Shots Heard on the Mountain

As I've mentioned before, I'm an Olympics fan. I joined several friends last Friday for an Opening Ceremony party complete with "ethnic" food trays (alright, so really we just tried to justify how pigs-in-a-blanket could be considered foreign; I think we settled on wrapped frankfurters...). I was pleased with the ceremony-the led effects were really cool- but one thing in particular struck me while I was watching.....what on earth is a biathlon?!?!?! Many of the flag bearers for multiple countries were biathletes, a sport I had never heard mention of before.

In case you're wondering, as I was, the biathlon is an event where skiiers do a cross country circuit, stop at a shooting range, then take off skiing once again for the finish line.

Apparently, the event has been a part of the winter Olympics since 1955. I won't dispute the athleticism needed for the event; I cannot imagine the stability one needs to hold the rifle still after having completed a difficult skiing course. But the event seems so...random! I would never think of skiing and shooting as a possible combination for elite athletes to take part in.

Oh, and just an fyi, the US hasn't medal, yet, in the biathlon. But the next event is scheduled for tomorrow- fingers crossed that they ski fast and hit their mark!