If you're like me, you've probably seen some a few minutes here or there of a biathlon during the Winter Olympics, but that was probably it.  It always seemed like fun, and now that I'm cross country skiing, it seemed even more feasible.  So when I found out that the newly formed Wisconsin Biathlon Association was having a clinic for beginners, I decided to head down to McMiller Park to see what it was all about.

First, I had to say that I was surprised that biathlon didn't have more of a presence in Wisconsin, given that we get plenty of snow, and that we have a sound hunting population.  You'd there would be some cross-over, but as it turns out, there really isn't that much setup for the sport in the state.  But McMiller has put in a very nice 2K biathlon loop, and biathlon specific range at the park.

After spending a few hours in the snow today, and sending some lead down range, I can say that it's quite a blast.  The Wisconsin Biathlon team even has several biathlon specific rifles for those who haven't invested in their own.  Whether it's something I'll take up more seriously like triathlons during the summer or not, I don't know.  But if you ski, and you enjoy some fun with guns, you might want to give it a try.  But don't think it's easy to make off hand shots after hard skiing.  You'll probably do more penalty laps than you think.