Sarah Beaudry is in the big leagues of biathlon right now, preparing to race Friday in the women's sprint in her adopted home of Canmore, Alta.
She's still a Prince George girl, where she was born and raised, and will always remain true to her roots as a product of the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club, but this weekend she will represent Canada in a rare chance to compete at the World Cup level on home soil.
The last time Canmore Nordic Centre hosted a World Cup biathlon event was the year before the 1988 Winter Olympics, a fact that's not lost on the 21-year-old Beaudry.
"I'm super-excited I get to race at what is essentially home because we don't know when the next time will be - racing in (a World Cup) in Canmore could be almost a once-in-a-career opportunity," said Beaudry.
"I'm feeling good and hope everything goes well. Before Christmas I was a little bit tired and not feeling it on the skis, but since then I've felt I can put together shooting and skiing at a consistently good level."
Beaudry has lived and trained in Canmore the past four years, and hopes that familiarity with the trails will translate into a satisfying race Friday in the women's 7.5-kilometre sprint. A mass start race is scheduled for Saturday, an exclusive race which includes only the top-25 ranked World Cup athletes plus the top-five points from the sprint race. Beaudry is also slated to race for Canada in Sunday's mixed relay.
The door opened for Beaudry in the sprint when 27-year-old Megan Tandy of Prince George broke her wrist on Tuesday when she tripped and fell while on a training run in Canmore. Beaudry will join fellow Canadians Rosanna Crawford of Canmore, Julia Ransom of Kelowna and Zina Kocher of Red Deer, Alta., in the sprint.
"I feel so bad for Megan, it's super-unfortunate for her and technically I'm taking her spot," said Beaudry. "The plan was for me to race the relay and for Megan and Zina to race the sprint because they nominated five girls for four sprint spots."
The Canmore races this weekend are televised worldwide on Eurovision Sports Live and in Canada on cbc.ca. Friday's sprint starts at 12:15 p.m. PT.
Next weekend, the World Cup series moves to Presque Isle, Maine, but Beaudry will not be going. She plans to stay in Canmore for two weeks, where she will write her exams as a general studies (distance education) student at Thompson Rivers University. Then she will travel to Oslo, Norway, for a Canadian team training camp to prepare for the world championships, the Super Bowl of biathlon, March 3-13. Biathlon is one of the most popular sports in Norway and Beaudry can't wait to take her place in the start area in front of thousands of spectators and millions of TV viewers.
"I was in Oslo last year at the World Cup (as part of the relay team) and it's a crazy place and I'm excited I'll get this opportunity to race - it's the big race of the year," she said.
Beaudry has spent most of the season competing in IBU Cup races, where she has consistently placed in the top-20. She also has two World Cup results this season, finishing 54th in the pursuit after a 55th-place sprint result in January in Ruhpolding, Germany.
Beaudry was a top-15 finisher last year at the junior world championships and placed sixth at the IBU Cup individual race in Canmore last March. She competed in two World Cup events in 2014-15, placing 63rd in a sprint race in Hochfilzen, Austria, and 66th in a sprint in Pokljuka, Solvenia.
The return of the World Cup to Canada after more than two decades has created palpable excitement in the small mountain resort community of Canmore. Canadian team veterans Rosanna Crawford and Nathan Smith have both won medals at the World Cup level and they will be feeling pressure to perform well at home. But the same expectations aren't on Beaudry, who is just making the jump to World Cups. For this weekend, she's just happy to be part of the race.
"I was in the IBU Cup last year in Canmore and in comparing the two, it's almost incomparable," said Beaudry. "There are cameras everywhere, people everywhere, so many volunteers and a lot of top guys and girls are here. I'm super-excited I have a spot to race, and I'm super-excited that my parents (Pierre and Leisbet) are coming down."
Beaudry will celebrate her 22nd birthday in Valcartier, Que., site of the Canadian national championships, March 15-20. Next year's nationals will be held in Prince George at Otway Nordic Centre.
