Kate takes aim at the Mt. Top Paintball Race

Nine MNC BKL racers made the trip down to Mt. Top in Chittenden, VT for the annual Paintball Biathlon race. This race is always a blast and the folks at Mt. Top do a fantastic job hosting it.  It follows a traditional biathlon format: racers ski a loop, stop to shoot five shots at the range, ski another loop, shoot five shots, etc. Your age class determines how many loops you do and how many times you shoot, ranging from the 1-2’s who ski one loop and visit the range once (five shots), to the 7’8’s who ski 3 loops and visit the Range 3 times.  Music, an announcer, the “hotdog special”, and a paintball range situated right outside the Nordic Center all help to make this a fun event for racers and spectators alike.

Temps were in the twenties when we arrived, but a fierce wind was blowing and it started snowing just before the race got underway, making shooting conditions a little challenging. The MNC parents were prepared and everyone got their kids to the Range while it was open for rifle practice. There is a lot going on for kids in this race. Not only do they need to learn how to site and shoot the paintball rifles, they also have to decide things like “Should I take off my poles to shoot, or not put my pole straps on at all?  Should I actually try to aim and hit the targets or just shoot as quickly as possible?”  Everyone needs to figure out what is going to work the best for themselves and make a plan!

Shooting the paintball rifles is a little different than shooting a  .22 biathlon rifle. “I aimed and one of my shots hit the roof! When I didn’t really aim, I hit 4 (out of 5)!” said Taylor, one of our biathletes. Taylor actually was the MNC sharpshooter, hitting 8 out of 15 shots. Our biathletes: Liam Vile, Virginia Cobb and Taylor Carlson were all amongst the top shooters in their age classes, so it definitely helps to have some experience with biathlon.

Great job to all our racers!

Kate heading out on course. She was on fire today!

Tessa all bundled up against the wind.

Pippa decided to ski without her pole straps so she didn’t have to spend time getting them on.

Dylan did a great job tucking the downhills today!

Virginia shows how to keep warm while waiting in line for your start.

Taylor skiing the extra loop that made the 7/8 course a longer distance.