YOUTH BIATHLON
Methow Valley Biathlon (MVB) combines the endurance of cross-country skiing with the precision of rifle marksmanship. The program is open to youth ages 9–18 (participants must turn nine by December 31 of the current winter).
Biathletes complete their ski training through MVNT and take part in regular marksmanship practices throughout the season, from November through February. MVB also supports athletes who wish to compete in regional and national biathlon races.
We recommend that athletes have at least one season of Nordic Team experience or equivalent skiing ability before joining. New biathletes must be accompanied by a responsible adult until approved by a coach or range safety officer.
MVB provides rifles for team members to use during the season. Each athlete is responsible for purchasing their own ammunition, which can be ordered through MVB.
All MVB members must also be members of US Biathlon for insurance purposes. Join here.
Winter Youth Programs
-
Dev 1
At least one year of ski experience. YOB: 2016 or older
Cost: $125
Begins: November 8th
Saturday Training, 6-8 practices plus events between Nov and February. Must be 9 years old by 12/31/25, no biathlon experience needed. New shooter training (for participants and parent) and practice will be Nov. 8.
Members must be actively training at least one day a week with MVNT.
Must be a US Biathlon member and have completed a USB Rifle Safety Course prior to the first day of training. More details will be provided at the MVNT Fall Information Night at the school. Contact biathlon@mvnsef.org with questions.
When beginning, biathletes must be accompanied by a responsible adult until approved by a coach or range safety officer.
MVB owns rifles which are available to team members to use during the season. Each team member is responsible for purchasing their own ammunition, which is available through MVB.
-
Dev 2
Our Dev-2 program offers double the shooting opportunities, for biathletes with at least two years of biathlon experience with YOB 2013+.
Cost: $250
Begins: November 8th
Training will take place Friday afternoons and Saturdays between November and February, plus support at some races.
Must be US Biathlon member and training with MVNT group.
Athletes with less than two years of biathlon experience with the club wanting to train in the Development 2 group can petition the coaching staff via biathlon@mvnsef.org on Nov 1st, and again on Jan 1st, and February 1st. More details on registration page.
Biathlon Coaches
-
Betsy Devin-Smith
A full-time rancher and retired veterinarian, Betsy devotes her every spare moment to the Biathlon Team. Her accomplishments as a Biathlon coach, advisor, and board member earned her the award of “Volunteer Ski Coach of the Year” by the US Olympic Committee in 2010. Betsy assisted as a Biathlon Official at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and again at the 2018 World Cup in Soldier Hollow, UT. She is a past US Master Biathlon Champion and a North American Biathlon Champion. She is a Level 1 certified Biathlon Coach and a 4H shooting sports leader.
-
Scott Waichler
Scott started doing biathlon with his children in 2007. He is a USBA coaching member, PSIA Level 3 cross-country skiing instructor and US Skiing Level 100 coach, as well as a national masters biathlon champion. Scott also coaches skiing in MVNT.
-
Colin Sands
Colin became involved and started coaching biathlon in 2020, two years after moving to the Methow Valley with his wife, Alisa, and three children whom are all active cross country skiers and biathletes.
He is a certified US Biathlon coach as well as a US Ski level 100 certified coach.
Colin has coached and volunteered with Methow Valley Nordic for the past six years as well as coached for US Biathlon in Europe for the past four years at the Liatoppen Biathlon festival with US athlete contingent, as well coaches for Altius Pro team based out of West Yellowstone and been a part the PNW Nordic team coaching staff at Junior Nationals.
If you don’t see Colin in the valley , he is probably chasing his kids all around Europe and North America supporting them in their adventures.
Philosophy
Methow Valley Biathlon’s philosophy is built around long-term personal and athletic development. MVB’s strong program takes a skier’s stage of development into consideration and guides skiers along an appropriate level of involvement for their long-term development and health in the sport.
MVB’s athletic programming is available to the broader community and unites our small community through sport. This means keeping access affordable, time commitment reasonable for a range of athletes, and balancing access and excellent programming. MVB skiers are part of the Methow Valley Nordic Team for their primary physical and ski training. Practices are conducted according to rules in consideration of the greater Methow Valley community such as wildfire risk, trail and range partners, and land managers.
MVB demonstrates success in keeping biathletes engaged in an active lifestyle, as well as developing competitively successful athletes on a regional, national and world stage.
Practices are open to all eligible kids. Eligibility includes being in the prescribed age range/ability level for a given training session as determined by coaches, and be currently training for skiing (i.e. to go to summer shooting training, skiers must be active in summer ski training).