The BC Cup season didn't start ideally for Sea to Sky Nordics biathlete Sean Benson.
Finishing off the podium in both races in December wasn't how he was looking to get going, but Benson rebounded just fine in the second contest of the season on Jan. 25 and 26 in Prince George, winning both the seniors boys' individual and pursuit races.
On the first day of competition, the individual contest, Benson tied for his best shooting score in a four-clip race after hitting 17 of 20 targets.
"My ski speed was back up to what my usual is and it felt very strong," he said. "It all worked out very well.
"[In the first race], I got a sixth place and a ninth place and I felt very slow on my skis ... This race, I went into it thinking 'Just ski your heart out. Whatever happens happens.'"
In addition to being sick, Benson had a number of things go sideways as his season started on the wrong foot at Sovereign Lake.
"It was probably mostly organization. I had everything ready to go. There were a few instances at the last race where I had forgotten things back at the house so I was flustered," he said.
Benson explained that he prefers the individual event to the pursuit since racers start in 30-second intervals, allowing him a bit of solitude and ability to concentrate solely on himself.
"It's more up in the air as to where you are so you're not racing head to head. You can think about your own race and you don't have to think about anyone else," he said. "On the second day [in pursuit], you start based on where you finished the day before, so I started first. You have more pressure on you to do well."
Several other Sea to Sky Nordics athletes shined in Prince George as the club scored nine medals overall.
In the individual race, Trevor Schick and Jasper Fleming finished second and third to help Benson complete the podium sweep, while Taylor Fulton finished third among senior girls, with Sophie Hill and Sierra Pochay-McBain performing well in fourth and sixth, respectively. As for the juniors, Graham Benson was third among boys, edging out teammate Lucas Gitt in fourth, while Sophie Firth took eighth.
In the pursuit, Pochay-McBain and Hill both took medals, finishing second and third among senior girls while Fulton was sixth. As for senior boys, Schick and Fleming were fifth and seventh, in order. On the junior side, Graham Benson was once again third among boys while Firth placed seventh in the girls' race.
Benson's season will culminate with the Canadian Biathlon Championships in Valcartier, Que. from March 16 to 22. Benson took a fifth-place finish in the individual contest when the Whistler Olympic Park hosted the 2019 nationals, so he's aiming to reach the senior boys' podium this time around.
"A podium would be great," he said. "I'm hoping to get closer to the podium but I don't want to jinx it."
Ultimately, Benson hopes to hit the international stage.
With the Youth/Junior World Championships underway, and some athletes he's raced well against in attendance, Benson feels that he's not far off from that goal.
"They've either trained in Whistler or they've raced in the BC Cups," he said. "[Cole Bender] has gone to the same development camps as me. He's raced in the same races as me. It seems attainable.
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