Hay River's Brendan Green recently competed in a biathlon race in Germany that is not quite like any other.
For starters, the Biathlon auf Schalke relay race is held in a stadium in front of tens of thousands of fans, which explains the bulletproof glass surrounding the shooting range.
"It was a really fun event and 45,000 fans made for an incredible atmosphere," said Green in an e-mail interview from Europe. "The JOKA World Team Challenge is an invitational race that takes place in Germany shortly after Christmas each year. It's more of a show race with bright lights and fireworks, and is designed to be fast paced and intense to make the most exciting race possible for spectators."
The event in the city of Gelsenkirchen, near Dusseldorf, was held on Dec. 28 in what is normally a soccer stadium, but changed for biathlon with man-made snow and decorative trees.
"It's a bit different racing inside a soccer stadium," said Green. "The shooting atmosphere is different. You don’t have to deal with certain variables such as wind, but instead have to deal with a lot of noise, bright lights, and other stimulus. It took a bit of getting used to. The pace you entered the range with skiing a shorter loop, with the added adrenaline from the crowd, I think for me was the most challenging aspect."
Green raced with Rosanna Crawford in a mixed relay team representing Biathlon Canada against nine other teams from around the world.
They were only the second Canadian team invited to participate in the 16-year history of the race.
"Rosanna and I were happy with our result in the end," Green said. "We finished in sixth place in a close sprint finish with three other teams. It was a new event and style of racing for Rosanna and I, but we were able to learn from the positive aspects of our race, which we will carry forward and apply to our World Cup racing."
Green has been competing on the World Cup circuit to qualify for the Canadian biathlon team that will be going to the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month.
The Olympic team has not yet been decided.
It will be officially announced on Jan. 16.
Green is a veteran of two Winter Olympics, having represented Canada in Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014.