[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/a-hunters-guide-to-the-2014-sochi-olympics\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/a-hunters-guide-to-the-2014-sochi-olympics\/","headline":"A Hunter’s Guide to the 2014 Sochi Olympics","name":"A Hunter’s Guide to the 2014 Sochi Olympics","description":"If there were ever an Olympic sport that embodied the traits of a hunter \u2013 Endurance, Precision, Embracing the Elements...","datePublished":"2014-02-07","dateModified":"2018-10-24","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/#Person","name":"Hector Agosto","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Legendary Whitetails","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","url":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","width":522,"height":226}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Biathlon.jpg","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Biathlon.jpg","height":691,"width":1175},"url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/a-hunters-guide-to-the-2014-sochi-olympics\/","about":["News"],"wordCount":829,"keywords":["News"],"articleBody":"If there were ever an Olympic sport that embodied the traits of a hunter \u2013 Endurance, Precision, Embracing the Elements – the Biathlon is it. \u00a0In a day and age where half pipes, pucks, brooms, and ice skates take center stage, why is no one paying more attention to an event where athletes are flying through the snow and shooting rifles? \u00a0How does that not get more coverage? \u00a0Hopefully this Hunter’s Guide to the Olympics will help you find something worth watching during the Sochi games outside the bobsleds and ice rinks.\u00a0What is the Biathlon?The Biathlon is like a cross country race on skis mixed with precision target shooting. \u00a0 It is extremely popular in European countries where the sport originated as an exercise for Norwegian Soldiers training for the military. \u00a0Pretty cool, right?Although it\u2019s gaining momentum in the States, historically Germany, Russia, and Norway have dominated the event \u2013 so don\u2019t expect USA to take home the gold. \u00a0Aside from that, it should provide good entertainment value if you enjoy guns and snow!Basic concepts*To get a better idea about what exactly happens in a Biathlon, here\u2019s a quick breakdown. \u00a0Competition consists of a race in which biathletes ski around a cross-country trail system. \u00a0The total distance is broken up by either two or four shooting rounds. \u00a0These rounds are completed half in prone position and the other half standing. Depending on the shooting performance, extra distance or time is added to the contestant’s total. The contestant with the shortest total time wins.For each shooting round, the biathlete must hit five targets. \u00a0Each missed target is penalized in one of three ways, depending on the competition format (there are multiple competitions in the Biathlon \u2013 Sprint, Pursuit, Individual, Mass Start, and Team Relay):By skiing around a 150 meter (490 ft) penalty loop – (It would be like you having to climb in and out of your tree stand for every missed shot)By having one minute added to a skier’s total time \u2013 (Having to spend and extra hour searching for your missed arrow)By having to use an “extra cartridge” to finish off the target. (Like having to buy new ammunition before you could continue hunting)\u00a0Shooting details*The biathlete carries the small bore rifle, which weighs at minimum 7.7lbs. \u00a0This does not count for the ammunition which is carried on a belt around the biathletes waist. \u00a0The rifles use .22 ammunition and are bolt action or straight-pull bolt action.The target range shooting distance is 50 metres \u00a0or 160 ft. There are five circular targets to be hit in each shooting round. When shooting in the prone position, the target diameter is 45 millimetres or 1.8 in, when shooting in the standing position the target diameter is 115 millimetres (4.5 in). \u00a0The targets are self-indicating, meaning they flip from black to white when hit, giving the biathlete as well as the spectator\u2019s instant visual feedback for each shot fired. \u00a0How nice would that be at your local range?\u00a0Now that you know a little bit about the event, here\u2019s a breakdown of when you can catch the action:\u00a0Viewing Schedule:Biathlon | The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics(All times are CT)\u2022\u00a0Feb 8 8:30 AM – Men’s Sprint\u2022\u00a0Feb 9 8:30 AM –\u00a0Women’s Sprint\u2022\u00a0Feb 10 9:00 AM –\u00a0Men’s Pursuit\u2022\u00a0Feb 11 9:00 AM –\u00a0Women’s Pursuit\u2022\u00a0Feb 13 8:00 AM –\u00a0Men’s Individual\u2022\u00a0Feb 14 8:00 AM –\u00a0Women’s Individual\u2022\u00a0Feb 16 9:00 AM –\u00a0Men’s Mass Start\u2022\u00a0Feb 17 9:00 AM –\u00a0Women’s Mass Start\u2022\u00a0Feb 19 8:30 AM –\u00a0Mixed Relay\u2022\u00a0Feb 21 8:30 AM –\u00a0Women’s Relay\u2022\u00a0Feb 22 8:30 AM –\u00a0Men’s Relay\u00a0If you\u2019re looking for a new winter sport, or just something worth watching during the 2014 Sochi Olympics, we highly recommend checking out the Biathlon.\u00a0(*Sources – Wikipedia)"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Legendary Whitetail's Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/a-hunters-guide-to-the-2014-sochi-olympics\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"A Hunter’s Guide to the 2014 Sochi Olympics"}}]}]