It has been a season of transition for the Quintillio siblings.
However, for one of them, the transition has been a little more difficult.
The Quintillios, Henrik and Antija, are County of Barrhead biathlon athletes that compete on the Calforex Cup circuit as part of the Crazy Mare Ranch Biathlon Club. They are coached by their parents Kevin and Ntala Quintilio, who competed on the World Cup circuit. Ntala, then known as Ntala Skinner, competed for the United States team and Kevin for Canada. Besides racing on the World Cup circuit, Ntala qualified for both the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway (although she didn’t race) and 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Kevin also qualified for the 1998 Olympics for Canada.
For the better part of three seasons the pair has been a regular fixture on the medal podium, but this year the siblings are now competing in the next age level and as a result, are facing stronger competition.
“It has been more of a transition for Henrik than Antija,” said Ntala.
Antija moved from Development 1 Girls to Development 2, a transition that according to Ntala is relatively easy to make.
The major difference is that in Development 2 athletes shoot from a prone position. In Development 1 they are allowed to use a rest for their rifle, while in Development 2 they’re not.
Antija had to make a more difficult transition the year before when she went from an air-rifle to .22 calibre.
In Henrik’s case, moving up to the next category was more than just a simple rule change. Last year, he competed in Development 2 Boys and now he is in Seniors Boys.
The move means that Henrik has to shoot from both the prone and standing positions, as Development 2 competitors shoot from prone only. He also has to carry his .22 calibre rifle while in the transition zone whereas before a helper would take the rifle to and from the athlete when they are in the shooting area.
“This is when biathlon starts to get real, she said. “The only other step is to carry their rifle.”
Being in the Senior Boys division also means he also has to compete with athletes who are two years older. Senior Boys competitors officially range from 15 to 17 years.
While that might not sound too much of a change, at this age Ntala said it makes a big difference.
Depending on when a competitor’s birthday is, the difference in ages in the Seniors Boy’s division can be almost four years. Potentially there can be athletes who are 14 to 18 years old.
“That’s a huge range. You have some boys, who are basically men. They’ve gone through puberty and have all that strength behind them,” she said.
That being said, Henrik’s biggest challenge has not been his fellow competitors, but shooting.
The first event of the season was Dec. 1 and 2 in Canmore. On the first day, they competed in a sprint event. Antija raced 3.75-kilometres, finishing fourth.
In a sprint event, competitors start the race individually with staggered start times. Depending on the number of competitors, the times vary.
“She actually shot very well, but the results don’t show it because she crossfired,” she said.
In biathlon, crossfire is when an athlete mistakingly shoots at another competitor’s set of targets.
As a result of the crossfire, Antija was awarded five penalty loops, totalling 500 metres.
The targets, incidentally, were those of her cousin Thomas.
“She had a really good attitude about it and we all had a good laugh after the race,” Ntala said, noting that Antija hit all five targets she crossfired on.
Unfortunately, Henrik didn’t fare as well, finishing 29th out 36 competitors in a 5.75-kilometre event, mostly because of inconsistent shooting, as he hit only 40 per cent of his targets.
The next day, was the pursuit, where competitors start one at a time, in five-second intervals based on where they finished in the sprint. Henrik skied 6.2 kilometres.
In the Senior Boys, category athletes fire 20 shots, shooting a series of five shots in between each skiing loop, the first two usually in the prone position and the last two standing.
Henrik finished 21st out of 36, missing eight targets. A penalty loop is awarded for each miss.
Antija finished second after skiing five kilometres, shooting three series, missing three targets.
The next weekend they raced in Canmore once again, in a two-day, two-race event.
The first day was the sprint where Henrik finished 11th out of 29. Once again, he was inconsistent at the range, missing five out of 10 targets, five prone and one standing.
“The mental side of shooting is quite challenging and to become consistent at both positions, not only takes a lot of work, but experience,” Ntala said.
Antija won her race, hitting eight out of 10 targets.
The next day was an individual race, which like the sprint is a staggered start, and are awarded extra time for each target missed. In the Seniors Boys event, competitors skied 7.5 kilometres, shooting four times.
Henrik finished 18th out of 29, with 11 penalties. Antija finished second after skiing 3.75 kilometres, shooting twice, missing three targets.
The siblings then raced Jan. 12 and 13 in Grande Prairie. The first day was the pursuit. Henrik finished 10th in a 6.2-kilometre race and Antija won her fived-kilometre race and was perfect at the range.
In the sprint event the next day, Antija once again won her race, while Henrik improved from his previous day’s performance and finished sixth.
Due to the extreme cold weather that enveloped the province, the next series of races were cancelled and the next time the Quintillios will race will be in Hinton in early March, before wrapping up their season in Edmonton.
Ntala said training during the cold stretch has been challenging.
“Even in this type of cold [-30 Celcius or colder], we will go out for a little ski, but shooting when it is below -20 is no fun . . . you have problems keeping your hands warm and can’t feel the trigger. We really haven’t been able to do a lot of shooting, except inside with a laser to keep a little bit of the rust off, but nothing really can take the place of being outdoors,” Ntala said.
