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Heartbeat takes you inside the world of the unique Olympic sport of biathlon - a sport that combines the heart-pumping aerobics of cross country skiing combined with the precision element of marksmanship. The US Biathlon podcast brings you close to the athletes to dissect one of the most popularity of Olympic Winter Games sports.
S5 Ep2 - Deedra Irwin
Tom Kelly: [00:00:00] It is an absolutely gorgeous day here at Soldier Hollow. It is fall in Utah. The foliage is at peak right now. There are beautiful reds and yellows up on the hillside. A great time for the U.S. Biathlon training camp. I want to introduce our co-host for this episode of Heartbeat, the U.S. Biathlon Podcast. A big welcome to Sara Donatello. Sara, welcome. First time for you. Thank you, thank you.
Sara Donatello: [00:00:25] Excited to be here.
Tom Kelly: [00:00:26] Now, Sara, you were the communications manager for U.S. Biathlon. And we're going to get to our special guest, Deedra Irwin here in just a minute. But you're going into your third season now. And what have you found exciting about biathlon in the last couple of years in your job?
Sara Donatello: [00:00:39] You know, when I started out, I didn't I didn't know much about the sport. I came from an ice hockey background. So winter sports, but not necessarily knowing much about biathlon. Um, I watched my first biathlon race at the World University Games in Lake Placid, where Bjorn Westervelt won gold. So, you know, being able to really get a sense of the sport and how you know that one last shot can make or break a first or second place finish, a podium position even. It was really exciting to see and it really captivated my interest from the start. And it's, you know, my interest has only grown over the last couple of years.
Tom Kelly: [00:01:15] And you've been involved with sport or in contact with sport your whole life, growing up in the Olympic village of Lake Placid? What was that like?
Sara Donatello: [00:01:22] Oh my gosh. I mean, sport was everywhere with the Olympic Regional Development Authority and, you know, the Olympic Center and Mt. Van Hoevenberg and the ski jumps and Whiteface, it was just everywhere you look, there was something that was connected to the Olympics. And it was really, really cool to be a part of, of that community growing up.
Tom Kelly: [00:01:39] Well, Sara, thanks for joining us on Heartbeat. You're going to do the interview with Deedra Irwin coming up here in a minute. And Deeedra, a big welcome to you. Your third appearance now on Heartbeat, the U.S.Biathlon podcast. Great to have you back.
Deedra Irwin: [00:01:50] Thank you I'm excited to be back. Always fun to chat with you.
Tom Kelly: [00:01:53] Nice to come out here to Utah once in a while.
Deedra Irwin: [00:01:55] Oh yeah. And this year we got here early. It's nice and sunny. We got to see some of the maple leaves before they fell. So it's been. It's been really nice.
Tom Kelly: [00:02:03] You know, being a Wisconsin native myself and you come from the northeastern part of the state, Pulaski, Wisconsin. And, you know, I checked this out. You're only 20 minutes from Lambeau Field from where you grew up. And I know Packers have been a big part of growing up in Wisconsin for you two two this year so far. We're recording this on the 1st of October. Uh, two and two for the Packers. What are your thoughts?
Deedra Irwin: [00:02:26] Well, you know, Jordan Love is like what second or third season with the team now. And so and he was injured early on. So it was cool to see our backup quarterback like do really well the past couple games. And I think you know we still are just developing as a team. So but yeah I mean I grew up right down the road. It's pretty fun every time I come home. I think I went home last couple of weeks ago right before I came out to Utah. And um, I, my strength coach is at Bellin, which is like got a beautiful view of Lambeau Field from the training center that I get to use there. So I'm like doing squats, just looking at Lambeau, having a good time. And and Titletown is a really built up and been become a really cool part of the green Bay community. So I even got to play kickball on one of the, like, cool turf fields that they built for the community just right outside of Lambeau. So highly recommend if anybody can get over to Titletown, check it out. And you know, Lambeau is just like a one of a kind place. I mean, our town owns the Packers, and that's just like a really cool thing. Yeah.
Tom Kelly: [00:03:24] And I know for all of our listeners who do not live in Wisconsin or do not have this culture, just take our word for it. It's the real deal. I grew up there in the Vince Lombardi era, and it is great. Packer fans. We always stay together. Uh, Sara, I'm going to turn it over to you to kick things off with Deidre.
Sara Donatello: [00:03:40] Great. Thank you. So, Deedra, we're going to start kind of back in the beginning. Back at the beginning origin story. We're gonna go back to the beginning. Um, so, you know, we just want to quickly touch on, you know, your initial spark of interest in cross country. I know you started running. You know, what was you know, what got you into cross country and then transitioning into biathlon. Yeah.
Deedra Irwin: [00:04:06] So I was probably about 15 or 16 years old. I was a runner through and through, wanted to be an Olympic runner, wanted to run the 800, was like totally dead set on that. And I'm going in track and field every spring. I noticed I wasn't in the greatest of shape coming off of like, swimming. I was a swimmer during the winter because nobody likes running on snow. Like, I don't know, some people do. Not me, not high school. So eventually some of my teammates who I really looked up to, they were on a local cross country ski club. And so they were just like, hey, come to ski practice with me. And I was like, what is skiing? Is a I thought it was a hobby. I did not realize it was a competitive sport. Um, but I would have followed those girls anywhere. Literally. I thought they were the coolest people. I wanted to be like them. So I followed them to Nordic ski practice and that's when I just fell in love with it. It was a exercise I could do outside that wasn't running on cold pavement, and I got to hang out with some of my best friends, and it was just such a new thing to challenge my body with. And anybody who knows me, I'm competitive and I love challenges, so it was just the right thing for me at the time, and I'm glad I stuck with it. And, you know, kind of it became part of my training for running and then eventually it just became my training.
Sara Donatello: [00:05:32] Did you know what biathlon was when you started cross country?
Deedra Irwin: [00:05:35] I actually didn't really figure out what biathlon was until I was probably my senior year in high school. I somehow qualified for the junior nationals competition and it was in Presque Isle, Maine, I believe. And funny story. So I went there and I was actually with Paul Schommer on the team. I think it was both our first games that we went to ... because we grew up skiing in the Midwest of Wisconsin, mid whatever, Midwest, Wisconsin together. And then, uh, yeah. So I went there and it was funny. Years later, I was looking at photos because I did get to try biathlon when I was there because I think the main center, whatever that was called, was there. And I have a picture of me and Russell Courier. And Russell Courier was actually the first person that ever taught me how to shoot a biathlon rifle. And so it was funny, years and years later when I actually got to compete and train and race with Russell Courier, I found this picture and I was like, oh my goodness, Russell, this is you.
Sara Donatello: [00:06:33] Full circle moment.
Deedra Irwin: [00:06:34] Yeah, exactly. So I did shoot my first biathlon rifle when I was 18, but then I never I didn't pick up a rifle again until I was 25 years old.
Sara Donatello: [00:06:41] And that was at the talent ID camp.
Deedra Irwin: [00:06:43] And that was yep, at the talent ID camp. Or like right before the talent ID camp, when Joanne had reached out to me and told me about the talented camp and was like, hey, I heard you're going to be done with Nordic skiing soon, why don't you come to the dark side? And so I was like, are there cookies? She said yes. And yeah, I moved out to Lake Placid and I tried. Did the talent ID camp and yeah, it was another one of those things where it just added another challenge to Nordic skiing that I didn't think I needed or wanted, but like, it just drew me in. Um, being able to, like, steady everything and take a precision shot and the rifle was just so cool. I mean, just like shooting guns is cool. Um, so I just fell in love with it right away. And I got to meet Bernd at the time, and he's just so passionate about biathlon, and he just had me hooked. I was like, yeah, I want to work for you. People like you guys love what you're doing. I don't even know what we're doing. But you guys love it and I want to try. And so for my like, possible retirement year, I was like, well, I might as well try biathlon, and it ended up working out pretty well for me because I guess I'm still doing it.
Sara Donatello: [00:07:52] What was that transition process like for you? Did you you know, obviously there's hurdles changing sports for sure.
Deedra Irwin: [00:07:58] Yeah, I think so. I was kind of with Sun Valley, but I have an exercise science background. So before that I was kind of doing a lot of my own training and kind of training myself. And I had reconnected with a, you know, strength coach and everything. So coming to biathlon and U.S. biathlon in particular, I definitely kind of took my hands off a little bit and was like, trust the process. And I, I did all of the all of the work the first couple of years just to try and like, fit into the program and see what that was like. And, um, my skiing got like better. My shooting obviously gets, you know, it's going to get better just because you're learning how to do it. And, you know, eventually I just sort of figured out how to, like, mold my own training into the US biathlon, you know, strategies and everything. And, and it really just sort of grew after those first couple years. So the transition at first was a little hard. You have to ski a little different when you have a rifle on your back, and you have to build up that strength and that strength and endurance to carry the rifle. And then obviously, like when I first started in Nordic, you can just go as hard as you want off the line and like, just whoever can survive the longest wins the race, you know, and go the fastest. And I really had to learn how to like, pace and have a little bit more efficiency and finesse when I switched to biathlon. And I think that's something that's so unique about the sport, because if you go too hard right off the start, it's going to be really hard to shoot and it's going to be really hard to finish the race. So I had to learn how to strategize a little bit more, and that was also just like a really fun, challenging, different part when it came between Nordic skiing and biathlon.
Sara Donatello: [00:09:31] Yeah, definitely. So then when did you get involved with the Vermont National Guard?
Deedra Irwin: [00:09:36] About a year and a half a year into biathlon, I started talking to the recruiters, My recruitment process took a little while because little older and I had some health issues when I was younger that, you know, Army wants to make sure you're fit and happy and all the things. So they don't want to take on a broken soldier. So it took me a little bit to get in. And so I think I finally signed the papers in March of 2019. So it took me a whole season to kind of get the paperwork done. And then I signed the papers in 2019, went to basic training pretty much immediately after that. And so this summer of 2019, I pretty much completely was off of Nordic training. And I didn't come back to Nordic biathlon training until, I think maybe August or September of that year. Okay.
Sara Donatello: [00:10:22] How many years were you with the National Guard before transitioning to Wcap or the World Class Athlete program?
Deedra Irwin: [00:10:28] So I switched over about a year ago now. So I was with the National Guard biathlon program for four and a half years, and then I applied for the and got into the Wcap program. Um, and so I definitely waited until after I had gone to the Olympics. They have a very high standard to make the world class athlete program. Um, especially in winter sports, they kind of already want you to be at that Olympic level on your national team. They want to make sure, like you're on track to win a medal or at least get close or definitely make the Olympics. So I made sure to wait until after I had made the Olympics to apply for the program, and I think that was a really good move for me. I was able to develop into it.
Tom Kelly: [00:11:07] I just had one question on that too, with the WCAP program. Is that something that the guard does across many sports? Yes.
Deedra Irwin: [00:11:14] There are, yeah, there's world class athletes in the US Army program, in multiple summer sports and a lot of winter sports too. So anybody pretty much who wants to do an Olympic sport can apply for the program and get support, as long as they're a soldier.
Tom Kelly: [00:11:34] Do you have cross pollination with athletes from those other sports?
Deedra Irwin: [00:11:37] Yeah. So we're actually going out to do our yearly forum here in a couple of weeks, and we'll be able to interact with all the other soldiers, but especially being in Lake Placid, I get to see a lot of the bobsled and the luge athletes that are also in Wcap now. And when I was first actually asking for information, I did go to those Lake Placid athletes that were there and get some information from them about what it was like to be a soldier and an athlete, and especially if I was joining the military specifically to be a soldier, kind of like what that transition looked like and what the Army side looked like.
Sara Donatello: [00:12:11] So for our listeners wondering what the difference is between Vermont National Guard and WCAP, can you give a little bit of insight into the difference there? Yeah.
Deedra Irwin: [00:12:18] So the Vermont. So the Vermont Army National Guard program, it's a elite National Guard soldier program. So anybody who's in the National Guard can try biathlon, and they can try to make the elite team, and they can train in Jericho, Vermont at our facility there, which everybody is very familiar with. And on that program, you can get put on orders for training, depending on the budget. But obviously then if you're racing in the winter, they do their best to make sure you're on orders and support you and kind of cover all those expenses that, you know, a normal club team would cover. So the National Guard biathlon program is pretty similar to like a club team, anything like Craftsbury or Crosscut. We're obviously just soldiers, so we had to like go to Army Basic training and take that time in order to earn our paycheck. So it's a little bit more complicated, but you're a soldier and you're an athlete. And then the W cap program is kind of like the elite of the elite of the US Army. And so they take, um, National Guard, active and Reserve Army soldiers who have the potential to be Olympians and compete at the highest of the international level. And they'll support you from there. And so it's top ranked athlete soldier athletes performing at an international level but also serving in the military. And so they train and compete throughout the year for the Olympic.
Deedra Irwin: [00:13:49] And also we have Paralympic athletes too that get supported through the world class athlete program. And so if you're watching some of the Summer Olympics, we had a rugby player, there were some wrestlers and then the Paralympic Games, we had one of our swimmers got like five medals. There was some shooters that did really well too. So it goes across all sports and then in the winter we have, like I said, bobsled, luge, nordic combined, biathlon. I'm trying to think of what other sports there are because there's so many, but we have lots of different athletes in all the different sports. And so the biggest part is just being pretty much like elite at the international level, representing your country as team USA, but also as a US Army soldier. And then outside of that, we also conduct essential outreach activities, and we hold clinics for those certain sports. We also speak to high schools, colleges and athletes, athletic teams and make appearances for Army recruiting. Because obviously, we want to let people know that this is an option, whatever sport they're in, if they're serious and they want to compete and they want to, you know, maybe don't have the funds or they've always wanted to also serve and then they find sports after that way they can, you know, use this pathway to kind of help fulfill their dreams and also represent the US military.
Sara Donatello: [00:15:08] That's great. Um, I guess backtracking a little bit, you mentioned that you didn't apply for the program until after you raced at the 2022 Olympics. So transitioning into that, um, you know, how were you feeling competing at the Olympics for the first time?
Deedra Irwin: [00:15:23] I mean, oh, gosh, it's always one of those things where I like, think about it. And like, depending on how I'm feeling. You could still make me cry. I still think about all of it. And I'm crying already. Because watching the Summer Olympics brought back so many awesome emotions. And I'm like, oh, I want to get back there so bad. Um, but yeah, I mean, it was such a cool experience. It's something you, like, dream about ever since you were a kid. Me wanting to be a summer Olympian, somehow becoming a Winter Olympian, whatever. Like the path is the path. You still got there eventually. But it was such an amazing experience. And like, yeah, the Summer Olympics brought up a lot of, like, emotions for me, like watching them and like, I cried so much watching all those athletes, like, compete. And I'm like, this is what people must have felt like when they watched me. Like, it's so crazy. So competing at the Olympics is literally like, still just such an amazing dream come true.
Tom Kelly: [00:16:19] Just in watching Paris. Do you have any do you have one particular memory of something that really struck you and struck you in the heart?
Deedra Irwin: [00:16:27] There's so many.
Tom Kelly: [00:16:28] There were a lot.
Deedra Irwin: [00:16:28] I was just I got so into fencing it was ridiculous. I was screaming at my TV and they won so many medals. I was just like, I want to meet you. Watching the mountain bikers, like we had a medal in mountain biking. Haley Batten, I think it was. That was cool. I had never even watched mountain biking before on TV, and I, like, watched her and then tried to go mountain bike fast out back, you know, in Stowe. And I was like, okay, maybe not.
Tom Kelly: [00:16:54] And Haley's from right here in Utah. Exactly. You could see her out on the trails here at Soldier Hollow.
Deedra Irwin: [00:16:59] I got passed by somebody biking the other day, and I was like, it might have been her. Um, but, yeah, I mean, there were just so many amazing moments that I remember watching, and just like it was. Yeah, it's one of those, like, now that I've lived it, it's it's even more emotional watching those athletes, whether they whether they, like, get their medal or not, just watching them compete on that stage, it's like, I got it, I get it, I get it, I get the emotion. And I think that was one of the cool things about my Olympic story also was like, you don't have to get an Olympic medal to have an Olympic moment. Like getting that seventh place was just like, I still cry about it. I still am so emotional because it was such an amazing feeling to like to do that.
Sara Donatello: [00:17:42] Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I mean, going into the Olympics, did you have any expectations? You know, obviously, you know, coming out of the Olympics with with that seventh place finish, you know, holding the best ever US finish in history. Like that's that's really something. And you know what did you did you have any expectations going in.
Deedra Irwin: [00:18:01] I mean my expectations I think were like I mean a just make the team. I mean that was that was like the hardest part is going through that trials process is like so stressful and difficult. So like once I made the team like personal expectations, I didn't really have any. I just was like, I just want to like, make sure I get to the start line healthy so that I can, like, start a race and say, I'm an Olympian, because that was like, for me, it was like, I need to do a race in order to say it, you know? And so I think that first race, like I was, I was crying on the start line of that individual. I was just like trying to like stay calm and then all of a sudden, like, gun goes off. And then it was like, okay, I did it. I'm an Olympian. Like, whatever happens next is like just an icing on the cake. And it was really a lot of icing. But like, I really just showed up and I wanted to make sure that I was ready for the women's relay, because I knew that for for our team was like where I was needed and, and where I could contribute the most. And so that was my biggest goal. Like before the Olympics was like, let's just focus on the women's relay. Everything else is just like extra fun. And and I think that kind of helped me like drop my guard a little bit and just like have the race that I had.
Sara Donatello: [00:19:05] Mhm. So how did you manage the pressure of competing at the Olympics, you know, navigating the nerves and excitement of your Olympic debut. And you know all of the, the emotions surrounding that. Obviously there's there's a lot to to take in and a lot to handle.
Deedra Irwin: [00:19:18] Oh for sure I think I think it kind of like weirdly, weirdly, Covid kind of helped it feel a little less pressure because we didn't have a lot of people in the stands. We didn't have to go through all of the the fitting and the crazy, you know, press stuff. And we did a lot of press stuff that we could via zoom and everything like that. But it definitely wasn't like overwhelming that, like, I'd kind of expected it to be. And so I didn't feel nearly as like as much pressure as I think I would in a normal Olympics. I'm a little nervous going into the next Olympics, because I feel like it's going to be a way bigger deal. There's going to be people there like my family is going to come like, that's scary. Um, but yeah, I think for me, like, almost like having that advantage of like no one had seen the course before and like it was kind of new for everybody, like Covid Olympics, like, okay. So it was kind of a little like, not like relaxed, but like not too scary. Um, but there was still a lot of emotion behind it. I mean, going to the opening ceremonies like that was crazy.
Deedra Irwin: [00:20:22] Walking into the stadium, the nest. I remember watching the 2008 Olympics, Summer Olympics and being like, huh, this is crazy. So like walking to that same stadium where, like, I remember watching the 2008 Olympics and having that Olympic dream. Um, so that was like emotional. You know, it took me a few days to recover from that, you know, and then obviously, after getting the seventh place, like it took me a few days to recover from that. I mean, there was just like a lot of interviews and there was just like a lot of adrenaline and all of that stuff, too, that like, I'd never really had to manage before. So I think I learned a lot from it, and I'm glad I was able to perform well through it. But I think there's there's always more to like to experience and there's always going to be a different, you know, expectation. So like obviously going into the next Olympics I have I have bigger expectations. So it's going to be really interesting compared to Beijing where I kind of went in and I was just like, I did it.
Sara Donatello: [00:21:16] Yeah, definitely. Definitely. So obviously, you know, the the time frame between, you know, Olympics in that kind of lull period, if you will, is a time for growth. And, you know, lots of focus on training and results. And, you know, the last couple of seasons, you've really had some awesome results specifically this past season. You know, you had four of your top five individual personal best results. Um, you know, you made an impressive 20 spot jump in the World Cup overall standing. You know, what do you think contributed to that strong performance. Like was it the coming off of that Olympic performance. And you know just the momentum. Was it you know something specific with your training.
Deedra Irwin: [00:21:58] Yeah I mean I don't think Armin and I haven't really changed my training that much in the past couple of years. And I think it really just came down to consistency, uh, which is something I never really had before. Like, I could, you know, I could get 19 for 20 and have, like, a really good race if I was skiing well, or I could also, like, shoot ten for 20, which I'd done in the past, you know, and it's it's one of those things where, um, I think I've just gotten a little more consistent with my ski speed and a little more consistent with my shooting, and that goes such a long way in the overall standings. Um, so I think the after the Olympic year, like I had a couple of really good results. But the consistency wasn't there. So that's why I don't think I was able to, like, get into the top 50 like I wanted. and then this last year. Yeah, being able to make that big jump, I think it just came down to I had two really good weekends, and then the other weekends were like, not bad. Um, so it was like, you know, just consistently scoring points and having like even just kind of like mediocre races, you know, just like getting kind of into the top 40. It goes such a long way. And I think I'm learning that as just like, I don't need to have awesome performances every weekend, but if I can have a more consistent Insistence season. That's going to go a long way in my overall ranking and in like also building my confidence going into the Olympic year.
Tom Kelly: [00:23:23] Can I build off that for just a minute for for those listening who are kind of coming up through the ranks and they're where you might have been some years ago. How so? That consistency is really important, and I would imagine that that's hard at the start because you're not getting the results you're shooting for. But if you are just that consistency that ultimately over time that really helps.
Deedra Irwin: [00:23:43] Yeah, I mean, even the first season I went on to the World Cup, I remember, you know, pretty much telling myself, like, you're going to have to be okay with like 80s. But if you can consistently stay in the 80s, that's going to be pretty neat. You know, instead of like, dropping down into the hundreds and like, every once in a while, like eventually I learned, like, okay, if I can shoot like one zero, if I can shoot 90%, like there's a chance I can get like 58th, you know, just barely qualifying for that, um, pursuit. And I think for me, knowing that, like consistently, I'm probably going to be more of like a 70 or 80 place person my first couple years on the World Cup. But like, if I can kind of like knock on the door a little bit into the top 60 and like I said, I didn't really get much higher than like 58th every time I qualified. So it's like really just, like barely sneaking in there. Yeah. Um, but you know, with that, you know, then the next season, it was one of those where like, okay, well, now I can consistently shoot for top 60 even if I'm getting 70.
Deedra Irwin: [00:24:45] And, you know, and I think it just comes down to that consistency. And then it was, yeah, pretty much the Olympic year that it was you know I think I can't remember I think I did get my first top 40. And then that was kind of like a oh okay. We can start increasing that goal a little bit, you know. And and so it takes a lot of time to, to gain that. And you need to like have a, you know, have a perspective that you're not just going to come up onto the World Cup and automatically get top 60 or top 40s every single weekend. You're going to have to, like, learn the process of how to just gain that consistency. And so I think that's even something I've learned, even getting into the top, you know, 40s is that that's still not guaranteed. And finding out how to consistently even get into the top 40 is, you know, a difficult thing. And that's what we train, you know, year round for is just to find that consistency and that efficiency. And that's how you excel in the sport. Yeah.
Sara Donatello: [00:25:40] So let's talk about your first World Cup top ten in Lenzerheide. Okay. I was like please believe me. Yes. Lenzerheide last season, I vividly remember going through the photos and seeing that one of you with the number eight bib for the start of the pursuit, you know, what did that accomplishment mean to you? Like it must have been a major milestone in your career.
Deedra Irwin: [00:26:02] Yeah, it's so crazy because like a lot of people just don't know what's going on behind the scenes. And then they see you pop out that and they're just like, you must have been so prepared for it. Absolutely not. I was having like such a rough start to the season, and I got to Lenzerheide and I remember sitting down with Armin. I think we must have chatted for an hour, just about like my feelings and like trusting, trusting the process and trusting all the work we've put in. And and I think, like both of us had said, it's it's like the puzzle pieces are there. We just have to, like, make them come together on the same day and like, like, like we know I can do this. Like, everybody knows I can clean a sprint, you know? And that was really the goal. And and I was actually really tired going into Lenzerheide and I didn't think I like, skied very well, but I was able to shoot clean multiple times. And I think that just made the biggest difference is like that little turning point of like, all right, I just, I need to like, do what I know I can do. I couldn't like I knew I didn't have anything special in my legs for skiing that week, but I knew, like, okay, if I can ski consistently and I can shoot clean like something cool might happen. And it did. And it was amazing and insane and I can't believe it some days. But going back to that like experience of not having experienced that before, you guys should have seen me before the pursuit. I was a wreck. Oh my gosh.
Deedra Irwin: [00:27:29] I was like I was shaking, I like couldn't zero. I was so excited but like so nervous and like all the emotions and like the stadium smelled like cheese because we're in Switzerland. So I was also nauseous and I was like laying down, trying to like, calm myself down, but also not trying to throw up, but also trying to get ready for the race. And like there was a lot going on, there was a lot happening. And of course I went out in the first prone and missed two and was just like, well, and then I was able to clean the rest of it because I think I kind of like I got my nerves and my frustration and all of that little bit out in those two missed shots. And then I was like, all right, well, I already messed up. I can't get much worse. And then, you know, just having that weird mentality change, all of a sudden I was able to clean the rest of the race and I'm like, you got to be kidding me. This is insane. Like, biathlon is so mental and so physical and so emotional. And if you don't have, like, all of them or like some of them, on some days, like I was a mess, you could ask Armin. He was just like laughing at me after we all laughed because we were just like, how was I? I've been doing this for, you know, quite a while now. How was I such a mess? But I think that first top ten, it really just like it scared the living crap out of me. I was just like, what am I doing?
Sara Donatello: [00:28:44] Leveled up a little bit.
Deedra Irwin: [00:28:45] All these girls are like, gonna be chasing me. I'm like, uh oh. And so yeah, I was I was actually, you know, like I said, people don't see the behind the scenes. They don't see like the chaos that was going on in my brain. But I'm like sitting there going like, don't screw up, don't screw up. Yeah. You know, and so I think it's like one of those things now that I had it happen to me and like I experienced it, I'm like hoping like next time it's going to be a little easier for me to manage. And then the next time it'll be a little easier. And like it'll be something where, you know, you see those other athletes who are consistently on the podium and they know how that feels, and it's still exciting and still awesome, but like, they can just handle that pressure. And so it was a big learning experience for me that I'm super happy that I got like, you know, not in an Olympic year. Yeah. So that I can kind of practice managing that and and feeling that pressure and feeling the stress and feeling those nerves and excitement. I mean, it was just it was the coolest thing ever. Yeah. Yeah. Also terrifying.
Sara Donatello: [00:29:43] Yeah. You've definitely had a lot of experiences that have opened doors over the course of your career. And, you know, some would consider you at this point, a veteran athlete having hit 100 World Cup starts in Oslo. I forgot that happened. That was so the two day, two races in one day just really.
Deedra Irwin: [00:29:59] Had to send it.
Sara Donatello: [00:30:00] You know, now that you are in this veteran athlete position, if you will. You know, how is your perspective on the sport and the competition changed? I know you talked about, you know, all of the emotions involved and, you know, there's so many factors and, you know, kind of how have you evolved, I guess over the course of the years that you've been involved in biathlon?
Deedra Irwin: [00:30:21] Yeah, it's kind of crazy because I still feel like such a rookie compared to, like, the rest of the athletes in the world who have been doing this since they were like 12. And it's interesting. Yeah. To, to look back at even just four years ago in 2020, like we were talking about when I first started consistently on the World Cup and just being like, yeah, like top 70 are kind of like my jam. And that's what I'm going to have to deal with. To even the Olympic year and the individual, like, I never got to top 50, you know. And I think having having all of the, like, really cool stuff happen, like the Olympics and making pursuits consistently and all that stuff. It just sort of builds your confidence and and kind of like slowly chips away at, you know, the ski speed and the shooting speed and the shooting consistency and percentages that, you know, you're not really thinking about when you're training. You're just sort of you're training, you're going through the motions. And it's when you get to the races and those little things start happening. You start believing in yourself more and you start being able to make these bigger goals like, I want to, you know, be in the top 50 overall or, you know, top 30 overall and all of that stuff.
Deedra Irwin: [00:31:30] So I think it's it's such a long journey and I've only been doing it now. I'm like, I can't do the math now maybe eight years. And so it's interesting hearing that I'm the veteran now when I'm like, I swear I just started this sport. But but yeah, I think, you know, it's it's so unique and just like learning a little bit at a time and like really just letting yourself absorb each race and just also knowing, like the next day you show up, it's a new day, it's a new race, and all you can do is your best on that day. And I think that's the cool thing about biathlon is there's so many races, like for a weekend sometimes. So like really tires you out. Doesn't really give you a lot of time to like dwell on a bad race because you got to show up for a relay or you got to show up for another individual or something. And I think that's that's really cool. And you were able to learn very quickly in our sport, like just how to show up and do the job.
Tom Kelly: [00:32:30] Did you? This is a really insightful look and thanks for sharing all of this. We're going to take just a very quick break, and we're going to be right back on Heartbeat and talk a little bit more about the Olympics coming up in 26. We'll be right back on Heartbeat.
Tom Kelly: [00:32:56] We're back on Heartbeat on a beautiful day out here at Soldier Hollow, Utah, the home of U.S. Biathlon. We're talking today with Olympian biathlete star Deedra Irwin. And with that, Sara Donatello. Let's let's get back into the talk.
Sara Donatello: [00:33:11] So now, looking ahead to the future, with one Olympics already under your belt, we already talked about your experience at the 22 Olympics. The 26 Olympics are coming up in in Italy, you know, how has your experience at the 22 Olympics and the preparation leading up to that and you know, the trials and the qualifications. How has that experience helped you now into this experience going forward? Yeah, I mean.
Deedra Irwin: [00:33:38] I think being on that kind of bubble spot for the last Olympics, um, it was tough. It was stressful and like making it through it and actually getting to race in the Olympics was huge. And that's one of those where like going into the 26 six Olympics. You know, I'm hoping obviously like at a higher level, like once I, you know, we figure out like the pre qualification process. Hopefully that's something that I can aim for. And then I don't have to go through the very stressful trials process. But it's one of those things where like I still respect it a lot. It was it was a whole experience going through it. And uh, um, I think it's it's an important experience, though. You want to bring your best team in the moment to the Olympics. So I'm excited for it. I'm hoping that, like, I can hopefully hit some sort of pre qualification standard, um, so that I don't have to think about it too much. But I think, you know, I've developed a lot and after the last couple seasons I'm pretty confident and hopefully getting another couple top tens or something like that. So um, I'm hoping that the the process will be a little less stressful to get to the next Olympics, unlike the last Olympics.
Sara Donatello: [00:34:46] Um, and there's going to be quite a few athletes going in, you know, this being their first Olympic experience and Olympic trials experience. Now, what advice would you give to those athletes, you know, going into this process for the first time? You know, having been through the process yourself?
Deedra Irwin: [00:35:02] Yeah, I mean, ask for clarification as much as you need so that, you know, you know, you're going through the right path. You know, it's pretty well drawn out. But there's always questions and there's always, you know, what ifs and you know, if you're getting sick or something like that. And and I think, you know, especially like going into it, you need to make sure you don't put too much, too much pressure. You know, same with what we were talking about earlier. It's like consistency means more than like one big result. And so I think, you know, the consistent athletes are going to be able to, you know, hopefully get through the process a little easier. Um, but obviously it's it's just like any trials, you know, I watched like the track and field trials and watched, um, Athing Mu fall down in the 800 and she didn't go to the Olympics and she's like the reigning champion. So like, it's one of those things where you have to just enjoy the process. I mean, that's really what all of this is about is like making it to Olympic trials is some people's dream in general. So if you're able to make it to the to the final process, just like enjoy it, try to remember it and just like live in the moment. Like not many people can say they've been to Olympic trials for any sport. So like it's it's one of those where like we do this every year and you know, you know that you have a shot. So like just enjoy the time that you have in it.
Sara Donatello: [00:36:27] Mhm. Yeah. And and as a venue is an annual stop on the World Cup circuit. So you mentioned earlier that going to Beijing, you know it was a new venue. It was a new experience for everybody. How do you think going into Aanholt's being a well-known venue will be. Evening the playing fields on a different level or you know, is it better or worse? What are your thoughts on that?
Deedra Irwin: [00:36:53] Being someone who does really well on the new venues when no one's seen them, I'm a little nervous about it because everybody does know how to race on tour. Everybody has experienced all the trails, and some of these athletes, especially like the Italians, have been doing it since they were like, I'm gonna say before 12 years old. You know, they've been Nordic skiing since they were like toddlers. Um, so I think there's going to be a more interesting dynamic of who knows the course, who's more experienced with it. We've had a lot of training camps there because Armin is from the Untold's Valley. Um, and so I think we as a, as a US team, kind of have a little bit of a home field advantage in a weird way. Um, and so I think it is going to be a really interesting one when it comes down to like ski speed and shooting experience. And, and they're redoing the entire stadium. So like, we all get to see it for the first time. First time again, um, this winter. And I think that'll be really cool and kind of change it up just enough to kind of, you know, make it different for the athletes and maybe add a little bit of a different element. But um, but yeah, I think it's going to be a really interesting combination of a almost like a lot of experience and like, it might be easy to screw up because you might be too confident, you know, like there's just so many things that go into a venue where, you know, you've had really good races. Or for me, I actually haven't had many good races in Non-tolled. Um, it's usually always like the end of a trimester. I'm tired. It's at altitude, like there's so many things. So I think it'll be really interesting for, for the entire World Cup World Champs field just to kind of, yeah, be at a venue that we all think we know. But do we do you really know?
Sara Donatello: [00:38:33] Have you been following the renovations? Yeah, yeah.
Deedra Irwin: [00:38:35] Armin will send us some pictures and I think the EBU posted some, some videos recently. And so I think it'll be really cool. I think the layout of the stadium is something that definitely has been needing to change in on, toilets because there was a lot of criss cross action, and I think I got lapped out of a race once and accidentally crashed into someone in the penalty loop. You know, it's one of those things where it needed to happen. So I'm glad it's happening for the Olympics and I think it'll, like I said, add a really cool element similar to Oslo, where we're kind of like skiing behind the range. Yeah.
Sara Donatello: [00:39:05] Yeah, definitely. What's, you know, one thing that you're most excited about, about the upcoming Olympics, you know, is it the venue? Is it the experience? Is it, you know, the fans? Is it? Yeah, I.
Deedra Irwin: [00:39:16] Think the experience and the fans. I think that was something that, like I said, I think it was a weird advantage for me going into Beijing because then I, I didn't feel all that like overwhelming pressure of the Olympics and like, everybody's watching because, like, people were watching on TV. But it was like midnight back home when they were watching. They were watching like reruns and stuff. It wasn't like crazy. Um, so I think it'll be really, really interesting to have like a full stadium of fans and kind of have the full Olympic experience where like, you know, we're doing the media and I don't know if we'll be able to march in the opening ceremony because it's like in Milan and it's very far away. But like, yeah, you know, my whole family wants to come and that's like, crazy. I mean, the last time I had my whole family, you guys all got to see him here in Soldier Hollow. They were handing out beers to all the athletes on the sidelines. So for them to be in Italy is going to be really amazing. And I think they're all trying to, like, spread it out and come different weeks. So I think that is what I'm really excited about is to share that experience with my family, because I kind of like joked with them when we were here in Soho. I was like, this is kind of like my mini Olympics. Like being able I had like 40 people come out and watch me from the Midwest, or I should say, my family's kind of all over, but mostly the East side of the United States. So they all flew out here to Utah. Yeah. And so it was kind of like my mini Olympics being able to celebrate with them. And so I think it'll be really cool to actually have like, a real Olympics where they're all able to be there and they're able to hopefully see me perform really well and, you know, maybe get a medal. You know, that'd be cool.
Tom Kelly: [00:40:41] You know, it's interesting because I know that families coming to big events, it can sometimes be a distraction, but you seem to really draw energy from it. Oh, yeah.
Deedra Irwin: [00:40:50] I mean, it's it's a distraction for sure, but I think, um, I think I've realized, like, I started this sport so late in life. Like, I need to just really enjoy every, every opportunity I can, especially being able to share it with my family. Like, I don't know how much longer I'll last in biathlon or in sports in general. So it's like this is kind of like and you know, when I first started it was all Covid. So those, those couple of years were kind of stripped for me. So now it's it's just so cool to be able to invite my family over to Europe and, and to have them plan, you know, for the Olympics and stuff like that and have that experience and be able to share it with them. I mean, you know, you do the whole like typical like, I wouldn't be here without my people and but it's true, you know, I would not have made it as far in sport, um, if I didn't have all the support from those people. So I'm so excited that my family and my friends are all going to be able to like, experience, especially in Italian Olympics. I mean, we're going to eat so much pizza. It's going to be amazing.
Tom Kelly: [00:41:49] It is pretty nice over there. Sara. You haven't been to Antholz yet, have you? No. Is it on your agenda this year?
Sara Donatello: [00:41:55] It is January, end of January. I'll be there.
Tom Kelly: [00:41:58] Deidre, what tips do you give Sara for her first trip to Antholz?
Deedra Irwin: [00:42:01] Oh my goodness, I mean pizza. I mean, anywhere in Italy you can get an amazing pizza, so you have to. That sounds great. Aperol spritz I'm a sucker for it. Also, you know, like.
Sara Donatello: [00:42:14] Sounds fantastic.
Deedra Irwin: [00:42:15] You just hike up a mountain and like somebody, there's, like, the Italians. Just, like, build restaurants at the tops of mountains. So, like, you can sit at the top of a mountain and have a pizza and an Aperol spritz with an amazing view of the Dolomites. I mean, it's quite incredible.
Sara Donatello: [00:42:28] I don't know what's better than that. Yeah, that sounds pretty awesome.
Deedra Irwin: [00:42:31] Bog in the Staller Pass, which is cool. Or ski, you know, if you want to ski up it. I mean, there's Antholz is just like a very cool valley. And it's really close to Dobbiaco too, which is like the Nordic kind of venue. And they have a pizza place down there called Pizza Hans. I'm pretty sure it's like everybody goes there. You have all the cool kids.
Tom Kelly: [00:42:48] Have you been able to explore the Dolomites beyond the valley?
Deedra Irwin: [00:42:51] Oh, definitely. Yeah, it's one of my favorite places in the world. And especially like, I even like the Austrian side. Don't tell Armin. But like, even the Austrian side of the Dolomites is pretty cool. Um, but yeah, I mean, I've been able to. We did a couple of training camps there before the last Olympics, and Armin brought us on like a Via Ferrata, which is like pretty much rock climbing, but like really sketchy rock climbing in the summer. And but you're clipped in. You're clipped in kind of. If you fall, you're still falling and, like, probably hurting yourself, but just don't fall, you know? Yeah. And we were able to like, go hiking through some, like, World War Two bunker tunnels through like a mountain. It was such an insane experience, I think, especially as an American, like, there's so much history in those mountains that, like, our country wasn't even like, you know, like our country is so new, you know, and you just see all of these structures and everything over there. It's quite incredible. So I love the Dolomite area. I think it's it's one of the coolest places in the world. And, you know, I've been able to go to a couple other places in Italy too. And it's it's yeah, it's awesome.
Tom Kelly: [00:43:57] It's it's a real blend of cultures because there's a lot of German history, a lot of Italian history. You'll be in one village, they'll speak Italian, the next village, they'll speak German, and you just get this blend of cultures there. It's a wonderful place.
Deedra Irwin: [00:44:10] Oh, yeah. You should interview Emil and Armin at the same time. Which one's really Italian? And which one's not really Italian? Well, that sounds intense.
Tom Kelly: [00:44:17] This is a good idea.
Sara Donatello: [00:44:18] That's a good idea.
Deedra Irwin: [00:44:19] Like Emil. Emil is. Emil is Italian. Italian. But like almonds. Almonds? Like German. Italian. Because he speaks German in his valley. Because Arnold's Valley is one of those valleys that's on the border. And it's like a German Italian town. Yeah, it's really funny watching them.
Sara Donatello: [00:44:32] I've heard those debates.
Deedra Irwin: [00:44:33] A married couple, um.
Tom Kelly: [00:44:35] We're going to have to make a note of this. But do you speak German or Italian?
Deedra Irwin: [00:44:39] Um, I have been learning German for a couple of years now, and this past year I started learning Italian on Duolingo because actually my niece is going to be my first niece to come over, and she's actually going to be an aunt and she's going to watch me race. So she wanted to learn Italian with me. And so she's like 13. And I think she can use it as like some sort of school credit if she does it on Duolingo. So me and her have been like learning Italian together on Duolingo.
Tom Kelly: [00:45:04] I gotta check that out. Deedra, thanks for sharing all these stories. We're going to move on now to our closing section on target. We've got a few final questions for you, and I don't think we even briefed you on these. So you're going to have to wing it.
Deedra Irwin: [00:45:14] And this is the surprise question.
Tom Kelly: [00:45:16] These are the surprise questions. We we did a lot of research on these. Okay. Mine mine has to be. Well. Well did she see the script? No.
Deedra Irwin: [00:45:25] Everybody always asks me and it's donuts.
Tom Kelly: [00:45:27] Okay. We're going to.
Deedra Irwin: [00:45:28] Talk about them.
Tom Kelly: [00:45:29] Your favorite green Bay Packers star of all time.
Deedra Irwin: [00:45:32] Of all time. Ahman Green
Tom Kelly: [00:45:34] Okay, tell us why.
Deedra Irwin: [00:45:36] I mean, I think it was just like when I was growing up, he was like the run. I think he was like, running back, wide receiver, like something, I don't know. And also like Green Bay Packers. And your last name is Green. Everybody wants that jersey. Come on. So like I just he was also like one of those like not all the Packers players get to be like TV personalities and on the commercials in northeast Wisconsin. But like he was he was the guy. He has an amazing smile. He was great to the community. He always gives back. He might even still live in green Bay, I don't know, but like, he was just like the coolest Packer player when I was growing up. So yeah, Ahman Green for sure.
Tom Kelly: [00:46:09] Cool. Sara.
Sara Donatello: [00:46:11] What's your favorite type of donut?
Deedra Irwin: [00:46:13] Oh my God. Where like, I mean, this is such a hard question because like, Krispy Kremes are amazing and you get the original Krispy Kreme and like, yes, I love a good Krispy Kreme, but like my hometown bakery, like in Pulaski, Wisconsin, it's called Ava's, it's Polish. Um, they make this amazing crawler, and not a lot of people know what crawlers are, but it's kind of like an old fashioned baked donut. But then it's like somehow glazed and maybe fried, I don't know, but it like crumbles and it goes perfect with coffee. Um, and then I also got addicted to this donut in my boyfriend's hometown that's called like, a tiger tail. And it's kind of like a glazed twist with this, like, amazing peanut butter chocolate, something maybe on top and it looks like a tiger stripe because they do like peanut butter. Anyway, so like I love that. Um, but yeah, I mean, haven't really found a good, like a good Vermont donut place unless you want, like, you know, like the apple cider donut. They're decent. But, you know, I'm kind of addicted to the crawler in my hometown. Have you ever had.
Sara Donatello: [00:47:13] A maple cream.
Deedra Irwin: [00:47:13] Donut? I'm not a fan of maple unless they use real maple syrup, because sometimes they use maple flavor and you never know. Like normally Vermont pretty good at using real maple flavors. So they have pretty good maple donuts. But some places you go to, like in Wisconsin, I wouldn't get a maple donut because they're using like, imitation maple. I'm picky. I'm picky.
Tom Kelly: [00:47:34] Have you found a good donut in Utah yet?
Deedra Irwin: [00:47:36] Oh my God, Judy's Donuts. Yeah. Drive through donuts in midway. You go up, you pick it out. She hands you a donut. You drive. I've never been to a drive through donut place before. Besides, like Dunkin's. But. But yeah. Downtown Midway. She's amazing. I just got an Oreo donut the other day, and it was so good. There was, like, crumbled Oreos all over the top of it and had it as dessert for.
Tom Kelly: [00:47:57] Lunch so I could hit this on the way home today.
Deedra Irwin: [00:47:59] Uh, yeah. I mean, if she has any donuts left, it might be a little late. You might want to hit it tomorrow morning. Okay. Yeah.
Sara Donatello: [00:48:05] Should definitely do that. Yeah, that sounds great. Yeah. Judy's noted.
Deedra Irwin: [00:48:08] Yeah. Sponsor me. Give me a shout out.
Sara Donatello: [00:48:13] Switching gears a little bit, what's on your playlist right now? Your top songs.
Deedra Irwin: [00:48:18] Oh my goodness. Great question. I've been trying to, like, give the girls a laugh at me. I've been trying to give, like, the Spotify playlist a chance.
Sara Donatello: [00:48:27] Those aren't half bad. They're not.
Deedra Irwin: [00:48:29] Half bad. But their descriptions are, like, kind of like a little weird. I'll wake up and it'll be like, Moody Forest Meadow, something sad girl. And I'm like, oh, come on. But like, this morning I woke up and it was like 20 tens nostalgia. And we were like, we love that. Exactly. Like, that's the bump on the way here. Like, I just listened to, like, Beyonce. Crazy in love, you know? Duh. Top tier song. So I think, like, I've been giving my Spotify a little bit, you know, a little bit of freedom of choosing. But if I had to pick myself, I'm like really into, like, the pop, like I've been really getting into like the new Post Malone and Beyonce country albums because like, awesome. Yeah. They're great. Uh, Taylor Swift is obviously always on one of my top people. Um, but yeah, I'm trying to think of then there's like a couple of, like, artists that a lot of people don't know the names of, but they probably know the songs. But Glass Animals kind of resurfaced a couple weeks ago, and I was like, oh, yeah, this is pretty good music. So yeah.
Sara Donatello: [00:49:25] Awesome. Favorite go to travel snack. Mhm.
Deedra Irwin: [00:49:30] Mhm. Travel snack. I feel like I always bring like goldfish but then they always crumble. And then I'm disappointed because I'm like eating like that crunch fish crumble you know. So I think I've started like bringing like fruit bars like they have like the that's I think it's called like that's it fruit bar I can get at Costco. Shout out to Costco. Um, stuff like that. Like otherwise travel snacks. Mhm. I'm kind of just like a I'll just buy stuff at the airport. I know it's expensive, but I just like eating fresher food, so I don't really bring snacks often. Um, I just like go buy like a pretzel somewhere, you know. Yeah.
Sara Donatello: [00:50:12] I have to ask, what's your favorite kind of goldfish?
Deedra Irwin: [00:50:14] Mm. Original. Really original.
Sara Donatello: [00:50:17] I'm a rainbow goldfish girl myself. I could see that.
Deedra Irwin: [00:50:19] Do the colors taste different?
Sara Donatello: [00:50:21] They're all salty. They taste. They taste like purple and green and orange.
Tom Kelly: [00:50:26] The same thing.
Deedra Irwin: [00:50:26] Yeah. Now I've gotten. I've gotten, like, addicted to them to now every time he comes to the US or if he knows we're flying back, he asks us to fly back with a giant box of goldfish for him.
Tom Kelly: [00:50:38] Can you buy goldfish in Europe?
Deedra Irwin: [00:50:40] Yeah, but it's hard. It's hard to find it. And also, you can just, like, buy goldfish in bulk in the US, so, you know, it just lasts longer over there. Yeah. So, so we, we bring it over in bulk for feeding now.
Tom Kelly: [00:50:52] Beautiful beautiful. We're going to close it out on a more serious note. Favorite career moment so far.
Deedra Irwin: [00:50:59] Oh my god. See. And that is so difficult. Favorite career moment. Like when it comes to, like, races.
Tom Kelly: [00:51:12] Whatever you'd like.
Deedra Irwin: [00:51:13] Results. I have so many. Uh, I mean, obviously the seventh place at the Olympics was, like, unreal And so cool. Um, but I'm the favorite part of my Olympics now. Looking back was meeting my boyfriend at the opening ceremonies, and, like, that's like the coolest part for me, because, like, I look at, like, I raced biathlon all the time. Like a result like that is, like, cool, but like meeting someone in a completely different sport who I would have never met otherwise. And like, that's that's probably one of my highlights of my career, is like being able to connect with an alpine snowboarder and fall in love, like, so cool.
Tom Kelly: [00:51:56] That's what Olympics are all about.
Deedra Irwin: [00:51:58] That's what the Olympics are all about. Exactly. Meeting and connecting with people. I mean, I think that was that's probably one of my coolest. Like, if I leave biathlon and like, don't get any more good results. Like, I met the most amazing man at the Olympics and my parents and family got to see me just, like, live this crazy dream and become an Olympian. So I think, like for me, that that's kind of like the highlight of my career so far is just like being an Olympian and like actually having like such a unique Olympic experience, you know, like not just getting the best U.S. Biathlon finish, but like meeting my boyfriend and, you know, like really being able to share, like being an Olympian with all of my friends and family.
Tom Kelly: [00:52:43] That's beautiful I love it. Deedra Irwin, thank you so much for sharing your stories. Deidre, how did Sara Donatella do in her first interview?
Deedra Irwin: [00:52:51] Oh my gosh. Like, I mean, she's hired, right? I mean, she was already hired, but like, I think she did great. It's always fun doing podcasts where you can just have a conversation and it doesn't feel like an interview. And I think that's some of the funnest podcasts I've done, are the ones that I'm not feeling like. I'm just saying the right things where I can actually have a conversation with you guys. So thank you for making this a really enjoyable podcast.
Tom Kelly: [00:53:13] It's a lot of fun. Sara good job.
Sara Donatello: [00:53:14] Thank you. Thank you very much.