Biathletes from around the country are in Anchorage to compete in the Youth and Junior World Biathlon Team Trials at Kincaid Park.

Thirty-one competitors, ages 17-20, are vying for spots on the U.S. team which will compete in Finland next year.

On Tuesday the rifle range was full of biathletes practicing their shooting.

“The preparation takes practice like shooting with your heart rate up,” said Amanda Del Frate.

For Amanda there’s double the competition since she’ll be going up against her twin sister Kimberly.

“We're pretty even. Sometimes I tend to be a faster shooter, but not necessarily more accurate,” said Kimberly.

The twins train in tandem, trying to get used to shooting side by side.

Kimberly says that’s the most difficult part about competing against her sister, “I get more nervous when she's shooting next to me than when other people are because she's my sister and that competitive sister thing.”

Their dad, Gino, was with them at the beginning when the girls were shooting balloons with BB guns.

He still keeps a close eye on their progress.

“It's great fun. They've always been competitive but competitive in their own way. They're good sisters, they like to compete against each other but are very supportive of who's the leader of the two,” said Gino.

The 19-year olds from Palmer hope to do Alaska proud, but each sister has her own challenge to face.

For Amanda, it’s the cold, “You can't wear as much layers as you want because of the shooting aspects. That's the hardest part I've had is keeping my fingers warm.”

Kimberly says she needs to focus mentally, “I know my training has prepared me for this, I've been doing really well with my training, but mentally getting ready is the hardest part for me.”

Gino says his only expectation for his twins are, “For them to come out of the races feeling good. If they're happy, we're happy.”

Each girl hopes her happy ending also comes with a trip to Finland for Team USA, made all that much better to have the other by her side.

The trials begin Wednesday at noon and continue through Friday.