Kelsey Dickinson: Athlete & Advocate

A veteran of over a decade on the U.S. Biathlon Team, Kelsey Dickinson is still packing her skis and biathlon rifle to the far reaches of the world. Along the way, her legacy is growing as a passionate advocate for her fellow athletes, and a pioneering leader for women in sport. Heartbeat co-hosts Tom Kellly and Sara Donatello spoke with Dickinson during a post-season spring break from her home in Bozeman, Mont., where she spends time while not training in Craftsbury, Vt.

When Heartbeat last caught up with Dickinson in December, 2021, she talked about growing up in Washington’s Methow Valley as a cross country skier, later finding her passion for biathlon at St. Scholastica College in Duluth, Minn. She also spoke about the role women coaches had made in her career – foreshadowing what she’s been up to these last few seasons.

Dickinson has taken her passion for the sport and become one of its most prominent advocates for change. She serves on the U.S. Biathlon board as an athlete representative and also represents her sport on the USOPC Athletes’ Advisory Council. She’s a gender equity athlete ambassador for the IBU, and served on the USOPC’s DEI Core Team leading up to the 2021 Tokyo Games. She has played a vital role with the USOPC Women’s Health Task Force, focusing on health-related issues affecting female athletes. She even served on a Team USA athlete advisory group that examined emerging digital assets, such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

But amidst all of her giving back to her sport, one of the roles she cherishes most is serving as executive director of the Women Ski Coaches Association, the organization started by her college coach at St. Scholastica, Maria Stuber. What started as an initiative within NCAA programs, is now having an impact on a wide range of sports through programs like GearUp and Trail to Gold.

Why does Dickinson devote so much time and energy with such passion? “Early on, I realized that for me to find meaning in sport, I really wanted to make it a place where my teammates or anyone, who wanted to be coaches could have the best experience possible.”

Dickinson has seen the challenges through the eyes of some amazing female mentors, like Stuber, who have influenced her career.

“I've had some experiences when I was younger that made me realize that, wow, like, sport doesn't necessarily put women and men on an equal level,” she said. “And it's not necessarily that anyone is trying to discriminate against women, but it just sort of exists in the fabric of the culture.”

Dickinson has found a welcoming reception from U.S. Biathlon to the IBU to USOPC. “U.S. Biathlon understands that it to be to be a modern innovative sports organization, bringing in women voices and increasing diversity and is only going to benefit the success of the sport,” she said. “The bottom line – I think what U.S. Biathlon is doing is really important and essential for long term success.”

Beyond equality initiatives, she sees her work benefiting other areas, including overall team culture and creating more coaches in the biathlon community, who can then grow their own junior programs.

“I'm really glad that they're investing in this and taking the time to put their put their weight behind this program succeeding.”

Reflecting back on her career as an athlete and an advocate, Dickinson speaks with confidence and satisfaction – as someone who can now see that the work she’s been doing has been fruitful.

“I've always felt this purpose that – my impact on sport. I would rather be remembered for making sport a better place for women than necessarily my results. That’s always been driving me in this space.”

Sport is fortunate to have an advocate like biathlete Kelsey Dickinson, who is a pioneer for change and not afraid to dive in and do the work. Through her eyes and experiences, this episode of Heartbeat showcases the impact athletes can have on their sports. Listen in as Kelsey Dickinson walks us through the myriad ways she’s having a profound impact on sport.

RESOURCES

Explore these links to learn more and to get engaged in programs.

Women Ski Coaches Association

U.S. Biathlon Women’s Coaching Initiative

NNF Trail to Gold Grant Program