Biathlete Bill Bowler shares cross-country wisdom at Nine Mile on July 27

Local veteran cross-country skier and biathlete Bill Bowler is returning to Nine Mile County Forest on Monday, July 27, to share advice and recount his Olympic skiing journey that started right here in Wausau.

“I began skiing after watching the Winter Olympics on TV. My brother and I got skis as a Christmas present from my grandmother, and then we started attending lessons after trying it out in the backyard at first,” Bowler remembers. “My favorite memories on the trails are going to Nine Mile as a family on the weekends and just trying to learn as much as we could about the sport together.”

Bowler’s development wasn’t without the help of Wausau locals and college mentors, too.

“Greg and Rachel Kresse also became key coaches for me as a youth skier,” he said. “In addition to the influence of many other great people from the Wausau Nordic Ski Club, Greg and Rachel were responsible for encouraging me to develop some bigger goals in skiing, which began with attending higher-level races including Junior National Qualifiers. Yuriy Gusev with Central Cross Country Skiing also gave me valuable coaching toward the end of my high school career which prepared me very well to take my skiing to the next level.”

Another major influence was Bowler’s college coach at Northern Michigan, Sten Fjeldheim, who taught Bowler how to approach skiing with the highest level of professionalism.

Alongside the mentorship and support, Wausau provided a prime skiing environment and challenging slopes, including the likes of Nine Mile County Forest.

“Interestingly, Nine Mile does have some trails that could rival the most difficult Olympic-level trails known as the ‘Alps.’ Depending on the year and snow coverage, they aren’t always skiable, but they have some of the most difficult consecutive climbs and descents I know of,” Bowler said.

Bowler continued to trek wintry landscapes as a cross-country skier throughout high school and into his college competition at Northern Michigan University in the NCAA. After graduating, Bowler transitioned from cross-country skiing to the biathlon in 2008, introducing new and unexpected challenges.

“The hardest part about transitioning from cross country to biathlon was certainly the shooting aspect,” he said. “I had a bit of a late start, and it’s difficult when you haven’t developed the coordination for it from a younger age. I was fortunate to gain immediate in-depth exposure as a U.S. Biathlon development athlete, however.”

Bowler will be at the Nine Mile County Forest on Monday to pass on the wisdom, experience and knowledge he accumulated after his extensive time competing in the field.

“I’m happy to answer any questions that the younger generation might have, and also to encourage them to develop a lifelong enjoyment of the sport,” he said. “It’s a very healthy lifestyle and it’s more than the results you get! To me, the more important thing is that skiing is just a great way to connect with others and to enjoy the outdoors that we’ve been given.”

The meetup is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, July 27 at Perry’s Fireside at the Nine Mile County Forest. More information can be found on the Wausau Nordic Ski Club Facebook page.