Seeking the next Horizon
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We live, and we learn. Each experience brings us one step closer to our dreams, and today, we’re running.
When you choose to become a Biathlete, you choose to play the long game. To reach the highest level of performance, you need to invest hours of your life, every day, to the pursuit of excellence. This is the path I’ve chosen, and I’m passionate to follow this adventure. Today, I’m writing this because unfortunately, despite our best efforts, biathlon requires a huge financial investment alongside our time investment.
This season has been unlike any other! Building on the momentum of last year, I set my goals conservatively, aiming to race in Europe at least once this winter. Being the youngest of three years in my age category, I knew that qualifying was going to be an uphill battle. But what I didn’t know, was that I would go on to race at not just 1 race event, not 2, but 4 huge events over 2 months overseas! To add to the excitement, I even got the chance to race a full-blown International Biathlon Union Cup race, not Junior, Senior.
Completely contrary to what I anticipated, I attended 2 French National Cups, 1 team training camp in France, the Junior World Championships in Switzerland, 1 IBU Cup held in Italy, and finally spent 2 weeks training with a regional French Biathlon team before coming back home to Canada. Having now returned to our country, it’s time to look forward to what comes next.
As you can imagine, travelling this far and wide isn’t cheap. On top of this, Biathlon Canada is at an all-time low financially. This has had widespread repercussions throughout the sport, mainly impacting our racing fees. Instead of the normal $3,500 for a few weeks in Europe, our costs have shot up to a staggering $5,250! Managing these costs as a full-time athlete was already a heavy burden for Canadian Biathletes, but now it’s becoming borderline impossible.
So, why did I start this Gofundme? Well, it’s not to support the European races I attended this season. While still unreasonably expensive, those costs were partially foreseen. The real nail in the coffin for me is the races still to come: the Canadian National Championships being held in Quebec. Crossing the country by plane costs almost as much as going to Europe, and then there’s always accommodation and transport to worry about too. All in all, the Canadian National Championships aren’t the most expensive races I’ll be doing this year, but they are the ones that will hit the hardest.
For this final trip, I'll be travelling on March 16th, flying to Quebec to join the Manitoba team, and beginning my preparation on the racecourse. Starting on the 18th, I'll have my first race, followed immediately by another race on the 19th. The 20th is a rest day, then it's back to the action with races on the 21st and 22nd. I can't wait to start, it should be a very exciting week!
As I said in the beginning, every experience we have brings us one step closer to our dreams; these races are no exception. Every time we line up at the start, we learn something new. Each time, you come away from the track better, smarter, and hungrier. This season has opened my eyes enormously to what I need to improve to race with the best. I’ve seen first-hand what makes them so fast, and I’m ready to apply it. These final races, this National Championship, is where I want to make that difference. I’ve always been proud to represent, whether it’s my team, my province, or our country, the honour is always the same. Let’s do this one final time this season, it’s time to seek the next horizon.
Quebec, here we come!
-Lucas
p.s. Check out the website I've been working on!
When you choose to become a Biathlete, you choose to play the long game. To reach the highest level of performance, you need to invest hours of your life, every day, to the pursuit of excellence. This is the path I’ve chosen, and I’m passionate to follow this adventure. Today, I’m writing this because unfortunately, despite our best efforts, biathlon requires a huge financial investment alongside our time investment.
This season has been unlike any other! Building on the momentum of last year, I set my goals conservatively, aiming to race in Europe at least once this winter. Being the youngest of three years in my age category, I knew that qualifying was going to be an uphill battle. But what I didn’t know, was that I would go on to race at not just 1 race event, not 2, but 4 huge events over 2 months overseas! To add to the excitement, I even got the chance to race a full-blown International Biathlon Union Cup race, not Junior, Senior.
Completely contrary to what I anticipated, I attended 2 French National Cups, 1 team training camp in France, the Junior World Championships in Switzerland, 1 IBU Cup held in Italy, and finally spent 2 weeks training with a regional French Biathlon team before coming back home to Canada. Having now returned to our country, it’s time to look forward to what comes next.
As you can imagine, travelling this far and wide isn’t cheap. On top of this, Biathlon Canada is at an all-time low financially. This has had widespread repercussions throughout the sport, mainly impacting our racing fees. Instead of the normal $3,500 for a few weeks in Europe, our costs have shot up to a staggering $5,250! Managing these costs as a full-time athlete was already a heavy burden for Canadian Biathletes, but now it’s becoming borderline impossible.
So, why did I start this Gofundme? Well, it’s not to support the European races I attended this season. While still unreasonably expensive, those costs were partially foreseen. The real nail in the coffin for me is the races still to come: the Canadian National Championships being held in Quebec. Crossing the country by plane costs almost as much as going to Europe, and then there’s always accommodation and transport to worry about too. All in all, the Canadian National Championships aren’t the most expensive races I’ll be doing this year, but they are the ones that will hit the hardest.
For this final trip, I'll be travelling on March 16th, flying to Quebec to join the Manitoba team, and beginning my preparation on the racecourse. Starting on the 18th, I'll have my first race, followed immediately by another race on the 19th. The 20th is a rest day, then it's back to the action with races on the 21st and 22nd. I can't wait to start, it should be a very exciting week!
As I said in the beginning, every experience we have brings us one step closer to our dreams; these races are no exception. Every time we line up at the start, we learn something new. Each time, you come away from the track better, smarter, and hungrier. This season has opened my eyes enormously to what I need to improve to race with the best. I’ve seen first-hand what makes them so fast, and I’m ready to apply it. These final races, this National Championship, is where I want to make that difference. I’ve always been proud to represent, whether it’s my team, my province, or our country, the honour is always the same. Let’s do this one final time this season, it’s time to seek the next horizon.
Quebec, here we come!
-Lucas
p.s. Check out the website I've been working on!
Organizer
Lucas Smith
Organizer
