The road to Whitehorse is 1,640 kilometres long, but if you fly, Prince George isn't that far away for Yukon biathlon team members Liam Adel and Jake Draper.
They're used to traveling lengthy distances to compete in their sport but today at Otway Nordic Centre the only distance that matters to them is the six kilometres of mostly-steep terrain that separates them from the finish line in the sprint event at the Western Canada biathlon championships.
Part of the 10-athlete Yukon team in Prince George, Adel and Draper had a chance to try out the Otway course in a practice session Friday and they liked what they saw.
"It's a little slippery on the downhills but I love it here, it's a very nice facility," said the 14-year-old Adel. "The trails are unique, there's a lot of uphills and I like the range. I'm glad we're not racing at home because our trails are just ice."
Draper, 13, won silver and gold last year on the B.C. Cup circuit and he's looking for similar results this weekend.
"The trails are good here - there's lots of good corners to work on and there's a lot to learn here with the different uphills, different downhills and the corners," said Draper. "Local people always have an advantage racing at their own facility but it's not a huge advantage."
Twenty-one locals from the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club are among 133 athletes from B.C., Yukon, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Washington state entered in today's sprint and Sunday's pursuit. The races will give volunteers and club officials a taste of what to expect next year when the Canada Winter Games come to Prince George.
Only the top four male and top four female biathletes from each province and territory qualify for the Canada Games and 18-year-old Louisa Tsang of Vancouver is hoping she'll be part of that exclusive group. Now in her fourth season on Team B.C., Tsang posted a top-four finish at a Nor-Am event in Canmore in November so don't be surprised to see her standing on the youth women's medal podium this weekend at Otway. She's among a group of 16 in her category.
"I've been doing pretty good in Nor-Ams," said Tsang. "I'm on the [national] training squad now and hopefully I'll be back here for Canada Games."
Rosanne Sones of Whistler has a vested interest in this weekend's races - she's wearing the colours as a B.C. provincial team coach and she's also the mother of 15-year-old B.C. team member Hunter, who will race in Prince George for the first time today. She predicts the $1.7 million spent in improvements at Otway for the Canada Games will have multiple payoffs down the road in boosting the profile of biathlon in northern B.C.
"The facility is very impressive, its a fantastic range and fantastic venue, very similar to Callaghan Valley, and without a facility you can't grow," said Sones. "The level of facility you have is the level of athlete that you can produce and Prince George already has an awesome history of some amazing athletes like Matt Neumann, Sarah Beaudry, Arthur Roots and some of the younger ones who are up and coming."
Menno Arendz of Canmore, 21, is vying for a spot on the national development team. He's hoping a good result this weekend will give him some momentum heading into the world junior team trials, Feb. 20-23 in his home province, Prince Edward Island.
Arendz is one of only two junior men racers entered for Westerns, so he's guaranteed a medal as long as he finishes his races. He trains regularly at Canmore Nordic Centre and competed at the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Martock, N.S., and he says Otway is as good as it gets.
"I've seen quite a few different ranges in Canada and I have to say this is one of the best," said Arendz. "The trails are in great condition and beautifully designed. There's some long climbs and some nice tight downhills, which will make for some nice racing, especially in a pack.
"The shooting ramp is nice and hard and it's level across the entire range, which is the biggest thing. With the light, there's no difference across the entire range, so there's no advantage to going anywhere on the range."
The weekend races are a family affair for 50-year-old masters racer Julia Keenliside of Edmonton. Her husband Ray Cislo, 54, is also entered as a master and their daughter Marin, 14, and son Erik, 12, will also be wearing race bibs at Otway. It was a cold day on the range Friday but the sun made it feel warmer than it really was and there was no wind.
"We're used to the cold," said Keenliside. "This course favours the skiers, it's a tough course.
"I am amazed, this is as beautiful as Canmore. I'm really glad we came. I'm so impressed with the facility."
As long as the temperature warms up to at least the -20 C cutoff, today's sprint races will start at 10 a.m. for the older athletes and 1 p.m. for the younger age groups.
The same start times apply for Sunday's pursuits.
