I wanted to write something meaningful for the 2023 Biathlon Nationals in Casper, Wyoming. This was a big event! It was put together by so many hardworking and passionate people who are proud to host and who care about the biathlon community! These races were also a huge and rewarding moment for me. I came home with three golds for three races!

This was an honor. It has been a dream of mine for almost three years. My road has been long and fun, but also, it has often been stressful and very difficult in many ways! Everyone has their own story that is filled with hard work, adversity, and failures. My story is still being written, but I have learned a great deal and have had many great experiences in such a short period of time! I have big goals and plans and I am looking forward to what my future holds.

There is so much growing talent in the biathlon world. It has been great to ski and train with my competitors and friends through the year and I think that we will all improve immensely this coming 23/24 season. I’m glad that I have been able to see what is possible with persistence and hard work.

There are several big things I’ve learned the last three years: anything is possible with hard work. Any goal can be reached in a reasonable amount of time given for planning, preparing, and executing.

I have learned that you have to make your own opportunities. Talk to people. Make connections, and be ‘real’. That’s what I love about the ski and biathlon community. So many people are willing to answer questions and give their time to make conversation if you share a passion for something. People were so great to me this trip! The biathlon community has a huge support system and I appreciate that so many people were willing to help me train and prepare for the races while I was out of state.

Going to the U.S. Biathlon Nationals gave me the chance to meet new and amazing people. Rob Rosser and Matt Young, Chief of Range, welcomed me to their range. I admire all of the effort they put in to making this event possible. The Minnesota team feels like family and put a smile on my face to hear them cheer every time! Everyone came together as a community during these races! In addition to the coaches working hard for their athletes, parents and spectators pitched in time and energy to run rifles, keep score, help out at the finish, and help with parking duty. I arrived several days early to train before my club landed in Casper. There were many people willing to take me in and coach me before the official training and race days.

Coach Jan Buron has supported me in all aspects of my life. He has been a huge contributor to my skiing improvement over the last year and a half! He is always there to offer help and make a plan for what I need as an individual.

Coach Jean Paquet has been there since the day I started both the skiing and shooting part of biathlon! Having him coach us at the races gave me confidence. Knowing that he has my back gives me the ability to focus on what I’m good at. I am so lucky that I have two amazing coaches who support me through my goals, my successes, and my failures every step of the way.

Sometimes life is stressful when I’m trying to figure out what’s best for my body and how to financially afford doing what I love. Once I step onto the race course, with the support of my mom, my coaches, and my friends and fellow athletes, I just get to enjoy racing!

Winning the races mean a lot to me because it is the culmination of everything that I have worked hard for over the last three years. I look forward to starting up summer training and meeting my friends and competitors from all over the country again this season! Right now, it’s time to enjoy a month of rest and fun!