Camp Nashoba North Blog

MODERN PENTATHLON

The 2011 Modern Pentathlon Junior World Championships was held Nov. 17-21 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The U.S. sent six athletes to compete in the prestigious event. The men’s team consisted of brothers Lucas and Nathan Schrimsher (Roswell, NM) as well as Harry Greene (Concord, MA and Nashoba Day staff), while the women’s squad was comprised of Margaux Isaksen (Fayetteville, AR), Samantha Achterberg (Littleton, CO) and Rosalie Purvis (Montgomery City, MO and Nashoba North staff).

Pentathlon

USA Pentathlon (USAP) is the national governing body (NGB) for the Olympic sport of Pentathlon in the United States and as such is the official Member Association (MA) of the Union International de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM). It began in 1910 and has gone through several evolutions to the current association which began in 2008. It has complete authority over all decisions regarding U.S. national youth, junior and senior team selections for UIPM events, including the Summer Olympic Games. USAP conducts national and international events each year. The Modern Pentathlon, introduced at the 5th Olympiad in Stockholm, Sweden in 1912, comprises the contemporary sports of pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and running.

The Olympic sport of Modern Pentathlon holds five World Cup competitions each year. The United States has been granted the first in the series, known as World Cup #1. In each country, a national competition is held to qualify athletes for the World Cup Semi Finals, held on the first day of our event, and excludes the Ride discipline. After the cut, the Finals are a full Pentathlon, which includes the Ride. Men and women compete separately on different days.

The five disciplines that make up the Modern Pentathlon each have their own set of challenges to test an athlete’s adaptable intelligence, physical endurance, precision, self-control and courage.

Fence – épée round-robin

Swim – 200 meter freestyle

Ride – equestrian show jumping on an unfamiliar horse

Run – 3,000 meter cross-country

Shoot – laser target (pistol)

The run and shoot disciplines make up the Combined Event, which requires athletes to stop and shoot between each 1,000 m. lap. This calls for extraordinary stress control skills, while also treating spectators to an exciting finale.

World Cup #1, Feb 20-24 in Palm Springs, California USA

World Cup #2, March 20-24 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

World Cup #3, April 17-21 in Chengdu, China

World Cup #4, May 8-12 in Budapest, Hungary

World Cup Final, May 31-June 2 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia