Casper Mountain Biathlon Club is 501 (c) (3) non profit organization, a designated Paralympic Sport Club and a member of the U.S. Biathlon Association and operates programs at the Casper Mountain Trail Center.
Casper Mountain Biathlon Club’s mission is to provide opportunity and training for youth and adults of all abilities to achieve excellence through the sport of Biathlon
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The Casper Mountain Biathlon Club is a Wyoming based nonprofit organization dedicated to:
• Providing a sustainable world class national biathlon training site that will enhance the local community and economy. • Providing quality coaching and competitive opportunities for amateur athletes to participate in the sport of biathlon on a local, regional, national and international level. • Providing year-round programs that support biathlon training and competition; including cross-training activities such as roller-skiing, cycling, running, strength training and other related activities. • Providing an avenue for athletes to reach their Olympic and Paralympic goals and objectives. • Ensuring access to the sport of biathlon to youth and adults of all abilities and economic status. • Promoting and serving as a national leader in the sports of biathlon and parabiathlon. • Providing programs of therapeutic value specifically tailored for injured military, people with disabilities and disadvantaged youth. • Expanding recreational opportunities for the community. • Enhancing winter sports in the State of Wyoming. |
What is Biathlon?
Biathlon has its origins in the ancient hunting practices of northern Europeans. An Olympic event since 1960, biathlon today combines cross-country skiing with small-caliber rifle marksmanship. Today, biathlon at the Olympic Winter Games comprises five disciplines for both men and women: Individual, Sprint, Pursuit, Mass Start and Relay.
The sport consist of alternating skiing and shooting, Biathletes compete under the pressure of the clock that continues to run even as they stop to shoot. There is a penalty for each missed shot so Biathletes must balance speed on the course and on the range with shooting accuracy. The athletes shoot from two positions – Prone and Standing – in various different sequences depending on the competition. In each shooting stage the athlete has five shots to hit five targets 50m down range. The target hit area for prone is 4.5cm (less than 2 inches) and 11.5cm (about 4.5 inches) for standing. When hit, the black target turns white showing everyone the shot hit the target – or not.
More about about U.S. Biathlon http://biathlon.teamusa.org/
What is Adaptive Biathlon? 
Adaptive or Paralympic Biathlon combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting similar to the Olympic biathlon competitions. Athletes are categorized as standing, sit-ski or visually impaired and compete against athletes with similar disabilities. Paralympic athletes always shoot in a prone position.
The Biathlon event takes place on a 2.5-km loop, which is repeated five times for a total of 12km (long distance) and the pursuit event. Athletes stop for two or four shooting sessions along the course. They are given five shots and are required to hit a target positioned at a distance of 10 meters. The penalty for a missed shot can be a time penalty that is added to the total time or a penalty loop (150m) to ski once per missed shot.
The pursuit event is a two-part competition with the first part consisting of a qualification round (sprint) where athletes ski a short loop (about 1.3 km) three times and stop twice for shooting. For each missed shot, the athlete is given a 20 second penalty.
The top ten athletes in the qualification round compete in the finals which are organized as a «pursuit» start competition. Athletes start according to a preset formula based on the results of the qualification round and the handicap percentages in the different categories. The athletes ski a short loop (about 1.3 km) three times, stopping twice for shooting. For each missed shot, the athlete must ski an extra 80 m penalty loop. The skier that passes the finish line first is the winner.
- Athletes with visual impairment shoot with an electronic rifle that allows aiming by hearing. The closer the rifle points to the centre of the target, the higher the tone is.
- The target size has a diameter of 30mm for visually impaired athletes and 20mm for athletes with a physical disability.
- An athlete with a lower-body disability uses a sledge, which is a specially built chair that can be attached to a pair of skis. The skis are almost identical to standard skis, although shorter, and are attached to the chair with a standard cross-country binding.
- Athletes with amputation can use a rifle support when shooting.
- Information about Sochi Winter Paralympics 2014 http://sochi2014.com/en/games/sport/paralympic-games/sports/biathlon/