Fishe Team Showcase
Heather Percy and the Alaska Team That Won the National Guard Biathlon
Some wins deserve more than a quick announcement. In February 2022, Fishe team member and Alaska National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Heather Percy helped Alaska earn first place overall in the women’s division at the Annual Chief of the National Guard Biathlon Championships.
The result brought together endurance, precision, winter experience, and the kind of team commitment that feels deeply connected to life in Alaska.
Quick Take
Heather competed with three Alaska teammates at Camp Ripley, Minnesota. Their Alaska National Guard team finished first overall in the women’s category against competitors from across the country.
In This Story
Why You Should Trust This Article
This rebuild is based on official Alaska National Guard reporting published after the February 2022 championship. The event details, team members, race formats, and results come from that public record.
The original Fishe article body was no longer available in Shopify, so no missing quotations or personal commentary have been recreated or attributed to Heather.
A National Guard Championship Win
More than 120 competitors representing 30 states gathered at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, for the championships held February 12–17, 2022.
The Alaska contingent included seven athletes. Heather joined Angela Horn, Anna Knopes, and Tracy Dooley on the women’s team that secured first place overall.
The competition included four distinct events: a 7.5-kilometer sprint, a 9-kilometer pursuit, a relay, and a patrol race designed around a military-style team operation.
Winning across that format requires more than one standout performance. It rewards a team that can manage speed, fatigue, shooting accuracy, communication, and changing race demands over several days.
What Makes Biathlon So Demanding
Biathlon combines cross-country skiing with precision rifle shooting. Athletes ski with a rifle carried on their back, then stop between laps to shoot from prone and standing positions.
The physical-to-mental transition is the challenge. A racer arrives at the range with an elevated heart rate and tired muscles, yet must settle her breathing, establish a stable position, and make accurate shots.
Missed targets add penalty distance, so raw ski speed cannot cover every mistake. The best performance comes from balancing urgency with control.
That combination gives the sport a clear connection to military readiness. Fitness, marksmanship fundamentals, decision-making under stress, and the ability to regain composure all matter.
Biathlon asks an athlete to move fast, recover quickly, and become precise at the exact moment fatigue makes precision hardest.
Celebrating Heather Percy
Heather’s place on the winning team deserves recognition. It also fits a longer record of commitment to the sport and to service.
Heather already had a long record of service. In 2019, official Alaska National Guard reporting identified her as a combat medic with 18 years of combined National Guard, Reserve, and active service. That year, she competed at the Western Regional Biathlon Competition and reaffirmed her service commitment at Utah’s Soldier Hollow Nordic Center.
She also helped Alaska’s women earn a silver medal in the relay at the 2019 Chief, National Guard Bureau Biathlon Championships.
By 2022, Heather had reached the top with Team Alaska. The progression reflects years of training rather than a single lucky race.
At Fishe, we celebrate women who pursue difficult goals, make room for adventure, and bring others into the experience. Heather’s achievement represents all three.
An Alaska Kind of Achievement
Winter sports are woven into life in Alaska, but familiarity with snow does not make national competition easy.
The Alaska athletes trained largely on their own time. They also gathered to ski together and meet at a biathlon range near Kincaid Park in Anchorage.
Community support mattered alongside individual discipline. Coaches, teammates, volunteers, local facilities, and people willing to share time and knowledge helped create the conditions for the team to compete.
That idea feels familiar to Fishe. Outdoor confidence rarely develops in isolation. It grows when women see each other participating, learn from one another, and feel welcomed into spaces that once seemed difficult to enter.
Cold-Weather Performance Starts With the Right Layers
Biathlon equipment is specialized, but the underlying lesson applies to almost every cold-weather adventure: movement becomes easier when your layers manage warmth without unnecessary bulk.
Fishe’s current thermal collection is designed for winter fishing, skiing, hiking, travel, and other active days when comfort needs to keep up with changing effort levels.
HaliBorealis Thermal 1/4 Zip Top
A midweight stretch layer built for warmth, movement, and easy ventilation during active cold-weather days.
HaliBorealis Thermal Active Leggings
Warm active leggings designed to layer, stretch, and move through winter fishing and outdoor recreation.
Steel My Heart Thermal Active Leggings
A cold-weather legging that combines practical warmth with the bold steelhead artwork at the heart of Fishe.
Why This Story Still Matters
The original post was intended to celebrate a team member. That purpose is still the right one.
Women’s accomplishments deserve meaningful context. Heather did not merely participate in a local winter event. She competed at a national championship and helped Alaska win the women’s overall category.
Stories like hers widen the picture of what an outdoor woman can be: an angler, athlete, service member, teammate, mentor, and determined competitor.
They also remind us that achievement often happens far from a spotlight. It happens during personal training time, repeated practice, difficult travel, missed targets, penalty loops, and the decision to return for another race.
A Well-Earned Congratulations
Congratulations to Heather Percy and the full Alaska National Guard women’s biathlon team on an exceptional first-place finish.
The championship brought together strength, precision, service, and teamwork. Those are qualities worth celebrating in 2022—and worth preserving in the Fishe story today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Heather Percy win?
Heather was part of the Alaska National Guard women’s biathlon team that placed first overall at the 2022 Annual Chief of the National Guard Biathlon Championships.
Who competed with Heather on the women’s team?
The winning Alaska women’s team included Heather Percy, Angela Horn, Anna Knopes, and Tracy Dooley.
Where was the championship held?
The competition took place at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, in February 2022.
What events are included in a National Guard biathlon championship?
The 2022 championship included a 7.5-kilometer sprint, a 9-kilometer pursuit, a relay, and a military-style patrol race.
What is biathlon?
Biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle marksmanship. Competitors must control their breathing and shoot accurately after strenuous ski laps.
Does Fishe make clothing for cold-weather outdoor activities?
Yes. Fishe offers thermal tops and leggings designed for layering, movement, and active winter use. Product availability varies by pattern and size.
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