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Basic concepts
A biathlon competition consists of a race in which contestants ski around a cross-country trial system, and where the total distance is broken up by either two or four shooting rounds, half in prone position, the other half standing. Depending on the shooting performance, extra distance or time is added to the contestant's total running distance/time. As in most races, the contestant with the shortest total time wins.
For each shooting round, the biathlete must hit five targets; each missed target must be "atoned for" in one of three ways, depending on the competition format:
by skiing around a 150 metres (490 ft) penalty loop, typically taking 20–30 seconds for top-level biathletes to complete (running time depending on weather/snow conditions),
by having one minute added to a skier's total time, or
by having to use an "extra cartridge" (placed at the shooting range) to finish off the target; only three such "extras" are available for each round, and a penalty loop must be made for each of the targets left standing.
In order to keep track of the contestants' progress and relative standing throughout a race, split times (intermediate times) are taken at several points along the skiing track and upon finishing each shooting round. The large display screens commonly set up at biathlon arenas, as well as the information graphics shown as part of the TV picture, will typically list the split time of the fastest contestant at each intermediate point and the times and time differences to the closest runners-up.
[edit]Skiing details
All cross-country skiing techniques are permitted in biathlon, which means that the free technique is usually the preferred one, being the fastest. No equipment other than skis and ski poles may be used to move along the track. Minimum ski length is the height of the skier less 4 centimetres (1.6 in). The rifle has to be carried by the skier during the race at all times.
[edit]Shooting details
The biathlete carries the small bore rifle, which weighs at least 3.5 kilograms (7.7 lb), excluding ammunition and magazines. The rifles use .22 LR ammunition and are bolt action or Fortner (straight-pull bolt) action.
The target range shooting distance is 50 metres (160 ft). There are five circular targets to be hit in each shooting round. When shooting in the prone position the target diameter is 45 millimetres (1.8 in), when shooting in the standing position the target diameter is 115 millimetres (4.5 in). On all modern biathlon ranges, the targets are self-indicating, in that they flip from black to white when hit, giving the biathlete as well as the spectators instant visual feedback for each shot fired.
[edit]Competition format
The domestic dog (a union of Canis lupus familiaris[3] and Canis lupus dingo[1][2]) is a subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus), a member of the Canidae family of the mammilian order "Carnivora". The term is used for both domesticated and feral varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in human history. The word "dog" may also mean the male of a canine species,[4] as opposed to the word "bitch" for the female of the species.[5]
The present lineage of dogs was domesticated from gray wolves about 15,000 years ago.[6] Domesticated dogs have been found in Siberia and Belgium from about 33,000 years ago in two localized but separate instances of domestication. There are more sites of varying ages in and around Europe and Asia younger than 33,000 years ago but significantly older than 15,000 years ago. The earlier specimens not only show shortening of the snout but widening of the muzzle and some crowding of teeth making them clearly domesticated dogs and not wolves or a transition species from wolf to dog. Although mDNA suggest a split between dogs and wolves around 100,000 years ago no specimens predate 33,000 years ago that are clearly morphologically domesticated dog. Those animals around the 30,000 years ago date are not thought to represent the current lineage of domesticated dogs though. There is no clear consensus for the current lineage of dog until about 8500 years ago in Asia although some place this earlier around 15,000 years ago.[7][8] Their value to early human settlements led to them quickly becoming ubiquitous across world cultures. Dogs perform many roles for people, such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, protection, assisting police and military, companionship, and, more recently, aiding handicapped individuals. This impact on human society has given them the nickname "Man's Best Friend" in the Western world. In some cultures, dogs are also an important source of meat.[9][10] In 2001, there were estimated to be 400 million dogs in the world.[11]
Over the 33,000-year span in which the dog has been domesticated, it has diverged into only a handful of landraces, groups of similar animals whose morphology and behavior have been shaped by environmental factors and functional roles. Through selective breeding by humans, the dog has developed into hundreds of varied breeds, and shows more behavioral and morphological variation than any other land mammal.[12] For example, height measured to the withers ranges from a 2 inches (51 mm) in the Chihuahua to a 2 feet (0.61 m) in the Irish Wolfhound; color varies from white through grays (usually called "blue") to black, and browns from light (tan) to dark ("red" or "chocolate") in a wide variation of patterns; coats can be short or long, coarse-haired to wool-like, straight, curly, or smooth.[13] It is common for most breeds to shed this coat.
A swimmer leaves the block during a race. Coached by Don McIntosh, the women's swim team had a 3-7 record in 1982.
Caroline Cordle hitting a ball on the outside in a 2010 game against Endicott College. Photo from the Athletic Communications Office.
Experienced log rollers Dave Small ‘09 and Sarah Emmons ‘09 in a match on the 17” red cedar training log at the Middlebury College Natatorium. Log rolling is a non-contact sparring sport that requires quickness, agility and fast feet.
Middlebury finished tied for third overall at the 89th Annual Middlebury College winter carnival. Nordic events were moved to the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe after a lack of snow at the Rikert Ski Touring Center.
Middlebury senior Maddie Firestone tips the ball over a large block during a home game for the Panthers in fall of 2012.
Charlotte Ching receives a ball. On October 2, 2010, the Panthers topped host school Bates College by a score of 3-0. Photo from the Athletic Communications Office.
A Middlebury Alpine racer flies through the course during a race in 2013. From the Middlebury College Kaleidescope.
Founded in 1916, the Outing Club encouraged outdoor winter athletic events like this cross country ski race.
Middlebury finished 12th overall Stella Holt (pictured) and Heather Mooney raced for Middlebury at the 2014 NCAA Championships. The Panthers led all Division III schools taking part in the event.
Eric Harvey ’09.5 and Katie Crecelius ‘08 in an exciting match at the 2009 J-Term Tournament at the Middlebury Natatorium. Both experienced rollers have captured 1st place in different years.
Founded in 1916, the Outing Club encouraged outdoor winter athletic events like this cross country ski race. The club sponsored the College's first winter holiday in 1920.
First-year Nolan Thompson elevates for a midrange jumper. Thompson, who walked onto the team, went on to become the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 and finished his career as the program's 10th-leading scorer.