Biathlon
Gold Silver Bronze
Jake Monnier- Africa Braedon Bragg- Oceania/Australia Tanner Robertson-Europe
Laura Annis- Oceania/Australia Ainsley Goodwin- Asia Maggie Prentiss- Europe
Laura Annis takes home the Gold for Australia!
On a chilly Tuesday morning the first competitions of the Dedham Olympics were held. The field was icy and the conditions were rough with the temperature never going above 20 degrees with 15 degrees of wind chill. Nevertheless, the girls competing in today's Biathlon gave it their all and pushed through the pain of the frigid temperatures.
“I’m feeling 100%,“ says a confident Goodwin before her race, although this wasn't the consensus among all competitors. I also spoke with Pierce and Daigle and they both said they were nervous and ready for it to be over with. Seemed like some were more motivated to bring home the gold than others.
First off was Maggie Prentiss from Europe. Prentiss appeared strong and confident through her race despite being exhausted by the end. She did move with precision but her throws let her down. Due to the fact that she missed six throws she was sent to the third place spot.
Next was Ainsley Goodwin from Asia. Just before take off she uttered the words “I don’t even care anymore, I just wanna get this over with.” Her confidence seemed to have diminished and it showed during her slow start. Fortunately for Asia she managed to pick up the pace considerably and only missed 3 of her 15 throws, landing her in a solid second place.
Coming in next was a stumbling Erin Pierce. She started off looking quite nervous and clumsy but she ended up gaining her balance by the end. Her throws were not enough to earn her a medal today but she had a great run and finished it off with a fall at the end, landing her in 5th place.
After that a weary Kiersten Daigle headed out. With little experience and lots of nerves, Daigle had a slow start but she was saved by her amazing throws, missing only 1 out of 15. She showed her athletic abilities and drive today finishing in an admirable 4th place. Last but most certainly not least was Laura Annis, the only one of our competitors today that looked confident and quick from start to finish. The times were close but with her only three missed throws and smooth run she was today's gold winner with a time of 3:08.10.
Boys Biathlon Report
Luke M.
February 15, 2022
Tanner Robertson, Joey Begin, James England, Jake Monnier, and Braedon Bragg all circle around the long loop waiting for the race to begin. Joey Begin of Asia said, “It is definitely a tough call on who will win but I think I can place well.” He even gave away part of his strategy. “I will start with a nice pace, slow down on the corners so I don’t fall, and pick up speed on straight parts,” he said. Braedon of Oceania said, “I think I can win, I just have to keep a nice pace.”
Finally Mr. Christie calls all the competitors to the line. The crowd roars with excitement. First he calls up Tanner of Europe. 3…2…1 Go! And Tanner is off. He has a very fast pace around the first corner and hits 3 out of the 5 balls in the hoop. He skis fast to the second hoop almost skiing past it. 4 out of 5 go in. Finally the last hoop comes and 4 out of 5 go in. He races to the finish line and Europe cheers. A final score of 3:32.53 makes taking the lead hard right off the bat.
Next Mr. Christie calls up Joey of Asia. He lines up and goes. He rolls through to the first hoop making 2 out of 5 next to the second hoop he goes making 3 out of 5 finally at the third hoop he makes 2 out of 5. Asia cheers as he crosses the finish with a final time of 3:59.78.
After a little clearing, James of South America is called up to race the clock. He speeds up fast to get to the first hoop. He makes 3 out of 5 on the first hoop, 4 out of 5 on the second hoop, and 4 out of 5 on the last hoop. The crowd yells as he finishes with a time of 3:37.60.
Now Jake of Africa is called up. When the buzzer goes off he races towards the first hoop and gets 4 out of 5. Not letting up he gets all 5 on the second hoop. He now speeds up to the last hoop and gets 3 out 5 on the last hoop. He races towards the finish and gets a total time of 3:06.44 and takes the lead.
Lastly Mr. Christie calls up Braedon to the line. 3…2…1… GO! Braedon races toward the fist hoop going the fastest out of anybody! He makes 3 out of 5 on the first hoop, 5 out of 5 on the second hoop, and 2 out of 5 on the last hoop. The crowd cheers as he crosses the finish line. A total time of 3:16.35 gives him silver.
Jake Monnier takes gold, Braedon Bragg takes silver, and Tanner Robertson takes bronze.
Boys’ Olympic Biathlon Results
It was a very chilly Tuesday morning when the boys olympic biathlon was held just outside of the Dedham School. The first competitor called up to the starting line was Tanner Robertson from Europe. Tanner skied off to a great start and soon reached the first target. He made three of five shots into the target. He quickly moved on to the next target and made four of his shots. Skiing to the final target, he made four of his shots and shot off to the finish line. Tanner's final time was 2:52.53 but he missed four shots total so forty seconds was added on, making his time 3:32.53. The next skier to compete was Joey Begin from Asia. Joey started off with two makes and three misses at the first target. He was still going strong when he reached the second one, and had three makes this time. Joey looked to be going pretty fast and he soon reached the third and final target. On his last target he made two and then finished strong. Joey's original time was 2:39.15 but 80 seconds was added on and his final time was 3:59.15.
James England from South America then started his race and made three shots on his first target. He was at the second and third targets in no time, only missing one on each. James finished with a time of 2:57.60, but adding on his four misses, the time was 3:37.60. Africa was up next with Jake Monnier competing. Jake had a great start because of both his speed and his aim. Jake made four out of five of his throws at the first target. Jake raced on to the second target where he made all of his shots. He reached the final target where he made three of his shots. Jake finished with a time of 2:36.44, and his time including thirty seconds was 3:06.44. Our last male biathlon contestant for the day was Breadon Bragg from Oceania. Breadon made good time in getting to his first target and he made three shots. On the second target he made five out of five, and he made two of the third and farthest targets. Breadons finishing time was 2:26.35 and his final time was 3:16.35, after adding 50 seconds.
The final score for the boys biathlon was, in third place with a time of 3:32.53, Tanner Robertson from Europe! In second place with a time of 3:16.35, Breadon Bragg from Oceania! And in first place, with an amazing time of 3:06.44, Jake Monnier from africa! Congratulations to all the boys who participated today and thank you!
Biathlon article
By: Hailee D.
On February 15, The Dedham Middle School gathered outside to watch the first event to take place in the Dedham Winter Olympics. The Biathlon was the first event to take place that morning. Tanner, the first competitor, and representing Europe, lined up. The siren sounded, and he was off! Tanner ended up having 4 time penalties with a final time of 3:32.53. Joey from Asia was the next competitor up. Joey skied faster than Tanner, but fell short in the throwing department. His final time was 3:59.78 seconds. The third competitor was James, representing the Americas. James ended with 4 time strikes, the same as Tanner, but skied just 5 seconds slower. Jake was the 2nd to last competitor, and after the siren was sounded we could tell that no one was going to catch up. Just minutes ago Mr. Pearson had said, “Jake is the favorite to win this competition.” Jake skied across the finish line with only 3 time penalties. Jake skied the fastest out of the competitors so far. But Bradon representing Oceania didn't want Jake to feel like he had won just yet. Breadon set out around the track. He threw the balls through the hoops. Breadon only missed 5 of his shots at the target.. He skied across hoping that he was fast enough to beat Jake. As the judges tallied up the score every one watched. Jake with a ski time of 2:36.44 with 30 seconds worth of time penalties. Then there's Breadon who skied 2:26.35 but had 50 seconds worth of time penalties. With that Jake had won the Biathlon. Congratulations Africa!