cick logo to visit site
click logo to visit site
Berkutschi.com offers
a wide variety of news,
features, team rosters,
hill information, and
>> LIVE SCORING <<
for fans of ski jumping!
You can find the most
current news on the
homepage; we move
older features to the
Extended News”page,
which you can reach
via a button at left.
Isn’t Ski Jumping
Awfully Dangerous?
The PERCEPTION is
that ski jumping is an
extremely dangerious.
sport. The reality is far
different ... learn more!
** READ ARTICLE
How Do People
Start Ski Jumping?
Nobody just picks up a
pair of skis and gives it
a try. Not on big hills,
anyway. Ski jumpers
start young, on very
small jumps, and learn
incrementally, moving
gradually to larger
jumps as their skills and
confidence develop.
** RECRUITING VIDEO
Here’s a short video
from a junior jumping
event in St Paul MN at
their annual Christmas
Beginner’s Camp ...
** LITTLE KID VIDEO
The following video was
an 20th Century Fox
Newsreel feature in
about 1950.
** HISTORIC VIDEO
Here’s another, from
the St Paul Ski Club
** 1939 NATIONALS
When Do People
Hang Up Their
Jumping Skis?
The answer to this one
is quite simple ... when
they want to! Once a
jumper is 30 years of
age or older, he or she
becomes eligible to
participate in “Masters”
competition. Jumpers
age 30-39 are class M1,
40-49 M2, 50-59 M3, 60-
69 M4, 70-79 M5, etc.
Currently, the oldest
active Masters jumper in
the US is Don West, of
Plattsburgh NY, a retired
college professor. He’s
an M5 jumper (in his
seventies), and in
recent years he has
competed in Masters
World Championships
in Europe.
Another active Masters
jumper is Tom Ricchio,
a semi-retired corporate
jet pilot, who is also the
coach of the junior
program in Iola WI; he
jumps in class M4. Tom
has also competed in
the Masters World
Championships.
** READ ARTICLE
about Tom, and his
recent participation in
the 2010 US Masters
Nat’l Championships in
Coleraine MN.
For those who enjoy ski
jumping, it can be a
lifetime sport. Some like
to continue competing,
others become coaches
or volunteers.
If you live anywere near
one of the clubs listed on
our Regional Clubs page,
make an effort to see
some live ski jumping,
and if you’re inclined to
give it a try, talk to one of
the coaches. Although
most jumpers start very
young, there are adults
who would like to try it,
and they’re welcome, if
they’re willing to “start
small” and work their way
on up, just like kids do.
FIS Home Page
Ski Jumping
FIS Jump Schedule
FIS Jump Results
Nordic Combined
FIS N/C Schedule
FIS N/C Results
Made with Xara Designer Pro
© 1999 - 2012 KJA & Associates
WomensSkiJumpingUSA
www.wsjusa.com
.
mm
Frenette Qualifies for World Cup in Sapporo Jan 28-29
Has a history of good results on this hill, including last weekend’s COC quali results 1/27
Fifty-nine of the world’s top jumpers are in Sapporo JPN for two days of World Cup competition. Ten are pre-
qualified based on current standings, so 49 jumpers were vying for 40 spots to complete the World Cup field
of 50. Peter Frenette was 32nd among the qualifiers. Anders Johnson came up a point short against very
stiff competition, so Peter’s the only US competitor.
Alexander, Fairall, Lamb in Bischofshofen Continental Cup Jan 28-29
Big hill in Austria hosts large international field training results 1/27
Nick Alexander, Nick Fairall, and Chris Lamb are with coach Casey Colby in Austria, preparing for this
weekend’s Continental Cup on the huge hill in Bischofshofen. On Friday, Alexander paced the US team
with a pair of 123 meter flights in two rounds of training.
Third Stop in US Cup Series Comes to Fox River Grove IL on Jan 29
Ski jumping in Chicago? In this tropical winter? YOU BET ... and will be GOOD! DETAILS
US Cup #3 will be held in Chicago (Fox River Grove) on Sunday afternoon Jan 29. There’s also a
tournament on Sat Jan 28, both at noon. Local favorite and US Ski Jumping team member Mike Glasder
will be among the favorites, having been 2nd in both US Cups so far, in Eau Claire and Minneapolis. He
finished between a pair of St Paul skiers, Christian Friberg and Brian Wallace, both of whom are on the USA
Ski Jumping development squad. This event will be followed by Westby WI on Feb 4, and Ishpeming MI on
Wednesday evening, Feb 8.
USASJ Athletes Three-Peat at US Cup #2 in Minneapolis Jan 25
Third stop in seven-event series Jan 29 in Chicago Minneapolis results: Wed Jan 25
Christian Friberg, Michael Glasder, and Brian Wallace filled the podium Wednesday evening in Minneapolis;
the same three had finished in the same positions last Friday evening in Eau Claire. We’ll bring you more
from Minneapolis as we receive it. The series resumes Sunday in Chicago (Fox River Grove), then moves
to Westby WI the following weekend, and winds up its five-event midwest “5 Hills” swing in Ishpeming MI on
Feb 8 before heading east to Salisbury CT and the US Cup final in Brattleboro Vt.
See our Schedule page for more on upcoming events.
Frenette 26th, 26th, 25th in Sapporo Continental Cup Jan 20-22
Frenette & Johnson to remain in Sapporo for World Cup Results: Fri 1/20 Sat 1/21 Sun 1/22
FRIDAY JAN 20 - Peter Frenette placed 26th in Continental Cup action in Sapporo on Jan 20; teammate
Anders Johnson just missed the final round at 32nd. Canada’s Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes was third, behind a
pair of Norwegians, Andreas Stjernen and Ole Marius Ingvaldsen. Other US athletes were Anders Johnson
32nd, Nick Fairall 40th, and Nick Alexander 45th.
SATURDAY JAN 21 - Today the Continental Cup moved to the big hill, where Frenette had a
2nd and 8th last year in Continental Cup, and 18th in World Cup. There was a wind delay
between the first and second rounds, and it scrambled the results a bit, but not for Peter
Frenette; he matched his 26th place of yesterday. The winner was Germany’s Felix Schoft,
and Slovenia’s Dejan Judez picked up 2nd. Johnson placed 44th, Fairall 48th, and
Alexander 56th. (Frenette above, Johnson below; click to enlarge - Ken Anderson photos)
SUNDAY JAN 22 - Windy conditions forced multiple delays, but Peter Frenette made the final round once
again, and improved his results fo 25th, up a notch from Friday and Saturday. Andreas Stjernen of Norway,
Friday’s winner, too the top spot ahead of Japan’s Kento Sakuyama and Slovenia’s Robert Hrgota. Nick
Alexander placed 49th, Anders Johnson 51st, and Nick Fairall 55th.
Johnson who’d flown 121.5M in the trial round, nailed a 120M flight in the first round, but the
competition was halted. After a lengthy delay, with conditions still quite turbulent, the round
was restarted, and the blustery conditions caught Anders, and he managed only 88.5
meters. He, along with several others who’d had good jumps in the canceled round, wasn’t
able to advance to the final round. But Coach Clint Jones selected Johnson to remain in
Sapporo with Frenette for next weekend’s World Cup. More on www.usaskijumping.org
Iraschko Edges Hendrickson by 1/2 Point ... Five US Women in Top 15
Terrific weekend for US women in Zakopane Continental Cup Results: Sat 1/21 FIS story & photos
Daniela Iraschko had the longest jump of the day in the first round at 91 meters, while Sarah Hendrickson
managed only 79.5M. Ema Klinec, a surprise 3rd yesterday, stood second after the the first round with a
jump of 81 meters, equaled by Junior World Champion Coline Mattel of France. Klinec won’t be a surprise
any more! Mattel had been 13 when she first burst onto the scene several years ago.
As it came down to the last four jumpers in the final round, Klinec again matched Mattel’s distance, but a
half-point more from the judges put Klinec atop the leaderboard, with Hendrickson on the bar.
Sarah blasted out a ride of 86.5 meters,
longest of the final round, moving to the
top spot, putting the pressure on
Iraschko. Danie’s second jump went
only 83.5 meters, but that was enough
to give her a half-point margin of victory
over Sarah. She’s the only jumper to
have beaten Sarah this year, and this
was only the second time.
But it still was a banner day for the US team, as all five athletes finished in the top fifteen. Jessica Jerome
improved to 6th, Abby Hughes to 7th, Alissa Johnson stayed in the top 10 at 9th, and Nina Lussi was 15th.
Another Win for Sarah Hendrickson Jan 20, Three US Teammates in Top 10
Johnson 7th, Jerome 8th, Hughes 10th in Zakopane POL COC Results: Fri 1/20 FIS story & photos
She just wins. Sarah Hendrickson has won all but one competition this season, in World Cup, Continental
Cup, and at the North American Juhior Championships. She added to her string of wins by capturing the
COC on Friday in Zakopane POL. and three of her teammates finished in the top 10 as well.
Alissa Johnson placed 7th, Jessica Jerome tied for 8th, and Abby Hughes took 10th. A fifth US skier, Nina
Lussi, was 22nd. Sharing the podium with Hendrickson were Daniela Iraschko of Austria, 2nd, and Ema
Klinec, age 13, a newcomer from Slovenia, in 3rd.
Friberg, Glasder, Wallace Fill Podium at Eau Claire US Cup Jan 20
USASJ athletes 1-2-3 in first of seven-event series US Cup #1 results Silvermine Invitational
The US Cup Series began on Fri eve Jan 20 in Eau Claire WI. There were several classes of competitors,
but our spotlight is on those competing in the US Cup class. USASJ development athlete Christian Friberg
won with jumps of 89.5 and 88 meters, for 237 points. USASJ elite team member Mike Glasder was a point
back, and development jumper Brian Wallace was 3rd. In the Open class it was Cooper Dodds, Zak
Hammill, and Dave Edlund. Canadians swept the junior class, with Josh Maurer the winner, Rogan Reid
2nd, and Matt Soukup 3rd.
The series makes a stop in Minneapolis on Wed eve Jan 25, followed by Chicago (Jan 28), Westby WI (Feb
3) and Ishpeming MI (Feb 8). It will then hit Salisbury CT (Feb 11) before the series finale in Brattleboro VT
(Feb 18). This will also be Brattleboro’s FIS Cup weekend.
The annual Silvermine Invitational was held Saturday afternoon. Hammill won the Open class, bumping
Dodds to 2nd, and Edlund repeated in 3rd. US jumpers filled the podium in Junior class, with Tyler Hutchins
in the top spot, ahead of Ben Loomis and Kevin Bickner. Finns claimed the top two spots in Class A; Jere
Kykkanen and Janne Nordman were 1-2, and Christian Friberg took 3rd. Local 13 year old Ben Loomis won
the unofficial Long Standing Jump competition after the final round ... he flew 99.5 meters. Bravo, Ben!
Inaugural Youth Olympic Games Conclude in Innsbruck Jan 21
Individual results Sat Jan 14: men women Team competition Sat Jan 21: results
Articles of interest: IOC-YOG website Park Record - Will & Colton WSJUSA site - Emilee
The first-ever IOC Youth Olympic Games were held in Innsbruck Jan 13-21. USASJ development team
jumper Will Rhoads of Park City UT placed 19th in men’s competition and Emilee Anderson, Eau Claire WI,
finished 9th in women’s on Saturday Jan 14. Colton Kissell of Park City is the US Nordic Combined athlete.
All three jumped for the US in the team competition Saturday Jan 21, finishing 11 in that event.
Simply Superlative Sarah! Another World Cup Win for Hendrickson Jan 15
Iraschko 2nd, Van 6th, Jerome 8th on Sunday Results: Sat 1/14 Sun 1/15 WC standings
Sarah Hendrickson continued to dominate the first-year World Cup series on Sunday in Val
di Fiemme ITA. With a commanding lead of almost 13 points over Austrias’s Daniela
Iraschko, she was due to jump last in the final round ... right after Iraschko. Sarah’s first-
round jump had been 104.5 meters, and Iraschko had only managed 96.5. Danie flew
105.5, upping the ante for the 17 year old World Cup series leader from the US VISA
Women’s Ski Jumping Team. So Sarah simply blasted her way down to 108 meters, rolling
up a total of 285.9 points, preserving her 13 point margin over Iraschko. Germany’s Ulrike
Graessler was third. Lindsey Van placed 6th, Jessica Jerome 8th, Alissa Johnson 15th,
and Abby Hughes tied for 24th. Click Sarah’s photo to enlarge.
Sarah now leads the season standings with 429 points, far ahead of Iraschko with 273. Van maintains her
grip on third with 206 points, despite missing the opening event in LIllehammer while recovering from
surgery. She has been 2nd, 7th, 4th, and 6th in her last four outings. Jerome is 9th overall with 126 points,
and has been 3rd, 6th, and 8th in her last three events.
Iraschko 2nd, Sagen 3rd, Van 4th, Jerome 6th on Saturday Results: Saturday 1/14 WC standings
For the third time in four competitions in the new FIS Women’s World Cup series, Sarah
Hendrickson of the US Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team has stood atop the podium. This time,
she was followed by the three most dominant female jumpers of the past ten years ... Austria’s
Daniela Iraschko in 2nd, Norway’s Anette Sagen in 3rd, and teammate Lindsey Van just off the
podium in 4th. Another US skier, Jessica Jerome, placed 6th, giving the US three in the top 10
for the second consecutive event. Once again, the other two US jumpers, Abby Hughes and
Alissa Johnson, cracked the top 25, in 22nd & 24th, respectively.
Hendrickson trailed Iraschko after the first round, so she jumped before Iraschko in the final
round. Iraschko’s first round jump had been 107 meters to Sarah’s 105, but Sarah blasted out
a 107.5 meter flight to take the lead, forcing Iraschko to try for more ... but she landed at 103,
and Sarah was the winner. Van above, Jerome below, click photos to enlarge.
More on their team website at www.wsjusa.com Also on Berkutschi, link at right.
Fairall’s 39th Leads US Men in Neustadt Continental Cup Jan 14-15
Austria’s Fettner wins twice ... Canada’s Boyd-Clowes 17th Saturday Results: Sat 1/14 Sun 1/15
The USASJ men’s team is in Germany this weekend, after a busy week of chasing around to find snow for
training. To nobody’s surpise, an Austrian stood atop the podium ... veteran jumper Manuel
Fettner. Nick Fairall (L) had the best US result on Saturday, finishing 39th of 77 competitors.
Peter Frenette was 45th, Anders Johnson 57th, and Mike Glasder 59th.
On Sunday, Frenette’s 49th was the best US finish. Fairall was 61st, Glasder 68th.
Johnson was one of several skiers disqualified for an equipment infraction.
More about USASJ athletes on their website ... www.usaskijumping.org
Christian Friberg 21st & 30th in FIS Cup in Predazzo ITA Jan 14-15
St Paul jumper makes final round both days. Results: Sat 1/14 Sun 1/15
The USASJ development team is in Predazzo for a pair of FIS Cup competitions. On Saturday, a pair of
athletes from the St Paul Ski Club qualified for the final round. Christian Friberg placed 21st and Brian
Wallace finished 28th. Their teammates finished as follows ... Alex Haupt 50th, Hyrum Bailey 62nd, Trevor
Wert 63rd, Tyler Hutchins 64th, and AJ Brown 66th.
Friberg made the final round Sunday as well, finishing 30th. Wallace placed 50th, Bailey 54th, Haupt 56th,
Wert 63rd, Brown 67th, and Hutchins 74th. They’re coached by Casey Colby and Scott Smith.
US Women Shine in Hinterzarten World Cup ... to Val di Fiemme Jan 14-15
Sun Jan 8: Hendrickson wins by 30+ points, Takanashi 2nd, Jerome 3rd, Van 7th ... results standings
Sarah Hendrickson blasted out flights of 107.5 and 104.5 meters, and received near-perfect scores from the
judges, rolling up 273.2 points, for a 30.6 point margin over Japan’s Sara Takanashi. Jessica Jerome
finished 3rd with a pair of 101 meter jumps, scoring 240.1 points, and Lindsey Van was 7th ... three
Americans in the top ten! Alissa Johnson placed 23rd and Abby Hughes 25th to round out the US results.
Hendrickson now leads World Cup standings by 89 points. Van is 4th, Jerome 12th.
Sat Jan 7: Windmueller wins, Van close 2nd, Demetz 3rd, Hendrickson 9th ... results
Lindsey Van showed she was back in top form. She placed 2nd in her first action of the season, only eight
tenths behind Switzerland’s Sabrina Windmueller. Italy’s Lisa Demetz finished 3rd. Van’s teammate Sarah
Hendrickson, winner of the first-ever Women’s World Cup in December, was 9th, Jessica Jerome 27th, Alissa
Johnson 32nd, and Abby Hughes 38th. Better weather is expected for tomorrow.
(Lindsey Van ... click to enlarge)
More coverage on the Women’s Ski Jumping USA website ... www.wsjusa.com.
Lindsey’s comeback is remarkable. Last year after the World Championships, she cut her season short.
She’d registered as a marrow donor, and had been asked to go to San Francisco for a donation procedure.
During the summer, she was having numbness in one leg, so had surgery to remove a cyst that was pressing
on a nerve. She was back on skis this fall, and began training with the goal of being in World Cup
competition after Jan 1, but took time away to respond to another call to be a marrow donor, for the same
patient ... who’s now in remission. And, as they say, “She’s baaaaaaack!” BECOME A DONOR!
Christian Friberg & Sarah Hendrickson 3X Winners at Nor-Ams in Calgary!
Nita Englund also 3X on podium Results: Jan 1 men wmn Jan 2 mixed team Jan 3 men wmn
On Tuesday Jan 3, two US athletes completed sweeps of the men’s, women’s and mixed team events at the
North American Junior Championships in Calgary.
Sarah Hendrickson blasted out another dominant win, almost 80 points
ahead of Canada’s Taylor Henrich; Sarah’s US teammate Nita Englund
3rd. That was the third podium of the weekend for Englund, who had
been 2nd on Sunday, was part of the US #2 team that placed 3rd on
Monday. L-R Hendrickson, Friberg, Englund ... click pix to enlarge!
St Paul jumper Christian Friberg scored an amazing 31 point victory Jan 3 over second-place Eric Mitchell of
Canada, piling up 274 points on flights of 98.5 and 101.5 meters on Calgary’s K89/HS95 Olympic hill.
This performance put a big exclamation point on his three-day trip north of the border.
A new event ... mixed team jumping ... was featured on Jan 2, the second day of the North American Junior
Championships in Calgary, Teams consisted of one woman and three men. The US #1 team took the top
spot in this historic event. This team consisted of Sarah Hendrickson, Christian Friberg, Brian Wallace, and
Will Rhoads. Canada #1 finished 2nd, and US #2 placed third. That team was comprised of Nita Englund,
Dillon Maurer, Alex Gantick, and Hyrum Bailey. Find complete results via the link above.
On Sunday, Hendrickson (of the VISA US Women’s Ski Jumping Team) won the women’s event, with
teammate Nita Englund second. On the men’s side, Friberg (USASJ Men’s Development team) was the
winner, with teammates Rhoads 3rd and Wallace 5th. Hendrickson made history last month by winning the
first-ever Women’s World Cup event, followed by two podium finishes in Continental Cup action.
USASJ’s Chris Lamb 30th in Continental Cup at Engelberg SUI Dec 27
First action of 2012 season for the US men’s team RESULTS: Tues 12/27 Wed 12/28
Chris Lamb, who’s been studying and training in Norway, flew 121 meters in the first round in Continental
Cup action at Engelberg SUI on Tues Dec 27, which earned him a spot in the final round. He placed 30th.
Norway’s Kenneth Gangnes was the winner, followed by Slovenia’s Jaka Hvala and Austria’s Wolfgang
Loitzl. Lamb’s US teammates Anders Johnson, Peter Frenette, and Mike Glasder had just arrived from the
US, and were a bit jet-lagged, so didn’t fare as well as they’d hoped ... 67th, 69th, and 78th respectively.
Gangnes and Loitzl tied for the win on Wednesday, and Hvala once again made the podium in 3rd. Lamb’s
first jump came up short, and he slipped to 78th. His teammates each improved on yesterday’s results, with
Frenette 52nd, Johnson 57th, and Glasder 73rd. USASJ website
Sarah Hendrickson Dominates First Women’s World Cup!
Had longest flight in every round; training, trial, & comp ... scored 277 points (101.5 & 95.5M)
Results: World Cup trial training Articles: WSJUSA ESPN USOC Berkutschi LadiesSkiJumping
In a sensational start to the first season of women’s World Cup ski jumping, US teen Sarah Hendrickson
blew away the rest of the field in stunning fashion. In training on Friday, she had the longest jump in each
round (95 and 98 meters). In Saturday’s trial round, she sailed 103.5 meters ... 10.5 meters beyond
Norway’s great champion, Anette Sagen. That was a clear preview of what was to come when the first-ever
Women’s World Cup began.
Sarah hit 100.5 meters on her first jump (watch video) in the competition, 95.5 on her second, and piled
up 277 points, 29.3 points ahead of France’s Coline Mattel. Germany’s Melanie Faisst was 3rd.
The other three US competitors all made the final round, with Jessica Jerome taking 15th place, Alissa
Johnson 19th, and Abby Hughes 21st. Congratulations to our team for great results in this historic event!
Follow the veam via their website ... www.wsjusa.com ... and their Facebook page!
Lindsey Van Has Another Big Goal ... Asks Your Help!
First women’s world champion is on a mission Deseret News 2/27/11 Denver Post 12/27/11
On Feb 25, Lindsey Van, the first Women’s World Champion in ski jumping, was in Oslo to defend her
title at the famed Holmenkollen. She wasn’t able to repeat, but she then took on an even more important
challenge. On March 14-15, she was in the UCSF hospital in San Francisco, as a bone
marrow donor for a leukemia patient. As of Dec 2011, the recipient is in remission, but she
took time off of training to go back to SF in mid-December to donate again. She expects
to be back to competition in January. She has a simple request for you ...
please consider registering as a marrow donor.
Her mission is help increase the number of registered marrow donors. You can read
about how Lindsey became involved with this cause ... and why it’s also become
important to the family of your webmaster. Learn how simple it is to register!
PLEASE CLICK, READ, and CONSIDER
SEE OUR EXTENDED NEWS PAGE FOR MORE STORIES ... GO >>>
For more information related to ski jumping ...
USASkiJumping
www.usaskijumping.org
(US Men’s Team).
wsjusa photo - click to enlarge