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The Sleeper Comes Alive - An interview with U.S. Biathlete Tim Burke
Published: Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:00 AM MDT You’ll usually get a smile and a good-natured laugh when you see Tim Burke. At least if he knows you. He’s reserved in unfamiliar crowds. Mindful of his manners. Respectful. He gives a good solid handshake. He’s the kind of guy girls want to bring home to their parents and say, “we’re getting married.”  Tim Burke racing at the World Championships Faster Skier was able to catch up with Tim Burke over email as he prepares for the 2007-08 season at the Torsby ski tunnel in Sweden. Faster Skier: Tim, you had an incredible 2006-07 season on the biathlon World Cup. In fact, some folks who follow Nordic skiing might have been asking, "Tim who?" To what do you attribute what appears to be a meteoric rise to top international level? Tim Burke: During the 06/07 season I had a lot of things come together at the same time that led to a great season. Prior to the season, I started working with Per Nilsson and Mikael Lofgren [2 x Olympic Bronze medalist and former World Cup Overall champion]. These guys brought the quality of my training to a new level and they also gave me a huge amount of confidence in both my training and my own ability. Besides working with two of the best coaches, I was also healthy for the entire 06/07 season. In fact, I only missed a few training days during the entire year due to sickness. FS: You were not a Junior Olympics star and flew somewhat under the radar as a junior athlete in comparison to your recent level of performance. Of course there is always more to the story behind someone's rise to success. Do you have some insight you can give people into how you developed as an athlete to your current level? TB: I definitely feel that I dealt with my fair share of bad luck as a junior and young senior athlete. I missed a huge amount of training and racing with mononucleosis in 2000, a major hip surgery in 2002 and mono again in 2004. I feel that these setbacks never really let me show my full potential as a junior. Despite these problems, I always continued to dream big and work hard and I think that is ultimately why I have been able to attain my current level. With that said, I still have a ways to go if I am to reach my goals for the coming seasons. FS: You grew up skiing in Lake Placid with fellow U.S. Biathlon Team member, Lowell Bailey, and Nordic Combined World Championship silver medalist, Bill Demong. Do you feel that sort of youth environment has figured into all of your collective successes? TB: Definitely. I was very fortunate to grow up training with guys like Billy and Lowell. I think we all benefited tremendously from having such a competitive youth and junior program in Lake Placid. FS: What are your relationships to this day with these two guys? TB: Lowell lives in Lake Placid as well, so we train together pretty much everyday. We also spend a lot of time together in training camps and on the road all winter. I don’t get to see Billy as often but we always keep in close contact. We also train together as much as possible when he is home visiting in Lake Placid. I get to see Bill the most during the winter, when he is on Eurosport television throwing down! FS: Biathlon is still a very esoteric sport in the American public eye, and even among Nordic skiers. But in Europe, the sport enjoys a fanaticism akin to the American NASCAR following. What does biathlon have that makes it so popular in Europe, and what makes you want to be a biathlete as opposed to just simply being a fast Nordic ski racer? TB: Biathlon is an extremely spectator friendly sport, with head to head competitions, a variety of athletes capable of winning and many lead changes throughout each race. I think this unpredictability creates a drama that the fans are drawn to. I guess I am drawn to biathlon for the same reasons as the fans. There is never a boring moment in any biathlon race, especially when you can easily move up or down 30 places in one shooting stage. FS: Last season, Ole Einar Bjoerndalen became the first biathlete ever to win a FIS Cross Country Skiing World Cup. What implication does Ole Einar's feat have on both biathlon and cross country ski racing? TB: I don’t think anyone ever really doubted Ole’s ability to win a cross country world cup but I do think this feat brings more credibility to the ski speed of biathletes. Obviously Ole wins many biathlon World Cups throughout the season, but he is by no means always the fastest skier in biathlon. I think that says a lot about the quality of skiers on the biathlon World Cup. FS: The men's U.S. Biathlon Team ended the 2007 season in 10th place in the world, the highest ranking in history. Where are you and your teammates physically, psychologically, and emotionally right now? TB: This is by far the most professional team that I have ever been on. Everyone on this team expects big results and we all train accordingly. This type of focus has created a positive atmosphere that everyone benefits from. It’s really hard to even compare what’s going on now with the team as apposed to a few years ago. FS: Where are you as a team, 3 seasons from the next Olympic Games in Vancouver? TB: I think we are in a good position with three seasons to go before Vancouver. We have four guys on the team who have had international success in the past (Jay Hakkinen, Jeremy Teela, Lowell Bailey) and we are all motivated to succeed in the future. With that said, we realize that we need to bring our level up another step if we are going to be true medal contenders in 2010. FS: Last year, you became a relative celebrity on the Biathlon World Cup almost overnight, garnering regular coverage by television production and a significant increase in fan adoration. Has this changed your life in any way, or perhaps the way you see yourself and how you act in the public eye? TB: Of course it’s nice to get recognition for my hard work and I really appreciate all of the support, but I am in biathlon because I love to compete. If I started changing the way I act because of my recent success, then I would be in biathlon for entirely the wrong reasons. FS: Do you feel your popularity among the sport's big fans is in essence you filling the role of a modern American star in the sport? TB: I think the European fans really enjoy rooting for someone who is not from one of the “major” biathlon nations, like Norway, Germany, or Russia. I don’t think I would get as much attention if I were competing for a European country. FS: How do your teammates respond to your popularity in Europe? TB: We all get a good laugh over it. FS: You have Swedish coaches and you are currently spending a lot of time in Sweden and training in Europe. How are the coaches at dealing with you and the rest of the team as Americans? TB: I think the coaches have adapted very well to working with us. Per and Mikael are the perfect fit for our team so we really didn’t need much time to adapt to each other. I was definitely a little nervous for our first training camp last year but I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. FS: How do you see the living situation and extended stays in Europe as helping or hurting your performance, motivation, and enjoyment of what you're doing? TB: There are definitely pluses and minuses to spending so much time in Europe but I wouldn’t be here if I thought my time in Europe hurt my performance. For me, being in Europe is a great opportunity to train next to some of the best biathletes and skiers in the world. Europe also has some incredible venues to train at as well as a multitude of summer skiing options. When a European camp is set up right, these factors easily outweigh the negatives of extra travel and time away from home. FS: Thanks for your time Tim, and good luck in the coming season. TB: Thanks, my pleasure! To check out more on Tim Burke and follow his 2007-08 preparation and competition season go to: www.timburke.us For more about U.S. Biathlon: www.usbiathlon.com Related Articles on FasterSkier.com: Tim Burke Fourth, Jeremy Teela Fifth in Ostersund Pursuit Tim Burke Wins Ostersund Sprint; Lowell Bailey Nabs Third Place  On the podium! Chad Salmela is the head ski coach at The College of St. Scholastica and is an owner of Midnight Sun Adventure Company, in Duluth, Minnesota. He is a former member of the U.S. Biathlon Team and has been the color commentator of the Biathlon World Cup on OLN, FSN, and NESN, as well as at the Olympics on NBC.
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