Originally from Camrose, Alberta, Canadian Biathlete Melanie Schultz was introduced to the sport at the late age of 17. While always a dedicated athlete, she only began cross-country skiing in high school, and a co-worker from the Augustana biathlon team invited her to try out the sport. Never one to say no, or back down from a challenge, she decided to give it a shot, fell in love with it immediately and began racing that winter.

Following her high school graduation, Melanie travelled for a year as part of a Canada World Youth exchange program to Sri Lanka. During this time she really missed biathlon and upon her return, decided to attend the University of Alberta – Augustana Faculty – where she joined the biathlon team while completing her Bachelor of Science (BSc) with a major in Environmental Sciences and a minor in Physical Education.

In 2008, Melanie moved to Canmore, Alberta, and began training with the Canadian National Biathlon Team. In 2013, after a difficult race season in which she battled various health issues, she decided to officially retire from the sport of biathlon.

After nine years of focused training and racing, I have decided to hang up my skis and rifle and give myself a much needed and much deserved rest. It is clear my body has had enough – you can read more about my decision to retire in my blog post here.

I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all my sponsors, coaches, teammates, support staff, family, friends and fans of my biathlon career for the last nine years. I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish all I have without all of you!

As I’m transitioning into the life of a non-athlete, you can find me working full-time in the patent business at Hicks Intellectual Property Law in Canmore. Other than that I am cooking up a storm in my kitchen and brainstorming how I can raise goats and chickens in my backyard without attracting unwanted attention from bears, cougars and wildlife officers.

Stop by for a visit and I’ll use you as a guinea pig for my latest culinary adventure!