Sarah Beaudry had better start brushing up on her Czech language skills.
Thanks to a late push in a qualifying race Tuesday at Whistler Olympic Park, the 16-year-old has captured one of four spots on the Canadian youth biathlon team that will compete in the Czech Republic at the end of January.
She couldn't be more excited to be a part of the 18-and-under national squad for the World Youth Biathlon Championships.
"The pressure was on me (Tuesday) because it was my one chance to get there," Beaudry, a Grade 11 student at Duchess Park secondary school, said as she was in transit from the Callaghan Valley course to Vancouver.
"I made the Canadian team last year but I didn't get to make the trip because I didn't really have anything prepared, because I didn't think I was going to make it. Doing the races in December this time means I can make all the arrangements and go (to the Czech Republic)."
Beaudry, who will be driving back to Prince George today, was happy with two of her three races at the Canadian trials, but that fit perfectly because each entrant's two top results counted for the overall placements.
On Tuesday, in a 10-kilometre mass start, Beaudry was 12-for-20 in shooting and had to take a few turns around the penalty loop. She knew she had to finish ahead of Emma Lodge of Canmore in order to claim the last Team Canada spot and the drama set up perfectly with a sprint to the line.
"It had snowed something like 12 centimetres the night before, so the course was super soft and that made it a very tough ski," said Beaudry.
"I was just going around my second penalty loop and she was in the range, and we were on the course together. I knew I had to finish better than her, and I was so tired that my legs felt like rocks and we had to go up this hill that was like a pillow."
Beaudry's legs didn't fail her and she ended up about 15 seconds ahead of Lodge. The national team berth was hers.
On Saturday, Beaudry was 6-for-10 in shooting during the sprint, then in Sunday's 10K pursuit she was 8-for-20 at the range.
"I like the sprint race because when you come into the range, you don't know where everyone else is so you can just focus on yourself and your shooting, where in the pursuit and the mass start I get really caught up with everybody else and I'm not thinking about me and it affects my shooting," said Beaudry.
The results from Tuesday and the past weekend were set up by a strong showing the weekend before in Canmore. Another trip was on the line there.
"That weekend I did better than I did here, and that qualified me for the Canada Winter Games (in February in Halifax)," said Beaudry.
"That weekend, I was a bit more relaxed and I had good results. The stress got to me (in Whistler) a little more."
