that saw them each win World Championship medals, they are still together leading the next generation of biathletes onto their pathway to success. Lowell and Tim explore their career successes, but also look forward to the future of U.S. Biathlon in this episode of Heartbeat.

Here’s a snapshot of the Heartbeat interview with Sean Doherty. How important is your camp at Soldier Hollow? One of the big things is just it's great pre-season with the altitude here. Coming out for three weeks really gives us a nice physiological benefit as we plan on also the Beijing Games being at a similar elevation. The scenery helps keep the focus fresh. And it's like this camp kind of mar...

Any athlete will face highs and lows in their career. For biathlete Maddie Phaneuf, the 2020-21 COVID season had a crazy blend. But amidst the challenges, a pair of consecutive career-best IBU Cup finishes have put her on a promising pathway for the future. She talks about her career as an athlete and her passion as a sustainability advocate with Protect Our Winters in this episode of Heartbeat.

Athletes need to be methodical, with the virtue of patience guiding their careers. Minnesota native Jake Brown's career best 12th at World Championships was just another step for the soon-to-be 29-year old biathlete who discovered biathlon after a successful collegiate career at St. Olaf's and Northern Michigan University. He speaks to Heartbeat about his pathway and where it's headed next.

In just 18 months at the helm of the International Biathlon Union, Niklas Carlsson is modernizing the international sport federation for the future. Carlsson talks about the direction of the sport and how the unusual combination of cross country skiing and marksmanship can capture such a huge global following. The episode was recorded at the 2021 IBU World Championships Biathlon in Pokljuka, Slove...

Athletes come into sport through many different pathways. One of the most common is family. Among America's top biathletes for a decade, two-time Olympian Leif Nordgren's story is one of family. He joins Heartbeat from northern Italy to talk about his passion for biathlon and the role both U.S. Biathlon and the National Guard are playing in his story.

Matt Emmons: Staying on Target When a biathlete squeezes the trigger, it takes just .15 seconds to strike a two-inch target 50 meters away. The precision is incomprehensible. Matt Emmons, an Olympic shooting gold medalist, has brought a new range of knowledge as U.S. Biathlon Team shooting coach. Emmons tells a story of a challenging sport and how he’s making a difference for his athletes in this...

Cross country skier and runner Clare Egan didn’t take up marksmanship until she was 25. Today, at 33, she’s established herself as one of the top biathletes in the world. What inspired her to take up biathlon mid-career? And what are the motivational factors that push her to continue her quest for excellence? Clare spoke to Heartbeat from Kontiolahti, Finland where the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon t...

Judy Geer: Passion for Sharing Outdoor Sport Building a Venue that Feels Like Home Olympians Judy Geer and Dick Dreissighacker had a vision when they bought an outdoor sports center in 2008. Today, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center has become one of the most vital sports centers in the country for biathletes and cross country skiers. From her home in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, tucked amidst the...

HEARTBEAT NOTES - FROM FAIRWAY TO BIATHLON RANGE It’s a bit mind-numbing to think about the schedule Chloe Levins has led as a golfer, mountain biker, biathlete and student. But spend a few minutes talking to her and you learn quickly that she’s a very organized, focused and fun-loving 22-year-old. Biathlon is complex with myriad pathways into the sport. Chloe started younger than many, introduced...

Max Cobb found his way into biathlon while a collegiate skier at Dartmouth. Today, he's piloting U.S. Biathlon into the future as a well-recognized Olympic and international sport leader. Known widely as his support of athletes, Max talks about his own past and traces the growth of biathlon as a sport in America. He rekindles memories talking about past medals but also takes a look at the future o...

Growing up on a fifth generation family farm in Topeka, Kansas was a long ways from the Paralympic ski tracks of PyeongChang. In 2018, Dan Cnossen became the first biathlete to win a Paralympic gold medal, earning a gold, four silver and a bronze in biathlon and cross country. Cnossen's story is remarkable - a decorated war veteran who lost both legs above the knee on a 2009 Navy Seal mission in A...

Athlete, coach, program leader, NCAA team champion, two-time Olympian. Idaho native Sara Studebaker-Hall has spent her life in winter sport. This past February she took on the role of US Biathlon’s director of operations. A few weeks later, she and her colleagues were deep in management of how to get the US Biathlon Team home from Finland when COVID-19 travel restrictions broke out. Sara’s vast kn...

Vermont native Susan Dunklee was a standout runner and cross country skier in high school and at Dartmouth College. Then she discovered biathlon. Today, she's a two-time World Championship silver medalist. Heartbeat talks to Dunklee about the mystique of biathlon and her role today as America's top biathlete.