Floyd County biathlon tests skiing, shooting skills

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

About 20 people got a taste of Olympic competition in the second annual Floyd County Conservation Biathlon, held at Tosanak Recreation Area Saturday morning.

Floyd County Naturalist Heidi Reams said a group of people were talking last year about the 2022 Winter Olympics being held in Beijing and wondering what types of winter events could be held here.

“We had the cross country skis and the BB guns so we thought we’d try it and see how much interest there would be,” Reams said.

Enough interest, it turned out, that they decided to offer the biathlon again this year.

“Some people from Cedar Rapids even came up,” Reams said. “It’s fun to have out-of-the-area folks.”

Participants cross country skied a trail through Tosanak, the former Winnebago Boy Scout Camp near Marble Rock that the county acquired 10 years ago in 2013. At designated spots the skiers would assume shooting positions and fire BB guns at targets. Scores are given that take into account both cross-country skiing speed and shooting accuracy.

“Everyone that came out commented on what a great time they had, and said they didn’t realize what great facilities we have in Floyd County, so that’s always nice,” Reams said.