Sarah Beaudry

Canadian biathlete born and raised in Prince George BC. Training full time with the Senior National team in Canmore Alberta.

[sarahbiathlon]

Recently in pictures: Some skiing with a quick beach interlude. Not pictured: the Starbucks grind and moving houses. 🏔️☀️❄️⛷️🏖️🌊 https://www.instagram.com/p/CdEUAYlP4oC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[sarahbiathlon]

Big Goals

With the Olympics quickly approaching and Biathlon Canada naming our Olympic team, I wanted to feel effortlessly excited about this great honour, but truthfully, I have been experiencing many mixed emotions. Just over 4 years ago, after having experienced my first Olympic Games, I was filled with excitement and hope for the next four years. In Korea, I was the spare, but due to a teammate’s illness I got the chance to race the Individual. I hit 19/20 and placed 29th, I was immensely proud of my accomplishment. The Game’s atmosphere and my experiences made me decide that I wanted to be at the next Olympics in four years. I also decided that in those four years my goals were to become a better biathlete, to make improvements every year, I wanted to get my first top 10, my first Mass Start competition, my first flower ceremony, so that when I arrived at these Olympic Games, I would feel ready to take on the world.

With my departure to the Olympics just under two days away, it’s hard to feel connected to accomplishing the goal of making my second Olympic Games while also not reaching the other goals I was supposed to attain in between. These last four years were not what I dreamed of. The first year after the Games I saw improvement in my performance and got my World Cup personal best, but then it went downhill after that. The next two seasons were a huge challenge for me both mentally and physically and this season I have been struggling to find the ski speed to be competitive on the World Cup circuit. Every spring I would be hopeful, I had a new chance of finding the formula for me. I held on to the few good moments of the season before and there always seemed to be another year to figure it out. Now with the Olympics just around the corner, I don’t have any more years to figure it out, I managed to put together the performances to make the team but not the performances to be where I wanted to be going into these Games. It’s been hard to be excited about achieving a goal while also failing at another.

These last four years I learned so much about myself as a person, both physically and mentally. I continue to learn every day the importance of mental health, what I need to be happy and how to advocate for that. I may not have seen the progression or got the results I had hoped for in these last 4 years but the knowledge that I have gained and the lessons I have learned will shape me more as a person than any result ever will. As I do my final preparations I’m continuing to stay connected with those lessons and make sure I bring that knowledge with me to the games. I want to celebrate my accomplishment of making this team, but I also want to give myself a moment to sit with my defeat so that when I do get on the start line next month, I am ready to give everything I have. I don’t want to spend the Games dwelling on what I had hoped to accomplish these last 4 years, I want to be able to be present, to perform to my best, and to find joy.

Photos: Nordic Focus

[sarahbiathlon]

Me thinking I am starting the race controlled 🔜 Me dying on the last loops. 📸: @nordicfocus (at Anterselva) https://www.instagram.com/sarahbeaudry/p/CZAUCLHIaqq/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahbiathlon]

Probably should have just stayed home today.🤷🏼‍♀️ Woke up with a cold but I didn't want to miss all the spectors and the last races before Christmas. Now to rest up and find some speed for the new year! (at Biathlon Annecy - Le Grand-Bornand) https://www.instagram.com/p/CXjOj45oHe4/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahbiathlon]

No complaints about today's ski. (at Sankt Jakob In Haus, Tirol, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CXYzhH5KjuI/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahbiathlon]

Bad shooting. Bad skiing. Still smiling. 😊 Onto the next one. (at Hochfilzen) https://www.instagram.com/sarahbeaudry/p/CXUSQdHIw4w/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahbiathlon]

Moving in the right direction 📈. Looking forward to some more races next week to continue improving. 🤞🤞 📸: @nordicfocus (at Östersund) https://www.instagram.com/p/CW0vsJKoRbm/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahbiathlon]

The Season of Joy

Last spring, I embarked on a big change when I left the Sr National team to train with Team Trail Sports Elite (formerly Team RAD). Off-season training went really well but was very different than all of my previous seasons in Canmore. The setup was very individualized, I planned my own training with the help of Rachel, and most sessions were done on my own or with Aidan. It wasn't the same daily team environment, but we would still do a team session most weeks, and we all came together at our two team camps. I really enjoyed the flexibility and the individualization, but most of all, I enjoyed the time and space to remember who I was and everything I enjoy about skiing. After a couple of hard seasons and with the added stress of Covid last year, I felt like I had lost some of my joy and who I was as a person, getting caught up in performance metrics and isolated by Covid regulations.

This summer I worked hard and had days that I needed to really make myself go training, but I was also able to be a little goofy, pick training modes that would bring me joy in the moment I was in, and I remembered my love for training. Going into Biathlon Canada World Cup Trials, I felt a lot of pressure to prove that taking a step away was the right move for me, and this made me very stressed the whole week. I didn't perform as I had hoped, but I performed just well enough to make the World Cup Team. Once again, I had gotten caught up in performance over joy. Performance is something hard to forget as it does determine what races I attend, but at the end of the day, it doesn't define who I am. I know from this summer, and I know from before, I perform the best when I have joy. Since trials between packing and seeing my family, I had some time to think about how I wanted to approach this season. It's easy to glorify the life of an athlete traveling the world to race, but sometimes the days between races can get mundane, repetitive, and a little isolated with Covid. That mixed with poor performances can make it easy to find oneself in a pretty dark place. I know as I re-enter a full-time team environment that I need to hold onto what I relearnt in the summer and focus on JOY every day. It's easy to say I will find joy but sometimes on the road, it is more about creating joy.

As I sit at my computer on the eve of the season's first World Cup race, I am excited and nervous, but at the end of tomorrow, I want to be able to say that I created joy in my day whether that be from a good race or something else, like a cool down with a friend I haven't seen in a while, or a Taylor Swift dance party on my afternoon run. There are some things I can control this season and so many that I can't but every day I hope to create JOY.

[sarahbiathlon]

Nice day out with the crew! (at Moraine Lake) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWJq4WNBa_V/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahbiathlon]

End of trials week feels. Thanks @megan.bankes for being at the finish line everyday to remove my skis. ❤️ 📸: @vr45photography (at Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CV6HzhfBGGr/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahbiathlon]

Halloween: World's best holiday! 🦇🎃👻👹🤡👺🧙‍♀️🧟‍♂️ Swipe left if you don't know what my costume is. 🙄 📸: @emdickson23 (at Canmore, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVtA5dOP1zs/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahbiathlon]

Thankful to have been able to make it home for a quick visit before the season starts. Catching up with family is always the best done over a delicious meal!  #FuelTheJourney #MoreRewards #SaveOnFoods (at Prince George, British Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVo0lXuFYG6/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahbiathlon]

So excited to say that I am once again a @canfund #150women recipient! Having the support of some amazing women from across the country will really help me check all the boxes as I head into this Olympic season! #womensupportingwomen #womenempowerment #womenpower #CANFund @150women 📸: @nordicfocus https://www.instagram.com/p/CVjl0ulJ634/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahbiathlon]

Spent the last couple of days of Mammoth camp hanging out around June Lake. The views and the pavement did not disappoint! Now time to head home and get ready for snow! 🍁🍂🏃🏼‍♀️🔜❄️🌨️⛷️ (at June Lake, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUwQy92rz0z/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahbiathlon]

What's a training camp without a couple of bad selfies 🤷🏼‍♀️🤳 Training quality > Selfie quality (at Mammoth Lakes, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUbcMdAFmqL/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahbiathlon]

Awesome Saturday adventure with my favourite PhD student @morgannrogers! #saturdaysareforadventures #mountainswimming #fallvibes🍃🍂 #morganenjoyingcoldwater (at Floe Lake) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTauY0kJkt8/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sarahbiathlon]

Thanks @cneph_ski for the fun classic sprints this morning! I think I will stay in biathlon 🤣 (at Ski De Fond Mont-Sainte-Anne) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSerKLXrZp8/?utm_medium=tumblr