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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.
S4 Ep13 - Armin Auchentaller
Tom Kelly: [00:00:00] Welcome everyone to Heartbeat, the US Biathlon podcast. We are pleased to have with us here today the head Coach for US Biathlon, Armen Auchentaller and Armin, thank you for joining us today.
Armin Auchentaller: [00:00:10] Hey thank you Tom. Thanks for the invitation. Appreciate it.
Tom Kelly: [00:00:15] And what I know you're up in Bend. We're recording this the week of May 13th and you're up in Bend, Oregon, and there actually is snow remaining, huh?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:00:25] There's still a lot of snow. Uh, Bend shows itself from the best part. We have a lot of snow up at the at the venue, and, um, couple meters below towards Bend. We can actually be in, uh, in Paradise for mountain biking. It's a good, good place to bike and to run. And just one of the best places I've been to train.
Tom Kelly: [00:00:48] Wonderful. We're going to talk a little bit more about the camp, but I think to start things out, we're going to do a recap of the past season and also look ahead. But before we do that, for those who might not be that familiar with you, why don't you go through your background as an athlete, as a coach from Italy and, uh, the different roles that you've had literally around the world in biathlon over the past decade or two?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:01:11] I mean, uh, started coaching in, uh, 92 and I was, uh, retired early from being a biathlete. I was on the Italian national team and racing on European Cups, and picked up coaching right away by chance because my former coach, uh, retired. So he wanted to hand it over and ask me if I actually would be interested. And it started from there being a coach on, uh, on the, on the ski club, my home ski club in Antholz and moved on to the region team, national team. I was a ski tech and yeah, till 2007 I mostly coached in Italy on different teams, national teams, regional teams, and from 2000 and. Nine onwards. Actually, I started coaching with the US team. I did two Olympic Games with them. Then I moved to um, Switzerland. I had one Olympic Games with the uh women team there as a head coach, and then from 2018 to 22, another Olympic Games with the US team. I came, came back, came back home, basically feels home. And, um, was responsible for the women's team. And since 22 I'm responsible for men and women.
Tom Kelly: [00:02:47] And I'm particularly pleased to hear that you look at this as coming home. But let's go back to that period you spent at Switzerland. So you spent four years there, and then you came back to the US program. What enticed you to come back to the US, and what differences did you see in the program then that are kind of maybe coming of age now?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:03:09] I mean, in 2014 there was no existing team in Switzerland, no existing women's team at all. They never had one established. So I was basically the first official women coach in Switzerland. And uh, we started a nice program and it developed quite well, uh, by finishing the Olympic Games with three different athletes in the top eight and the relay doing really well too. So it was, was uh, was a good, uh, development, a good progression in, in, uh, and they continue to do really well with their new coach. So I'm happy to see them racing and succeeding. Uh, coming back to the US, coming back to us. I faced a similar situation back then. It was not, uh, so many outlets, but we were able to start a good program. And in these four years, we had, uh, several athletes, um, with good, very good success, I would say. And, uh, I, I'm very happy and proud that we, we reached all these different, different results, uh, these different athletes had.
Tom Kelly: [00:04:23] Before we get on to talking about the training camp, I'm just kind of curious. You have experienced literally working around the world. You're a native of Italy. What is it about the USA that makes this program really interesting for you as a coach?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:04:39] I consider myself, uh, a coach. I like to develop. I like to, to develop things and bring the athletes up to, um, to a very high level and succeed in the World Cup. I really like that journey of having athletes who come from nowhere, almost, I would say kind of like, you know, and trying to guide them to the, to the top level.
Tom Kelly: [00:05:12] Well, we're going to talk about some of those athletes who are coming along quite well right now. Let's go to the camp though. You're out in Bend. Lots of snow there. Who is at this spring camp and what are some of the objectives you have for the time that you'll be on snow out in Oregon?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:05:28] I mean, the athletes here are Maxime, Campbell, Jake, Vincent, Vaclav and Nicolas and Bjorn, Grace, Margie and Kelsey. And the reason we are coming here is one of the reasons is actually, aside from having a really good setup for training here, it's actually being in touch with the snow, working on ski technique and uh, working. We brought also rifles, although we don't work on an actual shooting range, but we work a lot with setting up positions and lots of works and hours. Uh, on Scat system, which is a laser system where you can see the tracing of, um, the shooting pattern, uh, the athletes have. So that's our focus here. And, yeah, creating a good base for the upcoming months.
Tom Kelly: [00:06:27] Even though you don't have a shooting range there when you're out training cross country, do the athletes generally still carry their rifle just to have that level of familiarity?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:06:38] Not this time of the year, not this time of year. We were breaking apart the puzzle a little bit. So we are working on on individual things like jet skiing or just shooting, and we will put that puzzle together, uh, from June onwards.
Tom Kelly: [00:06:54] Let's take a look at last season. It was a season that had quite a few different highlights. As you look at the team's performance overall in the 2324 season, what are some of the things that you're struck with that the team accomplished last season?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:07:08] I mean, one of the things I always really enjoy, if it really goes, goes well. And we had we had a, not just one, we had a couple which went quite well, but we also had a couple which were really not that what we hoped for. But um, I knew from the beginning on that all the athletes who were competing on, on the World Cup are, are capable to. To be a good part in a relay. And, um, finally we accomplished especially with the man we accomplished to, to have really good results.
Tom Kelly: [00:07:45] Let's look at those relay finishes. And I know a lot of us who are at Soldier Hollow were really excited to see that fourth-place finish by the men's relay team just a few weeks earlier, a fifth at the World Championships. This is a measure of depth. It's not a measure necessarily of individual strength. So are there some meaningful things that we can take away from those two men's finishes at Worlds and then again at the World Cup at Soldier Hollow?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:08:10] Yeah, like you said, it's a measure of depth, I think especially because we replicated the the result, um, right after the World Championships finishing fifth and then fourth and Soldier Hollow, I think, um, we were waiting for this and we are working since two years on this, on this project. And finally, we were able to have probably one of the best finishes in a relay ever. Uh, maybe you know more about history than I do, but it, uh, that's what they told me, and I think I think we should, uh, continue to, to work hard and continue to improve and have also in future maybe some, some better single results than we have already.
Tom Kelly: [00:09:01] Armin, are there any elements of the relay event that you can specifically train for?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:09:08] Yes. What nowadays the the, the, the, the four elements or the four outlets of the relay need to ski. First of all, they need to close the gap on the skiing part. And uh, then most mosso is it's very important to have like very fast shooting and of course hit the targets from the clip. And that's crucial. The shooting time of a team. Four members actually ... four members need to be around four minutes and a couple seconds. But four minutes is kind of like a goal for us to accomplish. And that's what we train in training with certain setups. Shooting setups of shooting focuses where we where we have like more athletes, you know, giving them the task basically to shoot one minute, it doesn't matter how many relay rounds they use, but the timeline is is fixed. So four times one minute we select virtually sometimes in training sessions a team who would actually race. So we put them under a little like such. Call them call them pressure drills or focus drills. So that's what you can do. But to reach those to reach the speed in shooting at first you need to work on the quality of the shooting and the precision of the shooting skills and then put them together. And then the speed comes along. Once you actually feel comfortable in all the elements like breathing, triggering, aiming, uh, going into position quickly and that that you actually reach a good stability quite quickly.
Tom Kelly: [00:10:56] We in biathlon compete in an individual sport. The relay brings us together as a team. How important are the dynamics between the four members of a relay team to have a successful event?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:11:11] The mean. It's for sure an advantage if you go along also on daily life. But I think it's that's the team, the team on on on the start line that that they um. Is a team, but every single member knows that. They're still performing alone. Once they are out there, they get the handover, but still performing alone. And the thing, the most important thing there is to do, not something extraordinary. Right now we are in a position or or reaching a level where there's not necessarily. The the pressure to do something special to reach your result. Now we are in a situation where we actually can do a normal. Normal performance times for, and that's the team result. And in both relays it wasn't something super special. Actually. Every outlet just had a normal performance. Like like like they would do every single day. And yeah, that resulted in a good result. Team result. Actually.
Tom Kelly: [00:12:27] Speaking of relays, let's switch over to the women. The women also had a pretty good year. An 11th place finish in the relay at Oberhof. Uh, what are you seeing there? Uh, do you see the same possibilities as we, as we move forward for the women to start to challenge more in the relay event?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:12:44] Yeah, absolutely. We will have, um, uh, in one, two years, probably a stronger, uh, relay team than we have now. But 11th place in Oberhof was actually a highlight for the women this season. And I'm very happy ,we, the whole staff was very, very happy that day to see that, see that result, uh, coming in. And I think we need to work on the depth a little bit here. So, um, I think that's happening especially because we, we focused on the National Development Group. We focused a lot on, on female athletes. And I think that's crucial for the future. Uh, the more female athletes we will have on national teams and hopefully also on the A team and B team in the future, the better it is, the better we can actually support the program. I hope that many athletes will will join that beautiful sport and work towards um. High performance and try to perform in skiing and shooting. Well, to be actually competitive on international level.
Tom Kelly: [00:13:57] Let's, uh, move away just for a minute from last year's results and kind of look forward. You had just mentioned the efforts that the organization is putting into getting more women interested in the sport, focusing on the National Development Group. Can you talk a little bit more about the importance of that and some of the steps US Biathlon is taking to get more women into the national team pipeline?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:14:19] I think I personally pushed that that, uh, that thing quite a lot because I am coming from coaching women for, for many, many years. I know what they are capable for and how fast they actually can develop. I hope that this first effort, it was a start again, to to encourage women to do this sport and to to try to improve their skills. They are totally capable and they are um. There are many good talents out there.
Tom Kelly: [00:14:54] Let's go back to this past season and talk a little bit about the single mixed relay, Deedra Irwin and Campbell Wright with some very good results this year. Seventh at World Championships, seventh in Oslo, ninth in Antholz. Talk about those two athletes and the chemistry that helped them to have some good results this past season.
Armin Auchentaller: [00:15:14] And they both respect each other. And I think, uh, the three relays you mentioned every time, uh, they started, they were in podium contention. Um, we just had a couple of like, um, hiccups in and here and there. But that format of relay, that single mixed relay there showed us that, um, Deedra and and Campbell this season, they, they showed us that they can be on the podium at any moment. I mean, uh, was was very close. It's a fast race, a fast, very fast race. And the ranking can change so quickly, but showing that we are in the top tens and, uh, like half of the race or more than half of the race, uh, mostly in podium contention shows, shows us that we are competitive also in this format.
Tom Kelly: [00:16:12] How important was Deidra's top ten inches Lenzerheide? She finished eighth there and I think that was her first top ten World Cup. How important was her was it to get that result this year?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:16:22] Uh, for her this was crucial to get to that, uh, get that result. It was well deserved, first of all. And she worked super hard to get to get that to get it. And you could tell from her excitement after the finish how much she was longing for it. And, uh, she realized that she is capable to be up there, actually, uh, any given day. And that's, that's important for an athlete, um, that you finally reach something you deserve to serve to. And it's coming from hard work, from her, from herself. And she, she, like I said, yeah, she deserved it. And uh, it took also like the result, um, was she was so, so happy that it took a lot, lots of energy out of her for the next day. But she managed the whole whole weekend was like a blast for her. So we were all pretty happy with that. What happened? Yeah.
Tom Kelly: [00:17:24] Yeah, for sure. That's an exciting time. Uh, last fall we were talking about, uh, Campbell. Right? Making the transition from New Zealand to America finally got that approved, and he had a pretty good season. Uh, talk about Campbell, right?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:17:39] Yeah. Campbell is a very important part of the team. And he's one of the young guys, along with many others we have on the men's side, actually. So he's he's, um. He's a good addition as a person but also as an athlete. And I think all all his team teammates go along with him very well. He's very respectful, uh, but sets the tone in the training very often and, uh, has a, a really easy way to approach, um, uh, training and competitions. He basically enjoys. He has fun, he enjoys skiing, he enjoys training. And, uh, it's a very simple recipe to work hard and which he does.
Tom Kelly: [00:18:31] When you talk about setting the tone in training, I know it's important to have that leadership athlete who's out there every day on the tracks, but what are some of the elements that go into setting that tone and getting other teammates to elevate themselves up to another level during the training period?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:18:52] I mean, uh, one of the key things which defines, uh, probably Campbell and I'm not 100% sure here. Maybe it's a question for him, uh, but, uh, definitely he doesn't want to show up at the World Cup and be beaten up. So that's what's driving him throughout this throughout the season. And he just wants to be at the top of the game.
Tom Kelly: [00:19:16] Let's go back to World Championships last year, we've already talked about a number of the accomplishments there. The men's relay finishing fifth as an example, uh single mixed relay with Deidra and Campbell. But it was also a personal best for Chloe Levin's personal best, uh, or season best for Sean Doherty. Uh, first pursuit qualification for Tara Geraghty-moats and, uh, world Championship personal best for Deedra, Irwin and Campbell. Right. How how important? Uh, and I guess, how would you separate out the importance of the world championship from the entire World Cup season? And why are these benchmarks so important in measuring our success?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:19:56] Uh, one is that basically the world championships are and is the highlight of the season as it is Olympics every four years, and the attention to from media and spectators is way higher. Uh, we are raising two, two weeks in a row, uh, and doing basically all the competitions in those weeks. And we show up for, for every competition and. It's just the attention is much, much higher. And I think for an athlete winning a World Championships or being a part of the World Championships team is, is is important. And it's it's also something which motivates you all season long, like the whole training season to be a part of that team. And throughout those world championships this season, we had some some good results. But also, uh, we had really good skis those days. And, um, I just want to also mention that that is key. The techs did a really good work and everything came together. All the puzzles, puzzle pieces we need shooting, skiing and, and, uh, good skis, which are the main, main things, uh, to actually perform, uh, worked out.
Tom Kelly: [00:21:16] Let's talk a little bit more about that ski preparation. You actually came from, uh, having been a been a technician and working in the rack wax rooms. Often these men and women are unheralded for the work that they do, but races are won and lost by what happens in that preparation room in the wax cabinets.
Armin Auchentaller: [00:21:37] Yeah, yeah, that's why I brought it up. I want to say thank you and hope they continue to to. Yeah. Um. Like research a lot. Research a lot. It's it's a daily work a daily daily. You need to figure out new structure, new new stone grinds, uh, new waxes, new application methods, uh, new, sometimes new different testing methods. And just being creative, it's a creative job, uh, paired with, uh, science, paired with, uh, lots of. Yeah. Um, support from different from different parts.
Tom Kelly: [00:22:21] Yeah. I love hanging out in the wax room. It's just. It's where all the magic happens. So before we wrap up this past season, I want to talk about two women who we had on the Heartbeat podcast last December. And I really liked the dynamic that I'm seeing right now, where you have cross country skiers coming over to biathlon, going back and forth a little bit. Margie Freed and Grace Castonguay both had great seasons. They both made their World Cup debut. They're both headed on to careers in biathlon. Can you talk about the accomplishments of Margie and Grace this past season and why that's important? With the recruitment that US Biathlon is doing to try to get some cross sport pollination?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:23:05] Yeah, I mean it's it's great to see that athletes come from, from cross country and pick up the rifle and and over with, with consistent and good training and quality training. They try to improve. And those two show that that that is possible. And, hopefully it's an example for many others out there. And also like motivates whoever is is is involved um, with cross country skiers who might actually try just to give them a chance and, and get him a, get him a go and believe that that that it is possible to do that change.
Tom Kelly: [00:23:52] Yeah, it was just so much fun to watch. Armin, before we take a quick break here. Any other points that you want to add relative to the 2324 season that just concluded?
Speaker4: [00:24:05] Yeah.
Armin Auchentaller: [00:24:05] I just want to thank the team. I want to thank especially the staff. Um. And the athletes, of course. Uh, it's just, uh, not possible with all of them. And I think if we continue to work in a good way together, in a respectful way, together, then we can reach good things in the future, too.
Tom Kelly: [00:24:28] Well, we're.
Tom Kelly: [00:24:29] Going to take a quick break here in heartbeat. When we return, we're going to take a look at the season ahead with Armen Auchentaller. We'll be right back. \
Tom Kelly: [00:24:39] And we're back on Heartbeat with Armin Auchentaller coming to us live from the US Biathlon National Team camp out in Bend, Oregon, where skiing conditions are fantastic in mid-May. Armin, we just saw wrapped up talking about a very successful 2324 season. Let's look ahead. US Biathlon recently named its national team for 20 2425. Give us a few highlights of that team that was just named.
Armin Auchentaller: [00:25:07] I think it's, uh, we extended a lot, uh, the females, um, the female, uh, numbers on the team, especially on the National Development Group. I hope that gives some, some, um, good momentum to to the female project we are trying to do. Um, then on the other teams, we have a B team, we have an A team which is divided in A1, A2, A3 and we have a couple of athletes in there. Um, it all looks on on paper. It all looks quite, quite good I would say. And, uh, we're trying to work, uh, like last season and improve little things. I mean, every year has new challenges in terms of training and, uh, developing ski technique and shooting technique. And we are happy to do this. And, uh, we, we will face every single challenge, uh, in a positive way and try to, to try to improve in, in in any case.
Tom Kelly: [00:26:14] As you look ahead to the schedule coming up for the World Cup season 2425 and also the World Championships, anything notable on the schedule that you want to call out?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:26:25] Not really. I mean, um, the only thing which which is notable maybe is that, um, world championships are in altitude. So will be the the Olympic Games. Uh, our preparation already this season is a trial for, for the Olympic Games here. So we're trying a couple of things with altitude and, uh, also before before the actual highlight in Lenzerheide. So we're trying to simulate a couple of things we might, might actually adopt for the season to come. Uh, for the Olympic Games, actually.
Tom Kelly: [00:27:05] What is the elevation at Lenzerheide?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:27:07] Lenzerheide is at 1400 meters and the Olympic Games will be in 1640. So we are playing with with this middle altitude a little bit and see how how people react and how, uh, and what we can actually learn.
Tom Kelly: [00:27:23] Speaking of the Olympics coming up in Milan-Cortina in 2026, biathlon in your hometown of Antholz. Uh, first of all, before we get into technical things, is there a good amount of excitement? I imagine there is in Antholz right now in preparation for the Olympics coming up in just about a little over a year and a half?
Tom Kelly: [00:27:44] Yeah.
Armin Auchentaller: [00:27:44] I feel very fortunate to to have the Olympics basically in my backyard. It's I don't know how the chances are that somebody can experience that. And so I'm really grateful that this is happening and um, excited excited for those Olympic Games. I hope with the home, um, advantage I have that we can also have good success there.
Tom Kelly: [00:28:11] It is at altitude, as you mentioned, around 1600 meters. Uh, what pros and cons are there to competing at elevation?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:28:21] Uh, it's an oxy. The oxygen is a little, little less in in high altitude. And I think I think competing in altitude, it's just is a different feeling. And, um, I think, uh, some athletes struggle, some athletes not depending depending how they grew up and how the, how fast they can adapt to altitude. What we are doing is we we book two different setups. One is actually in altitude and one actually in lower altitude. To be able by the time when the Olympic Games come up, um, to decide who should sleep low and who should sleep, sleep a little higher to adapt to their physiological needs. So that's that's the crucial part, I think. And, um, we are working with a very famous, uh, um. Physiologist Randy Wilber. He gives us some advice on how to do things, and we are very grateful that he is helping us at any point when we need advice and when once we are planning. So it's not just something we pull out from the head, but it's actually backed up with one of the one of the gurus in altitude. So I think we are in good hands.
Tom Kelly: [00:29:46] Kind of a personal question, but I know that when you're competing at home, you have your home, you have your bed, and then you have the team. But how do you manage the distractions when you're in Antholz for a competition with all the friends and things that you have around?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:30:04] I think it's going to be easier. Actually, at the Olympic Games, it's a little bit tougher during the World Cup week just because we're, uh, more likely accessible and there's less security checks during Olympic Games. There will be a lot of security checks that we will not have so much contact with, um, spectators, I guess at least, uh, I know from experience, in past the four Olympic Games I did, there's not so much that you. So there's not so much interaction with, with, uh, spectators. So I think the distraction will be a little less. But I don't have a problem. I actually enjoy to meet people, and, uh, just it's a joy to welcome them at my home.
Tom Kelly: [00:30:48] Well, I had the opportunity to go a year and a half ago, and I really enjoyed it. Uh, one last question is kind of a big one as we lead up, uh, uh, to 2030, US biathlon has a long term strategic plan which is targeting getting on the Olympic podium by 2030. How would you assess where the team is right now, and what's it going to take to elevate the performance, to challenge for medals when we get to the 23 Olympics, 2030 Olympics, which probably are going to be in France?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:31:19] Yeah. Um, I think we have many, many things we, we, we can improve, but, uh, very often it's also a budget, budget thing. So we first of all, we need we need good sponsors and good partnerships also for the future, especially for 26 and 30 to reach those goals. That's one thing. And then we need, first of all, good outlets and lots of outlets. We need to increase the quantity of, of uh, of the pool of the outlets pool. Um, that's I think will be crucial to actually could fish from that pond and, and, and just, you know, uh, figure out who is, uh, most talented or who have, who has the most talent also for work, it's not just the talent itself, but it's also the talent to work hard. And this finding, this balance, uh, I think that's also crucial. And yeah, education, coaches, education, uh, will be a part of it. I think that's that's something we need, we need to improve at. And then there is other parts like a domestic series maybe in future to actually exposure have more exposure in the country, in US and give not just exposure to spectators but especially to, to athletes who might try this sport so or would like to do this sport. So, domestic series will be also something we need to to work on or similar setups. Uh, cooperation with cross country will be a crucial factor too. It's just a matter on how how they develop and we develop and find good synergies and see where, uh, and how we actually can find those good cooperations.
Tom Kelly: [00:33:20] I love that concept of a domestic series. So, uh, Armand, we're going to close this out with a section we call on target. Just a few wrap up questions for you. And the first one is one that I ask all of my guests. What is your favorite biathlon venue around the world? And with you, I'm going to qualify it. You can't say Antholz.
Armin Auchentaller: [00:33:40] I was about to say Antholz. I was about to say Antholz, but one uh, I actually, I don't know if all the American, uh, spectators would love that, but I loved, uh, Canmore quite a bit. And, uh, this season it was a good, a good ending. And I really loved the new setup in Soldier Hollow. So the American, the American venues are moving up, they're doing a good job. And I'm really happy that that we actually can have American North American World Cups. The the. It should just happen more often. More often, not just every four years. That's my wish here.
Tom Kelly: [00:34:26] That's a great one. I think a lot of us here, not a lot of us, all of us were really proud that the World Cup ended in the US and in Canada. Um, another one for you. And you can go to Anholt's on this one if you want. But what's your favorite pizza on the World Cup tour?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:34:43] Oh. Favorite pizza? That's a great question, Tom. Um, I have a favorite place where I go to eat. To eat pizza. Uh, but I don't use it when I'm on tour, actually. But it's close to my home. It's in Bruneck and those guys do a really good pizza, so, um, I don't really have so much time to eat pizza when I'm on tour.
Tom Kelly: [00:35:11] That's fine. Anybody you can reach out to Armin, and he'll tell you where to go in Bruneck. Uh, how about a favorite activity when you're back home in Ancoats? What's a favorite outdoor activity for you?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:35:23] My absolute favorite activity is mountain biking and also some hiking. So those are the things I'm doing outdoors, especially mountain biking with a couple of friends of mine. And that's what I love to do to, you know. Yeah. To clear my head.
Tom Kelly: [00:35:41] Beautiful.
Tom Kelly: [00:35:42] Do you go all the way up to the tops of those mountains on your mountain bike?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:35:46] I do go up to the tops. Uh, I just bike everywhere. Everywhere.
Tom Kelly: [00:35:52] So love.
Tom Kelly: [00:35:53] It. Love it. Last question. If you could sum up what biathlon means to you in just one word, what would that be? One word. What is biathlon mean to you?
Armin Auchentaller: [00:36:05] Life? School? I would say a life school. Um. It's extremely rewarding, but also extremely humbling.
Tom Kelly: [00:36:17] Armen Auchentaller, thank you so much for joining us from Bend, Oregon, the national team training camp. Wish you all the best this summer and the preparation period. We'll see you back on the tour next fall.
Armin Auchentaller: [00:36:28] Thanks. Thanks, Tom. Thanks, everybody. Thanks for supporting us. Ciao, ciao.