Her performances
NatalieD: Rachel, what do you think about todays race?
Resi0767: How was it today?
Hanna: Was it very difficult today?
r_steer: The race today was hard, with the new snow. The conditions werent
easy, but it was the same for everybody.
Khanty: Was running in the first group a disadvantage?
r_steer: The first group was a little disadvantage, but it didnt really
bother me. The wind picked up later in the race. That was a disadvantage, too.
Her career
Gredlerlu: How did you come to biathlon It is not a typical sport in America.
Einar: How did you come to biathlon?
r_steer: I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. There is a big skiing community and
when I was 12-13 years old, the biathlon club was successful. My brother was
doing biathlon in high school and since little sisters often want to do what
their big brothers do I started with biathlon, too. I got more serious about
it when I was 16.
Einar: What was your greatest success, ever?
r_steer: My greatest result was in Lake Placid last year, when I shot clean
two days in a row with my family there, supporting me.
r_steer: My greatest success is that I found my own way to do biathlon. I
realized that it didnt work for me to train with the team and that I have to
train on my own.
Nusrat: What is the most difficult thing in biathlon for you???
r_steer: Finding the confidence that it takes to ski well and shoot well is
very difficult.
NatalieD: If you werent a biathlete, what job you would have?
r_steer: If I wasnt a biathlete, I dont know if I would have found another
sport. I dont think that I would have had developed the same enthusiasm that
I have for biathlon for another sport. I dont know about the physical
abilities, either.
r_steer: Im taking online classes in journalism, but I dont know if I want
to stick with that later on.
NatalieD: What do you expect of Torino 2006?
r_steer: I think that I can get a top ten finish there, but Im not hinging my
career on the Olympic theater.
Biathlon in the US
NatalieD: What do you think is necessary to make biathlon more popular in the
US?
r_steer: Winning a gold medal would help... Seriously: The competition from
other sports is huge. There are some communities where there is cross country
skiing. There, skiing and sometimes biathlon is immensely popular. But there
are only a few places like that.
r_steer: There is just that catch: If the club isnt big, then it wont have a
good biathlete and if there is no good biathlete, then the club wont grow to
be big.
Gredlerlu: Are there fans from the USA in Hochfilzen?
r_steer: There is one guy with an American flag. He said he was born in New
Jersey but he lives in Cologne/Germany now. Some of the families of the
athletes have been visiting, too.
Khanty: Do people recognize you in the US, especially after the World Cups in
Fort Kent and Lake Placid?
r_steer: The World cups didnt really change anything about the popularity
except in Fort Kent. And people dont recognize me, except maybe in Fort Kent.
There are all sorts of World Cups in Lake Placid, not just biathlon. There
werent a lot of spectators there.
Hanna: last years were several races in US. Would you wish there were more of
them?
r_steer: Yes, I think that the World Cups in the US were a lot of fun. My
Parents were in Lake Placid and I had some of the best results in my career.
r_steer: I also think that the organizers did a great job there.
Practice
Khanty: When you are in the US, do you train together with the other members
of the national team?
r_steer: I train in Alaska, pretty much by myself, with a club, the Alaska
Winter Stars. Jan Buren is my skiing coach there and my mum is my shooting
coach.
Ali: What do you pay more attention to: shooting or skiing?
r_steer: Before this year, the skiing was more important. Shooting came more
naturally. But after the results Ive had this winter, I guess I need to
practice that more.
Other athletes
Ali: Whos your best friend among biathletes?
Adelaida: Do you have friends among biathletes?
r_steer: It was difficult to make friends for a long time because I didn't
speak another language. But I learned a bit of German now.
r_steer: I hang out with the Slettemarks some times but apart from that I am
normally with people from my team. I prefer spending time with the guys from
the other teams, rather than the girls, usually. Everybody understands when
you congratulate him or her on a good race, though. Language doesn't matter
then.
Ali: Who's your idol in biathlon?
r_steer: My favorite athlete is Sven Fischer. In my eyes, he's not just an
amazing biathlete but also a generous and friendly person. We talk sometimes,
usually in English.
Ali: Who's on your mind the best Russian biathlete?
r_steer: Two names come to my mind: To see Tchepikov and Kruglov on the podium
together is amazing.
r_steer: It's the old school and the new school at the same time. It's an
amazing sign of their biathlon system.
Home and Traveling
Sibiria: If you didn't live in the US, where else would you want to live?
r_steer: Where else would I live? That's a difficult question. Northern Italy
is beautiful. The Dolomite area and the region into Austria, for the scenery,
that is. For the people, Park City Utah was great. I lived there before the
2002 Olympics.
Ali: Will you go to Khanty this year?
Khanty: What do you think about the mixed relay?
r_steer: We are sending a team to Khanty and were very excited about it. It
is a great addition to biathlon, and it will make biathlon just the more
popular.
Khanty: Do you like Siberia, have you been there?
r_steer: Ive been to Khanty a lot of times. My first time was probably in
1997.
Khanty: How do you get around in Europe? Do you travel with a caravan like
Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves?
r_steer: We actually talked about the campers in our team. I wish I had the
money for a bus like the one that Daron Rahlves is traveling around in. That
one is more like a tour bus of a rock star.
Private matters
Einar: What are your hobbies? And how would you describe yourself?
r_steer: I think that Im really enjoying my family and friends and being in
Alaska and having these people around is a lot of fun and describes me best.
We are in the outdoors a lot, hiking and camping
r_steer: and fishing...
r_steer: and hunting...
r_steer: I fish and hunt to fill my freezer...
lizavinto: What do you think about Bush?
r_steer: I did not vote for bush.
Rys: Rachel, what kind of music do you listen to ?
r_steer: My music taste is eclectic. On my mp3 player its mostly rap (Wyclef
Jean)... Most of it is rather trashy, but its fun.
Rys: Rachel, Do you have a boyfriend?
r_steer: I have a fiancй. He also does sports. He is from Germany and did
cross country on the German b-team. Then he went to Alaska to study and I met
him there.
Some final thoughts on biathlon in general
Rys: Do you feel the support of fans? Is it important to sportsmen?
r_steer: For me the support of the fans at the track isnt so important. I
race more for myself. I wear earplugs when Im racing. But its wonderful to
know that people enjoy watching the sport that you do, of course.
Hanna: Which kind of competition do you favor? Sprint, Pursuit...?
r_steer: My favorite is the pursuit.
Einar: What makes a good (perfect) biathlete?
r_steer: A perfect biathlete needs physical talent. Also: You cant be too
stupid and you cant be too smart. And you have to find the enthusiasm for it,
too.
