Ari's trip to Biathlon YJ World Championships
Donation protected
Hi! My name is Ariana and I am a biathlete as well as a full time student at Montana State University. I made the decision to continue to do biathlon while in college and while it has most definitely been a challenge to balance xc ski practice, biathlon practice, dryfiring, staying healthy and working towards a Bachelor in Science all at the same time, so far I have managed it! 
I raced at US Youth/Junior World Champ Trials Dec. 28th-31st in Soldier Hollow, UT. It was my 4th time going to Trials and the stakes were high. In December of 2015 I attended these races for the first time and qualified for YJ World Champs which were in Romania that year. It was my first real winter doing biathlon and it was an experience I will never forget.
I attended Trials in hopes of qualifying for YJ World Junior Champs for a second time in 2016 and came up short of qualifying. I traveled to frigid Minnesota for Trials last December hoping to qualify and left with frostbite on every finger and, unfortunately, not a spot on the team. I almost decided to throw in the towel after thinking that maybe I should just continue to ski for fun and focus on my degree. In the end I decided I wasn't ready to give up this sport even though there have been some bumps in the road. During the two years I didn't qualify I got to travel to Lake Placid for Junior Nationals as well as Soho. I also got to go to Whistler, Quebec, Canmore, Casper, Jericho..the list goes on. So, what I'm getting at is that this sport is definitely trying at times and it made it all the more rewarding when my summer/fall of hard work payed off last week and I qualified for the YJ World Champs team which will take place in Slovakia at the end of January! 
Paying for college as well as Biathlon is definitely a challenge and any help is MUCH appreciated! The donations will go towards my airplane ticket, lodging, and other trip costs. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my journey and I hope you have a good day and a splendid winter! 
I raced at US Youth/Junior World Champ Trials Dec. 28th-31st in Soldier Hollow, UT. It was my 4th time going to Trials and the stakes were high. In December of 2015 I attended these races for the first time and qualified for YJ World Champs which were in Romania that year. It was my first real winter doing biathlon and it was an experience I will never forget.
I attended Trials in hopes of qualifying for YJ World Junior Champs for a second time in 2016 and came up short of qualifying. I traveled to frigid Minnesota for Trials last December hoping to qualify and left with frostbite on every finger and, unfortunately, not a spot on the team. I almost decided to throw in the towel after thinking that maybe I should just continue to ski for fun and focus on my degree. In the end I decided I wasn't ready to give up this sport even though there have been some bumps in the road. During the two years I didn't qualify I got to travel to Lake Placid for Junior Nationals as well as Soho. I also got to go to Whistler, Quebec, Canmore, Casper, Jericho..the list goes on. So, what I'm getting at is that this sport is definitely trying at times and it made it all the more rewarding when my summer/fall of hard work payed off last week and I qualified for the YJ World Champs team which will take place in Slovakia at the end of January! Paying for college as well as Biathlon is definitely a challenge and any help is MUCH appreciated! The donations will go towards my airplane ticket, lodging, and other trip costs. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my journey and I hope you have a good day and a splendid winter! Organizer
Ariana Woods
Organizer
Bozeman, MT