Sarah Beaudry still hasn't seen the video of her impressive Olympic debut on the biathlon slopes of Pyeongchang, South Korea, but she will get to that someday.
There's no doubt the memory remains fresh in her mind, what it was like to be called into action as a last-second replacement and wear the flag for Canada in her first Olympic race as she nailed 19 of 20 targets on her way to a 29th-place finish.
It's a moment in Prince George sporting history that won't soon be forgotten.
Now at 24, Beaudry is beginning her next four-year cycle ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, armed with the knowledge she's good enough to compete at the highest level against the best athletes this planet has to offer.
Filling in for Megan Tandy, her Caledonia Nordic Ski Club mentor on the Olympic team, who was too sick to race in Korea, Beaudry helped Canada to a respectable 10th-place finish in the women's relay. That and her top-30 individual result in Pyeongchang, coupled with a best-ever 24th-place result in a World Cup sprint in Oberhof, Germany, provided Beaudry a shot of confidence she hopes will carry over into her second full season on the World Cup tour
"I think it's just really brought more motivation, more excitement, seeing what's there and what I can do to get better and where I need to go," said Beaudry, in Prince George last week to attend a friend's wedding. "I left Korea really motivated to train again and get training for this coming season."
The little nine-year-old girl from Prince George - who first picked up a rifle while watching her dad Pierre train her older brother Sylvain on the makeshift shooting range tucked away in the woods of Otway Nordic Centre - has grown up. She's found her way to the big leagues of biathlon and is learning how difficult it is to take the next step and become a World Cup medal contender.
Summer is the time for conditioning and muscle-building for Beaudry but she's had to move indoors a few times the past couple weeks to keep from breathing in wildfire smoke that's showing no signs of abating, with 546 fires still burning in B.C.
"There's smoke in Canmore as well and that just means more creative training and when it is nice making sure you get out," said Beaudry. "In Canmore we have the roller ski treadmill so right before I came we did some intense training on that, which is useful because you can do it inside and it's ski-specific rather than just running on a treadmill or going on a spin bike. You just have to be smart."
The first World Cup stop is in Poklijuka, Slovenia, Dec. 2-9. The World Cup tour returns to North America for the first time since 2016, right in Beaudry's backyard at Canmore Nordic Centre, Feb. 4-10, followed by races in Salt Lake City, Utah. Beaudry finished 38th in the sprint in 2016 at Canmore.
Beaudry is carded as a senior team member and receives a monthly allowance through the national team athletes' assistance program. She's also sponsored by the National Firearms Association. She gets money from CanFund in the lead-up to an Olympic year and receives a grant as a part-time Starbucks employee in Canmore. She makes enough to get by and follow the World Cup circuit but still has to pay out of pocket for some training camps. Unlike some of her European counterparts, who make a comfortable living through endorsements, Beaudry's certainly not getting rich in her sport.
"I have sufficient funding but Europeans laugh at us when we tell them we have to pay to go on IBU Cup (races)," she said. "We have more expenses related to training that other athletes would get covered by their federations."
In mid-July, Biathlon Canada hired Pavel Lantsov, a former Russian team shooting specialist, to work with head coach Matthias Ahrens. Lantsov will focus on the range while Ahrens will zero in on physical training and teaching skiing technique. Former women's team coach Roddy Ward will fill a new position as long term athlete development director.
"Pavel has brought some new energy to shooting and new drills and it's been really good so far," said Beaudry.
Tandy, who turns 30 on Sept. 10, is training hard at her home in Germany to keep her spot on Canada's World Cup team and is intent on sticking with the national team for one more Olympics. Matt Neumann of Prince George, 29, has retired after years of struggling to try to make the World Cup team, while Burns Lake native Emily Dickson, 21, will start the season on Canada's under-24 development team.
World Cup team members Julia Ransom of Kelowna and Macx Davies of Canmore have also retired. Teams for the first segment of the season will be determined at the national trials in November in Canmore.
