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Vol. 9, No. 18, Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Lamont athlete takes Alberta Winter Games in stride Michelle Pinon Editor
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVE TAYLOR
Lamont athlete Jake Taylor represented Zone 7 in the sport of biathlon at the Alberta Winter Games in Canmore on Feb. 8. Even though he encountered extremely frigid temperatures, the 13-year-old weathered the conditions very well and can be proud of his wonderful accomplishment.
Extremely frigid temperatures made for slow snow conditions for one local biathlete at the Alberta Winter Games in Banff and Canmore this past weekend; but Lamont teenager Jake Taylor took everything in stride and represented Zone 7 in fine fashion. It was three solid days of back to back racing, (Feb. 6-9) and resulted in valuable and memorable experiences both on and off the track. Overall, it was an enjoyable endeavour for the uber ambitious and multi-talented 13-year-old athlete. Father Dave Taylor, who has coached biathlon at the national level, says the winter games are a “challenging format for best performances” with many factors coming into play at the same time. Some of those factors include: transportation challenges, cold temperatures, exhaustion, and fun peripheral activities. “It is a very competitive and tough field, but the Winter Games experience is also about learning and developing to the next level. And most importantly, have fun with friends! They had
plenty of that: opening ceremonies on Banff Avenue, bus rides and making friends with other athletes...” Jake took part in a dance party at the Banff Springs Hotel, hanging out at the candy store in Canmore, and a chocolate milk smuggling contest. Jake’s final race on Sunday morning proved to be his best. It was a sprint race, and he was able to shoot 70 per cent and exhibit strong skiing to move him up to 15th place in the standings (fifth place within his age group). Dave said that is quite an accomplishment considering most of the other competitors are two or three years older than him, and have more racing and training experience. “I am in the development category for biathlon. This is my first season shooting with an arm sling and no shooting rest, so I want to just do my best for the shooting part, and then use my strength in skiing. In biathlon the coaches say it’s simple - shoot clean and ski fast.” Jake has been training for biathlon for the past two seasons, and said he wanted to focus on biathlon at a major event this time. “At the last
Alberta Winter Games in 2012, I raced cross country and got a bronze medal in the sprint, and sixth in the classic distance race.” Jake describes biathlon as a really demanding sport given all the training and technical parts of skiing. “Then you add in the focus and control you need to shoot accurately. It’s a great challenge.” For Jake, who trains with the Edmonton Nordic biathlon group at the Strathcona Science Park, there will be a few more races this season. Then he will be turning his attention and focus training for the 2014 Alberta Summer Games in mountain biking. “With two Winter Games and one Summer Games experience now in the books, Jake has a good handle on what it takes in terms of training, preparation and expectations for these events,” adds Dave, who is with him every step of the way.