Getting Humbled and Getting Back Up - Michaela Keller-Miller
- Posted on
- By Michaela Keller-Miller
Getting Humbled and Getting Back Up
This ski season has marked my first winter of full-time biathlon racing after making the switch from cross country skiing this summer. I’ve spent most of my time on the IBU Cup circuit in Europe after qualifying through October rollerski trials in Utah and requalifying at December trials on my team’s home trails in Craftsbury, Vermont.
The IBU Cup is a step below the World Cup for biathlon. Since biathlon is more popular than cross country in many European countries (seriously, I tried finding the cross country World Cup on TV in Slovakia last week and could only find the Biathlon World Cup), you can imagine how deep and competitive the field is, even on the IBU Cup. I’ve quickly realized that I can’t get by on ski speed alone, especially as I’ve struggled to find a racing gear I’m happy with this season. Biathlon brings on a slew of new components, as both range time and shooting accuracy can counter even the fastest ski times.
Shooting in Geilo, Norway. Credit: Nordic Focus
While focusing my energy on biathlon has allowed me to greatly improve my skills, I’m still a long way off the mark when it comes to shooting speed and accuracy. Even on days where I feel I’ve skied decently and executed my process goals on the range, I come away feeling disappointed and extremely humbled by the high level of the women around me. There are only so many times I can say “there’s always next time” before wondering which next time will be when everything clicks.
Racing in Geilo, Norway. Credit: Nordic Focus
Nevertheless, I do my best to keep looking forward and showing up at practice ready to get better. Of course, this is easier said than done, as learning something new when everyone else has been doing it for most of their life can be exhausting. I’m constantly reminding myself how much I’ve learned over the past year and how much progress I’ve already made. Jumping into this sport at the highest level has been an uncomfortable wakeup call, but being continuously humbled does make me appreciate the hard work and dedication that this sport requires.
I think it’s key to back up and look at the big picture whenever I feel stuck spinning my wheels; so, I’ll highlight some of what’s kept me motivated and getting back up this season. You’ll notice a trend that these are mainly people oriented; my support system, especially my coaches and teammates at the Green Racing Project, has been so key in keeping me moving forward.
First, my sister came to Geilo, Norway for the week to hang out and watch me race. One of my college teammates from the University of Alaska Anchorage also happened to be nearby and came out to cheer one day!
Cheer squad in Geilo!
Night skiing with my sister!
Next, I got to spend a couple weeks in Craftsbury before Christmas. After lackluster results on the IBU Cup in Period One, I had to race December trials to re-earn my spot on the IBU Cup. Being surrounded by the robust Craftsbury Outdoor Center community reenergized me and made me excited to race. I even managed to put together a couple of my better biathlon races. I had my first ever clean stage, which means I hit 5/5 targets on one shooting stage. I also was able to dig deep into a racing gear that I was happy with. With two podium finishes, I locked in my return to the IBU Cup in Period Two.
Shooting my first clean prone stage in Craftsbury.
Podium w/ fellow GRP teammate Jackie!
After a brief visit to Minnesota to spend the holidays with my family, I rejoined the GRP ski team to race cross country Nationals in Anchorage. While the race results were nothing spectacular, I really enjoyed being back with the skiers and getting to reconnect with many of my former college teammates still living in Anchorage. We even fit in a ski at Hatcher Pass, which ranks up there as one of my favorite places to ski.
Racing in Anchorage. Credit: Tobias Albrightson
Skate sprint heats in Anchorage.
This brings me to today, where I just got back from a ski in Toblach, Italy followed by a cappuccino and pizza. I’m with the US biathlon team in Obertilliach, Austria (40 mins from Toblach) for a week of training before Open European Championships. In a winter packed with races and travel, it’s been refreshing to have a week to focus on tuning the ski speed and working on shooting skills in a low-pressure environment. I’m sure I’ll be humbled plenty more this winter, but you can bet I’ll keep getting back up. I hope you all do too.
Training week in Obertilliach and Toblach
-Michaela Keller-Miller