Photos: Training for the biathlon

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HAWLEY, Minn., USA — Danelle Card practices her marksmanship at a makeshift shooting range near her rural Hawley, Minn., home on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. She and other members of the North Dakota National Guard biathlon team will test their shooting and skiing skills at Minnesota's Camp Ripley in late January. (Ann Arbor Miller for MPR News) link to this photo

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HAWLEY, Minn., USA — Spent bullet casings rest in the snow near a makeshift shooting range near Danelle Card's rural Hawley, Minn., home on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. "We'll clean them up in the spring," Card said. (Ann Arbor Miller for MPR News) link to this photo

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HAWLEY, Minn., USA — This is Danelle Card's second year competing in the biathlon, a sport that combines skiing as fast as possible with accurate shooting skills. "I don't like the cold, but for some reason I keep doing this," she said. "I love the competition." (Ann Arbor Miller for MPR News) link to this photo

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HAWLEY, Minn., USA — The path to a small frozen lake near Danelle Card's rural Hawley, Minn., home is well marked. Card and other North Dakota National Guard athletes have been skiing laps around the lake to train for upcoming biathlon competitions. Robby Melland is pictured in the background on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. (Ann Arbor Miller for MPR News) link to this photo

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HAWLEY, Minn., USA — Robby Meland, a member of the North Dakota National Guard biathlon team, talks about the importance of technique during an interview on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. "Everything in Nordic skiing is about efficiency," he said. Meland, 29, spent several months last year competing against and learning from some of the best biathletes in the world. (Ann Arbor Miller for MPR News) link to this photo

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HAWLEY, Minn., USA — Danelle Card, left, and Robby Melland, right, plan to join other members of the North Dakota National Guard biathlon team at Minnesota's Camp Ripley in late January to test their skiing and shooting skills. Here, a small snow-covered lake near Card's rural Hawley, Minn., home provides an opportunity to demonstrate skiing techniques. (Ann Arbor Miller for MPR News) link to this photo

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HAWLEY, Minn., USA — The western Minnesota prairie provides a picturesque backdrop as Robby Melland, left, and Danelle Card, right, ski around a small snow-covered lake near Card's rural Hawley, Minn., home on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. Melland, Card and other members of the North Dakota National Guard biathlon team will test their shooting and skiing skills at Minnesota's Camp Ripley in late January. (Ann Arbor Miller for MPR News) link to this photo