2023-2024 Elite Biathlon and Para Nordic Team
Meet the Athletes
+ Dani Aravich
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: Boise, ID
Age: 27
School: Butler University
Super Power: Teleportation
More: Dani was recruited by US Para Nordic in 2019 and hasn’t looked back since. Dani grew up an avid athlete, and went on to run Division 1 cross country and track and field. She began her business career after college in the NBA, and while working was approached to give the Paralympics a shot. She started training in 2019, and later that year she tried nordic skiing. She was one of four Team USA athletes to qualify for the summer and winter Paralympic Games just 6 months apart. Outside of biathlon and skiing, Dani works for Team USA as a social media coordinator, and for Parity in sports sponsorship sales. She is a 2x Paralympian in track and field, nordic skiing and biathlon, and a recent World Champion in mixed para nordic team relay. Dani additionally spends time focusing on disability advocacy efforts.
Sponsors: Bridgestone Tires, Challenged Athletes Foundation, Ciena, Toko, Madshus, Pit Viper, Skratch Labs, Chirp
Website: daniaravich.com
+ Vincent Bonacci
Pronouns: He/Him
Hometown: Salt Lake City
Age: 23
School: University of Utah
Super Power: Flight
More: Vincent, a very dialed and competitive athlete, got his start in biathlon at a hometown race in West Yellowstone, the traditional day-before-Thanksgiving race in fact. He is drawn to Crosscut to train because it is a pro-level biathlon club that is close enough to his hometown, Salt Lake City. Vincent was part of the 2023 World Championship team, and he is currently on the USBA B-team. This year he is looking forward to solid training and participating in various training camps throughout the year. Outside of biathlon, Vincent loves to ride his bike and go on mountain running adventures.
Sponsors: Madshus, Rudy Project
+ Etienne Bordes
Pronouns: He/Him
Hometown: Tahoe City, CA
Age: 21
School: North Tahoe HS June 2021
Super Power: Telekinesis (could never miss a target)
More: Etienne aka TT is half French and grew up in the mountains of California skiing since age two! He grew up doing both cross country and alpine skiing but as time went on, he drifted more to the racing world of cross country skiing. He came across biathlon in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the sport. Since then he has competed at the Youth Olympic Games in 2020 and Youth Junior World Championships in 2021. Last year he spent all his time living and racing in La Clusaz, France making friends, learning, and eating all the food he could (SO MUCH CHEESE). Now, he is working on being a filmmaker/photographer by any means necessary and has dreams to put his ideas on the silver screen for everyone to see! He is really excited for what the future holds and can’t wait to race this season!
+ Nik Burkhart
Pronouns: He/Him
Hometown: Squaw Valley, CA
Age: 21
School: North Tahoe HS, June 2020
Super Power: Night Vision
More: Nik began biathlon at the early age of 10 as a Strider Glider in Tahoe using laser guns! Since then he has graduated to real rifles and has gone on to represent Team USA at multiple Youth and Junior World Championships. A confident, resourceful and handy person, Nik is always a great athlete to have around to bring the focus and drive in practice. He is excited to see where biathlon takes him after restructuring his approach to training and surrounding himself with other competitive juniors at Crosscut. In his free time, Nik enjoys surfing, sailing, sewing and meditation.
Sponsors: Salomon
+ Tim Cobb
Pronouns: He/Him
Hometown: Westoford, VT
Age: 22
School: MSU ‘24
Super Power: Teleportation
More: After taking part in a Biathlon camp in Lake Placid, Tim was hooked on the sport. His first race was a Cochrans Nordic X race. Since then, he has competed at World Juniors and looks to qualify again this year. He is drawn to Crosscut due to its proximity to MSU and the ability to compete in Biathlon while in college. He is also excited about the new roller loop that Crosscut is building. Outside of biathlon, Tim loves to fly fish and backcountry ski.
Sponsors: Rossignol, Untapped
+ Amanda Kautzer
Hometown: Plymouth, MN
Age: 25
School: Michigan Tech, Masters in Mechanical Engineering
Super Power: Not needing to sleep!
More: Not only a full time Biathlete racing on the IBU cup, Amanda or Mandy, is also a full time Engineer with a masters degree! She is also a master plant mother, kombucha brewer and loves cooking, baking, mountain biking, water skiing and water colors! One of her favorite races outside of biathlon was the Miners Revenge Mountain Biking Triple Crown which combined Cross Country, Enduro and Downhill. Her teammates might describe Mandy as calm, clumsy, and busy, but on skis or with her rifle she is definitely far from clumsy!
Sponsors: Enjoy Winter, Coros, Madshus
+ Michael Kneeland
Hometown: Bozeman, MT
Age: 17
School: Heritage Christian, High School Junior
Super Power: Triceps
More: Michael spent his first 12 years in Dandong China, within sight of North Korea. Once he got to Bozeman, within 24 hours he was on a hand cycle, and he hasn’t slowed down. While he enjoys street and mountain hand cycling, wheelchair basketball, throwing in track and field, Taekwondo, swimming, and downhill skiing, biathlon is his greatest love. His ability to walk on his hands while wearing his sit ski has become legendary. When he isn’t working out, he enjoys singing, playing multiple instruments, Robotics, and strategy board games. As for the future, he has his eye on engineering or medicine… or maybe a combination! Michael is very grateful for this opportunity to be part of Crosscut’s team!
+ Van Ledger
Pronouns: He/Him
Hometown: Lake Placid, NY
Age: 21
School: MSU ‘25
Super Power: Time Travel
More: Van started skiing about the same time he learned how to walk and was toeing start lines of races at age 9. Shortly after he realized how much more fun skiing was when a rifle and target was involved! In 2020 Van had the opportunity to compete for Team USA at the Youth Olympic Games. When he’s not skiing in circles or shooting targets you can find Van jumping out of airplanes, backcountry skiing, mountain biking or rock climbing. He is drawn to Crosscut because of the amazing team and the opportunities in/around Bozeman, and is very excited to compete at Junior Trials this December!
+ Chloe Levins
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: Rutland, VT
School: Middlebury College
Super Power: Perfect Memory
More: Chloe Levins has been representing the United States on the world stage in biathlon since 2015. As a Junior National Team athlete, she competed in six consecutive Junior World Championships and the 2016 Youth Olympic Games. Levins achieved six top-10 finishes at the highest level of completion for junior biathletes in the world while attending Middlebury College as a member of the class of 2020. Levins graduated Middlebury with Summa Cum Laude honors in Neuroscience and pre-medical studies. She played Varsity Golf for the college all four years and achieved conference Player of the Year and NCAA All-American Honorable Mention her junior season. Since graduating Middlebury, Levins has pursued biathlon full-time and has participated in two World Championship competitions as a senior biathlete. In her spare time, Chloe still enjoys to play golf and nestle up with a good book.
+ Lexie Madigan
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: Lake Tahoe, CA
Age: 21
School: MSU ‘25
Super Power: Luck - this would add sprinkles on top of the goals I work so hard to achieve!
More: When she was in 7th grade, Lexie saw biathlon on TV for the first time and knew she had to try it. After making the move up to Lake Tahoe for a winter to try biathlon, she hasn’t looked back! Although Lexie doesn’t totally remember her first race, she does remember beating Nik Burkhart (a current Crosscut teammate.) Her favorite race was the 2018 junior nationals sprint, where the sun was shining and felt extra warm in contrast to the previous cold week racing at Junior Worlds in Estonia. This warmth embodies Lexie’s confidence, ambition and optimism. When not training or doing school, Lexie loves reading, slacklining, swimming, cornhole, and soccer in the backyard with friends.
Sponsors: Fischer, Sauce Active
+ Sydney Peterson
Bio coming soon.
+ Paul Schommer
Name: He/HimHometown: Appleton, WI
Age: 31
School: The College of St. Scholastica, May ‘15
Super Power: Teleportation (to see wife and dog every night!) More: Paul was introduced to biathlon by his college coach, Chad Salmela. In 2022, he made his Olympic debut at the Beijing Winter Games, placing 7th in the mixed relay and 35th in the individual. Outside of biathlon he enjoys biking, hunting, archery, camping, paddling, cooking and exploring among other things. His favorite race ever was the Pole Pedal Paddle which combines skiing, biking, and kayaking. What draws Paul most to Crosscut is the “incredible community of people here”.
Sponsors: JJ Keller Foundation, Reign Body Fuel, Rhino Rack, Rogers
Website: http://paulschommer.com
+ Ben Sites
Hometown: Bozeman
Age: 19
School: Bozeman High School, ‘22. MSU ‘26
Super Power: Flying
More: Growing up locally, Ben has been a huge part of the Bozeman Biathlon community since he was in second grade and shooting on the previous Bohart Ranch shooting range. Since then Bohart has shifted to Crosscut, and graduated to a 30 point range. He is a determined, funny and chill guy who is excited to continue gaining speed, strength and accuracy on the shooting range this year. He is most proud of going to Norway to represent Team USA for the Liatoppen Skiskyskating Ski Festival.
+ Ty Wiberg
Name: He/Him
Hometown: Chippewa Falls, WI
Age: 21
School: MSU
Super Power: Telekinesis - then I wouldn’t have to use a shelf to get things off the top shelf!
More: Ty Wiberg, a very supportive, energizing and positive athlete, was first introduced to biathlon at a training camp in lake placid where they had some extra rifles to try out. His first race was the Soldier Hollow Sitski Nationals where he remembers shooting “absolutely awful”, but had the most fun he had ever had! Since joining Crosscut, Ty has not only been an influential mentor to other upcoming sitskiers, but is an absolute joy to have around. Not to mention, he has had some awesome performances at Sitski Nationals and gotten to race in Germany! What draws Ty to Crosscut is the community and the coaching for the para biathlon and nordic teams.
+ Helen Wilson
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: Eagle River, Alaska
Age: 22
School: MSU ‘23
Super Power: Teleportation! So much time saved on commuting!
More: Helen was first introduced to biathlon when she was 12, and immediately got hooked on the sport (even the 1-hour commute didn’t deter her!). Throughout middle and high school, she pursued biathlon along with cross-country running, swimming, track & field (mainly the track part), and figure skating. She eventually migrated to Bozeman in 2021 and joined the Crosscut Elite Team after being influenced by their dominating presence at national biathlon events. Her favorite part of Bozeman is the extensive trail system, the ability to bike to most places, and the number of Alaska friends who live here. Helen has represented Team USA at seven Youth Junior World Biathlon Championships and contributes her success to Coach Seth’s stress-inducing shooting games. When not found hunched over a laptop grinding on homework or excessively sweating during a training session, you can find her suntanning in the backyard, visiting the farmers market with friends, and trying new recipes in the kitchen.
+ Ari Woods
Name: She/Her
Hometown: McCall, ID
Age: 23
School: Bachelors of Science in Conservation Biology and Ecology & Minor in Photography at MSU, May 2022
First Race: Biathlon in West Yellowstone! Got chocolate for hitting all 5 targets down.
Super Power: Teleportation
More: Ari first got involved in Biathlon during a “Try Biathlon'' camp hosted by Algis in Jericho VT after competing at XC Skiing Junior Nationals in 2014. Since then she has competed at Junior Worlds a number of times. She has been in Bozeman circa 2013 and has since fallen in love with the mountain ranges as well as the passionate and supportive community out here. Outside of biathlon, she enjoys many things such as backcountry skiing, painting, enduro races, studying wolverines, salmonfly and birds of prey, ripsticking, cooking, kayaking and hanging out with friends, family, and pets. This year Ari is looking forward to being a full time athlete for the first time in her life, and getting to concentrate all of her time and effort into one primary activity. Catch her racing in Europe this winter as she is making her debut on the IBU cup!
Sponsors: Rossignol, Yates
+ Cale Woods
Nickname: G Money
Hometown: McCall, ID
Age: 19
School: MSU
Super Power: Flight, I wanna soar like an Eagle
More: A Bozeman native, Cale has been a part of the Bridger/Crosscut Biathlon community ever since he was a much smaller version of himself. The only thing Cale remembers from his first race was thinking “Wooah, this is fun, it’s like a nordic race except I get to take a break in the middle of it!” Since his early start, Cale has participated in the youth olympics and a handful of youth and junior world championships. This is Cale’s last year on the Junior circuit and he is looking forward to seeing himself improve and grow, not only as an athlete and competitor, but as a person. Outside of biathlon, Cale enjoys mountain biking, running, skateboarding, downhill shredding and ballin’.
+ Nicole Zaino
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: Brookfield, CT
Age: 27
School: Clarkson University '18, University of Washington '23
More: After 3 years of playing sled hockey, Nicole decided to transition to sit skiing. She would describe herself as determined, passionate, curious, and always excited to try new things - and fail along the way. Nicole says she was drawn to the Crosscut team based on the community and coaching they offered for Para Nordic. Although the ‘22/’23 season was her first year racing, Nicole has already become a talented and speedy sit skier. She has also designed and built her own Sit Ski frame. This stemmed from her passion towards access to mobility aids including adaptive sports equipment as well as her background in Engineering. (PhD in Mechanical Engineering!). Outside of skiing, she consults for biomechanics, assistive technology and powered mobility fields. Lastly, her favorite race to date is the Ski to the Sun race in the Methow Valley due to it’s beautiful scenery and fantastic community.