Zeroing in on biathlon

At 68, Brooke Roberts could very well have spent his Saturday relaxing at home. He chose not to.

"That's how you die," he said.

Instead, he joined about 100 other competitors for the second annual Mammoth

Winter Biathlon at the Tamarack Cross Country Ski Area, where he won first-place in his age division.

"This is how you stay alive," he explained. "Most people don't get to have this much fun in their whole life."

A lifetime skier, this was the Mammoth Lakes resident's second biathlon, organized by the Eastern Sierra Nordic Ski Association to promote interest in the sport.

Hank Garretson, president of the ski association, was happy with the turnout.

"I'm delighted," he said. "I've done biathlon for 15 years or so. The first time I did it, I just had a ball."

The winter event, adopted into the Olympics in 1960, consists of an unlikely duo of cross-country skiing and marksmanship.

"When you're skiing, you're out there hammering as hard as you can," Garretson said. "Then you've got to steady down and get your pulse rate down to hit a target the size of a silver dollar 50 feet away."

He said people often ask him what percentage of effort he gives to each of the disciplines while competing.

"When I'm shooting, I give it 100 percent," he explained. "When I'm skiing, I give that 100 percent. It's how you have to do it."

Although it is the most popular televised winter sport in Europe, it is relatively unknown in the United States. Garretson said the ski association is trying to change that.

The association is working with the Forest Service to get a permit for a permanent shooting range for a biathlon center and plans to increase the number of competitions offered there each year.

Larry Morris, 68, of Sacramento, would like that. The only other biathlon in the area is the Auburn Ski Club race scheduled for April 11.

Morris started with a summer biathlon, which combines running and shooting, about 15 years ago then moved on to the winter version.

"It's not just physical," he said. "There's a tremendous amount of mental gymnastics that goes into it."

Perhaps no one understands the nuances of the sport more than Glenn Jobe, who competed in biathlon on the 1980 Olympics team in Lake Placid, New York.

He hosted a safety workshop for contestants as well as competed in Saturday's race, where he secured the gold medal in the 50-59 age category.

"I love this sport," Jobe said. "It encourages every aspect of being an athlete."

He posed for pictures, shook hands and cheered on other racers, especially the young ones.

"People are really supportive of me," Jobe said. "But my success was a long time ago. My whole focus now would be on these juniors just getting started in the sport."

The race was divided into categories of age, with a kids division of 8- to 11-year-olds, up to 99 years.

Carson City's Erick Studenicka, 43, captured the gold medal in his age division.

Studenicka, a sergeant 1st class in the U.S. Army Guard, is a member of the Nevada National Guard's biathlon team that competes in races across the country. He got interested in the sport after watching it in the Olympics.

He said he likes the challenge it offers, always leaving room for improvement.

"I had a good race in Mammoth, but I only hit seven out of 10 targets," he said. "I could have hit more targets or skied a little faster. You can always do better."

The medal wasn't the only thing he took away from the competition.

"To be able to race with a guy like Glenn Jobe is memorable," he said.