Board Election Statements

Vote for the board here. Poll opens October 15-21 end of day.

Josie Nelson

My name is Josie Nelson, and I live full-time near the 00 trailhead. My husband and I help coach the Hayward Nordic Ski team. Several of the kids on our team are really excited about the potential for a youth biathlon program. 

I have no experience with biathlon, but I am a very passionate skier. I have finished 25 Birkies (including 5 times on the classic podium). I have an undergraduate degree in kinesiology and a doctorate in physical therapy. Along with Nordic ski coaching, I coach cross country running and homeschool our 12-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son. 

My gifting lies more in hands-on coaching than in the administrative and organizational needs of forming a club. However, with my close connection to the ski community and my strong interest in youth development, I wish to serve on the board for Telemark Biathlon. 

Greg Simpson

I am currently a resident of Hayward. I moved here only a year ago but I have been a part of the biking and skiing community for a number of years prior. I relocated from Lake Nebagamon, where I am also a ‘native’ of. 

I am a ‘Birkie’ skier, participating in many the ski and bike events. For those that I do not participate in I volunteer in a variety of capacities (with the exception of she-de-ski, of course.) For Birkie week I ski open track Wednesday then am on the ‘baggage crew’ for the rest of the week. Doing ‘baggage’ is a demanding and critical task and one that I take great pride in being a part of each year.

I have been shooting since I was young and at times have participated in shooting leagues (pistol and trap.) For a number of years I was a ‘sponsored’ target archer and competed at the regional and state level. 

I have followed biathlon for a number of years and starting this fall I have been receiving lessons from the Duluth XC club on the specifics of shooting a biathlon rifle.

I have extensive board experience through my church, Trinity Lutheran in Lake Nebagamon, serving on the board as often as the bylaws allow and for all but my first year served as either the vice-president or president. I was president when COVID struck and helped us navigate through this troubling time. I was vice-president and chair of the call committee when we searched for a new pastor. Besides my duties as an officer I also lead a number facility projects (new roof, ceiling acoustical tiles, etc.) and my last official project before relocating to Hayward was to implement a live video streaming service and process. 

In my ‘day job’ I work from home for apparel retailer that is headquartered in Duluth, MN. I have worked here for more than 26 years with my first 15+/- in IT and then as a technical director and project manager on our eCommerce team. I have fairly strong technical background.

I am very much looking forward to seeing biathlon come to Telemark and adding to the Birkie vision. And I look forward to taking an active role, in which ever capacity I best fit, to make this vision a reality. 

Jackie Peterson

Jackie Peterson is an licensed USBA coach, having worked with local biathlon clubs to support and coach their youth and para athletes at local races and the US National Championships and Youth International team trials from 2022 to 2024. She brings a deep understanding of the USBA organization and USSS Nordic Ski Development programs, with a focus on encouraging greater participation in the sports.

Additionally, Jackie worked with the Stillwater Area High School Nordic Ski Team to formalize their Booster Club and establish additional fundraising mechanisms. Jackie has also coached youth teams in soccer and basketball. She is passionate about introducing more kids to skiing and biathlon to keep active outdoors.

With nearly 30 years of corporate executive experience in manufacturing, engineering, R&D, and supply chain, Jackie is now an executive coach, helping managers transition into executive roles.

Her daughter, Sydney, is a Paralympic 3x medalist, and her son, Carson skis for St. Scholastica, and has earned multiple podiums at USBA nationals as a youth biathlete. 

Jackie splits her time between her cabin in Seeley, WI, and her home in Lake Elmo, MN, with her husband, Dale Peterson.

Irv Lerner

I would like to nominate myself for one of the open board positions and could be active in any of the areas except social media/tech. 

My background is that I have been a lifelong competitive target rifle shooter (in the US and internationally) and a longstanding xc skier (33 Birkie). I had some rudimentary experience in biathlon both as an official and a participant and am determined that biathlon at the Birkie venue succeed.

Shawna Barnes

I am interested in nominating myself as a general board member with a specialty in tech/web. 

I am a website designer with a focus on accessible design. My sister, Andrea Mayo, was in biathlon for many years. I am familiar with it and I am passionate about supporting our community.

I am currently the treasurer on the board for SMART (See My Art), and running two businesses (S. Barnes Designs and The Nook) in Cable, WI.

Trent Ping

I’m excited to be a part of the Telemark Biathlon Club. I live in La Crosse, Wisconsin with my wife and 2 children. We spend most of our weekends in Cable out on the trails. I started a MYSL SkiSparks program in La Crosse and lead the group for 4 years. I’m a nordic enthusiast and excited to get my kids involved with biathlon. 

Wade Pearson

I’m interested in being a part of the Telemark Biathlon Club. I moved to Hayward in November 2023 so I could live where the skiing is good, and knowing that there were plans for a biathlon range at the Birkie trailhead/ Telemark Village area helped me make that decision.

I’m a huge fan of biathlon. I participated in the sport when I was in high school, winters of ’81-’82 and ’82-’83. A friend of mine and I talked our way onto a team that was being formed by the ROTC program at NDSU. It was a pretty rag-tag, cobbled together operation, had to convert military issue target rifles for use as biathlon rifles. With only a couple months prep, our team managed to place three biathletes in the top five at the state National Guard competition that year (none of us were Guard members, I think only one was even ROTC). That experience was a far cry from what biathlon is today, but the experience profoundly changed my life as it exposed me to serious athletes and got me training with them. I doubt I’d be as fit and healthy as I am now had it not been for biathlon, so I’d like to do what I can to give back to the sport. 

I’d be happy to serve as a member of the board of directors. I have recently been on the board of directors of two not-for-profit organizations in the St. Louis area (folk dance organizations). 

Tom Taggart

I am very interested in supporting with fundraising and also participating. I took a biathlon course at CrossCut in Bozeman and loved it. I am newly retired and could also provide “uneducated” help.

Joel Harrison

In addition to being one of Hayward’s most friendly guys and co-owner of New Moon Ski and Bike, Joel competed on the national biathlon level and has helped with other biathlon initiatives in the area in the last few years.

Dirk Shelley

Dirk has been on board with developing early initiatives around the development of the Telemark Biathlon club, including organizing our first Try It day at the recent Birkie Trail Run, getting all kinds of materials prepped and made, working with local print shops for signs, banners and t-shirts. With experience at other club sites in the state, Dirk has been instrumental in casting an ambitious vision of what the club can and should be.

Matt Wheeler

I’m a long time fan of the sport, newer to skiing and very new to biathlon. When I moved to Hayward, one of my “10 year goals” was to be doing biathlon, even if I’m the slowest, most penalty lap skiing biathlete out there! So when I heard that biathlon was coming to Birkie, I knew I wanted to help make the dream a reality. I’ve played a small role with the Birkie team on range concepts, helped with fundraising for the range, and getting the first steps of club development underway. If I think about the club 5 years from now, I see a club that is growing the sport, welcoming to people of all ages and abilities, hosting great events, and developing the next generation of biathletes and parabiathletes.