Wisconsin native finishes 7th in Olympic Biathlon, the best American performance ever

Hello to all the new Wiscampsin Weekly followers! Thanks for subscribing to the fastest, most-interesting Wisconsin outdoors newsletter. Self-proclaimed, of course...

Today's rundown:

• Wisconsin's Olympic sensation 🎿 

• How to instantly boost attractiveness - AKA our new t-shirt 🙌

• Plus sturgeon spearing, wolf hunting, and outdoor exercise science 🏃‍♂️

Wisconsin native finishes 7th in Olympic Biathlon, the best American performance ever

Deedra Irwin, a Pulaski, WI native finished 7th in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Biathlon, marking the best-ever performance by an American and the first US top-place finish in the event. *Queue the applause.*

Originally using cross-country skiing as a training method for her high school running seasons, Irwin has slowly gained recognition as a world-class athlete in the sport, placing just 1 minute, 1.4 seconds behind the gold medal in her Olympic debut.

So what the heck is the Biathlon?

• Sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting

• Competitors race on a cross-country track anywhere from 5 - 15 km, with target shooting intervals mixed in

• Missed shots = extra distance/time incurred; fastest time wins

• No US Biathlete has ever had an Olympic top-place finish, much less stood on the podium

Where endurance meets marksmanship

Imagine strapping your grandpa's old .22 caliber rifle to your back, racing 5 kilometers in cross-country skis, and then shooting 5 targets 50 meters away with only 5 shots.

Oh and if you miss, you're penalized with an extra lap before your next round of shooting. Which isn't out of the question, seeing how your heart is beating at 170 bpm and the wind is beating the cheese out of you.

You might think a sport like this started with "hold my beer and watch this," but it actually traces back to the Norse God Ullr, hailed as the skiing and hunting god.

Early Scandinavians revered this mighty pairing of marksmanship and endurance, and eventually the military adopted it for national defense, like when outnumbered Finnish soldiers fought off a Russian invasion in the winter of 1939.

After debuting in the Winter Olympics in 1924, it was eventually re-accepted as an official Olympic sport in 1955.

America's Biathlon blues

Germany, Norway, France, Finland - these are countries typically seen on the podium due to the popularity of the sport in their homeland, which equates to better-funded training.

And although American Biathletes have seen success on the world stage before, they've never had a top-place Olympic finish. Too much focus on the Milwaukee Bucks, we s'pose...

Which is why Deedra Irwin's stellar performance has invigorated the hope that someday, America will be on the podium for the Biathlon.

Until then, check out this video on biathlons, read about Irwin's hobbies (like playing bridge with Grandma), and forward this email to a friend.

Now get out 'der!

🌲 Breaking News! Wiscampsin officially has Merch! 🌲 

No, not perch. Merch!

Designed by Kevin with a crayon, printed in Eau Claire, WI and made in the USA, the Wiscampsin Badgers Tee is officially ready to order. Because we care about our outdoor spaces (even you, mosquitos), we used sustainable materials and 100% compostable bags + labels.

Shipping is FREE and each shirt is personally folded by Brett Favre himself (just go with it). Plus, we'll even donate 1% of all sales to Friends of Wisconsin State Parks, even though we should really hire a photographer to take these t-shirt photos...

Order here 👍

Nuts and Seeds 🌰 

🧜‍♀️ Sturgeon; it's whats for dinner: Sturgeon spearers put up better Opening Day numbers than the Chicago Cubs ever have, with 431 adults harvested on Lake Winnebago. The largest fish so far is a 148 pound giant, speared by Stacy Beach. Read our article on the sport and click here for pics.

🌲 Outside > inside: Some folks at UW are discovering that exercising outdoors is better than indoors in terms of lowering one's confusion, anger, and depression. Heck, someone should write a weekly newsletter on gettin' out der. Oh wait...

🐺 Wolf hunting no more: Following a U.S. District Court ruling, wolves have been reestablished as an endangered species in the lower 48, meaning that 'Scons are no longer permitted to hunt them in the state. Coyote Chili, anyone?

Well, how'd we do this week?

• 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀 Better than a finely-aged cheese

• 🧀🧀🧀 Still better than Illinois, but could be better

• 🧀 Boo. This made me lactose intolerant