BRILLION, WI – Oct. 1, 2022 – Several hundred community members gathered at Ariens Nordic Center for a construction open house, meet and greet with the U.S. Biathlon Team, an exhibition race by the team, and an opportunity to take a shot at the range.
“This is a big day for Brillion,” said Dan Ariens, Chairman, and CEO of AriensCo, at Friday’s Construction Open House, including ceremonial “First Shot” to christen the new biathlon range. “It’s a big day for Wisconsin and for U.S. Biathlon. We’re excited to share this world-class facility with the community.”
Biathlon experts Max Cobb, President U.S. Biathlon, and John Morton, owner of Morton Trails, who designed the course, were on hand for the event.
“Within a decade, there will be a young person, probably currently in Junior High, that doesn’t know anything about biathlon, and they’ll be representing the USA in the Olympic games because of this facility,” shared Morton. “When I started this sport in 1968, something like this was just incomprehensible.”
“This is amazing what has been built here,” said Cobb. “It’s a beautiful training venue, and it’s absolutely world-class. I walked around this morning, trying to find something that wasn’t quite right, and I couldn’t find it. We will see this part of Wisconsin, this community, fall in love with Nordic skiing, and that is truly a gift.”
Local member of the U.S. Biathlon Team and Olympian Deedra Irwin of Pulaski, Wis., was on hand for the weekend.
“I can’t stop crying today,” said Deedra. “This is such a beautiful place. It’s an amazing dream that I didn’t even know I had. To be able to do biathlon in my backyard, it’s just amazing.”
Paul Schommer had the honor of shooting a bottle of champagne to officially christen the range.
“To see the Ariens Family do this for the community, to see my dream come true, is amazing,” said Paul.
The U.S. Biathlon Association surprised Dan Ariens with the U.S. Biathlon Gold Medal of Honor. They also honored Monica Ariens, Managing Director of AriensCo Hospitality, and Larry Weyers, President and COO, AriensCo, with the U.S. Biathlon Silver Medal of Honor for their support. Weyers quickly turned over his medal to Stephen Ariens, VP of Rapid Care at AriensCo, for his vision in signing Ariens up as a sponsor of the U.S. Biathlon Team several years back.
On Saturday, nearly 100 adults and children “took a shot at biathlon” with coaching from the U.S. Biathlon Team. Ninety-six slots were sold out for this event, where the participants got one-on-one coaching as you learned to shoot with precision .22 Caliber CZ rifles. Each person was able to shoot 10 rounds at the targets.
Ariens Nordic Center is on track to open in December 2022.
Ariens Nordic Center is located adjacent to Round Lake Farms on 200 acres at the outskirts of Brillion. It will include a year-round trail network for recreation, training and competition for cross-country skiing, biathlon, roller-skiing, running, hiking, and more. The facility will be open to the public and include lighting, snowmaking, a paved roller-ski loop for off-season training, a pond for snowmaking purposes and a 20-point biathlon range. Construction began in November 2021. It is set to open in December 2022.
About AriensCo
Based in Brillion, Wisconsin, AriensCo is a privately-owned global manufacturer of outdoor power equipment for both consumer and commercial markets. Established in 1933, the company manufactures equipment under the Ariens®, Gravely®, RapidCareTM, Countax®, Westwood® and AS-Motor® brand names. It also established AriensCo Hospitality in 2020 with two luxury event venues, Stone Prairie and Round Lake Farms. It is adding the Ariens Nordic Center December 2022. These venues are part of the mission to create reasons to visit the Brillion community. Find us on the web: ariensco.com and AriensCo.com/rapidcare. Join the team at ariensco.com/careers. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Like us on Facebook. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
