SkiJumpingUSA - Homepage

click 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. READY TO FLY Premiered Feb 10 in Salt Lake City Area ... CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON FILM click IMAGE to enlarge 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. Don West retired in 2011 as the oldest jumper in the US. A resident of Plattsburgh NY, Don is a retired college professor. He was 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.

WomensSkiJumpingUSA www.wsjusa.com

mm “In the Spotlight” Feature to Return for the Summer We have several features in the works, and will also be posting the dates for summer competitions soon. Legendary Ski Jumper Coy Hill Passes Away at 85 Lifelong resident of Ishpeming MI, he was a force in US jumping in the 1950s Clarence “Coy” Hill was a fierce competitor in the 1950s, and supported ski jumping in many capacities after hanging up his skis. He was elected to the US National Ski Hall of Fame in 1974, and the American Ski Jumping Hall of Fame in 2007 (read bio). He was a regular at major meets, most recently attending the 2012 Continental Cup in Iron Mountain (where he’s pictured at left). Click to read full obituary. Kirsten Erickson photo ... click image to see larger view. Alissa, Sarah, Jessica, Abby, Lindsey, Coach Paolo ... BEST IN THE WORLD! C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S . . . V I S A U S W O M E N’ S S K I J U M P I N G T E A M Sarah Hendrickson Wins in Oslo ... Finishes Season With 9 Wins, 1169 Points Takanashi 2nd, Sagen 3rd, Van 4th, Iraschko 5th ... results ... final standings ... article on wsjusa.com They say “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” The first-ever Women’s World Cup was a smashing success in many ways. It started in Norway, with a big win by Sarah Hendrickson at Lillehammer, and ended with Sarah winning in Oslo, her 9th win in 13 events. But Japan’s Sara Takanashi, who had one podium (third event) then missed four events, came roaring back to battle Hendrickson for the top spot in the final six events, finishing 2nd in five, winning one. She provided a big change, scrambling the standings. On this final day, Hendrickson had a twelve-point lead after the first round. She flew 104 meters to Takanashi’s 99.5, and had a three-point advantage on technique from the judges. Norway’s great champion Anette Sagen was 3rd going into the final round, with Austria’s Daniela Iraschko and Jacqui Seifriedsberger 4th and 5th, respectively. Big story on Berkutschi.com (official FIS news site) ... click logo above right! The final round lived up to expectations, except for Iraschko, who dropped to 5th. Lindsey Van had the third-best jump of the round, bringing her up to 4th in the final results. Sagen held onto third. With only Sara and Sarah remaining, Takanashi blasted out the longest jump of the day, 108 meters, tying Iraschko’s hill record set several years ago. Hendrickson then sailed 99.5, and with another near-flawless jump and a big lead from the first round, finished with 254.1 points to Tanashi’s 250.7. Jessica Jerome placed 13th, Abby Hughes 27th, and Alissa Johnson 34th. In the overall standings for the season, Hendrickson amassed 1169 points (out of 1300 possible). Iraschko had 779, Takanashi 639, Germany’s Ulrike Graessler 546, Van 482, Sagen 454. Jerome also finished the season in the top ten, at 9th with 395 points. The US dominated in Nations Cup standings, amassing 2228 points to Germany’s 1601 and Japan’s 1251. Story on team website ... click WSJUSA logo above left! A pair of special spectators were on hand to watch today’s event and see Sarah put this final exclamation point on the season ... her mom, Nancy, who’s watched her 17 year old daugher grow to become the world’s best female ski jumper, and her grandma, Arlene Bownes, who hadn’t seen Sarah jump since she was 9 years old, on a backyard hill! Even though Takanashi was far back in the points going into this final stretch, the battles between the two of them separated them the rest of the pack, gave fans and media an exciting stretch run, and elevated Takanashi to 3rd overall. Between them, they set hill records at multiple venues, and showed the world performances that lived up to what proponents of womens’s ski jumping had been saying ... the best are REALLY good, and the rest are rapidly growing in both talent and numbers. By any measure, this first season of Women’s World Cup was a resounding success. It’s exploding worldwide, and has even been drawing massive media attention ... even a lot of exposure in the US media, which rarely notices this sport. Let’s hope that continues ... we’ve got the best jumper, and the best team ... we’re very proud of ‘em! The Holmenkollen in Oslo is arguably the most celebrated venue and event in all of ski jumping. It is the most-visited tourist destination in Norway. It draws huge crowds, and it’s a media sensation in all of the snow-sports world ... except here. The US women’s team and the Norwegian team were among the most determined groups behind the growth of women’s ski jumping, and the push to have them included in the Olympics ... and to get a World Cup series for the best athletes. They have shown this year that they indeed belong on the biggest stages in this sport ... and this weekend will be just that ... a culmination of all their hard work and dedication. It’s rather fitting that the first event in this inaugural Women’s World Cup season was held here in December ... and that Hendrickson blasted her way to that historic first win. The season’s come full circle. It’s clear that other nations are developing individual talent and team depth to rival the US ... the rivalry this season between Hendrickson (age 17) and Japan’s Sara Takanashi (15) has been electrifying, with both of them setting hill records several times. The depth of other teams has improved, too. Japan looks especially strong. Veterans Daniela Iraschko of Austria and Ulrike Graessler of Germany, plus Van and Jerome, are always podium threats, and rarely finish out of the top ten. Irascho took the gold at the 2011 World Championships, and Van won it in 2009, first ever championship for women. What many predicted has come true ... open the doors to women at the top level, and the numbers and level of talent will skyrocket. USA Ski Jumping Announces Team for 2012-13 Season Eight athletes named to team for summer & fall 2012 and winter 2013 USA Ski Jumping CEO Jeff Hastings announced on May 9 at the USASJ Convention held in Park City, site of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, the USASJ National teams for the coming winter. As no jumpers reached the criteria for selection to the National “A” team, which includes, either FIS World Cup or Grand Prix points or a top ten in an international Continental Cup, no one will be named at this time. Selected to the National “B” team will be returning athletes Anders Johnson, Park City, UT, Pete Frenette, Saranac Lake, NY, Nick Alexander, Lebanon, NH and Chris Lamb, Andover, NH, who has been attending college and training in Trondheim, Norway. Named to the USASJ National Development squad are Christian Friberg, Roseville, MN, Nick Fairall, Andover, NH, Mike Glasder, Cary, IL and Brian Wallace of Woodbury, MN. Additional athletes will be selected to a junior development team later this summer. Hastings said “We are delighted to announce this talented group of athletes who have truly committed themselves to ski jumping excellence on a world-class level. We are continuing to build on the progress our jumpers made last winter during the upcoming FIS World Championships season.” Coaches Casey Colby and Clint Jones, both former US Olympians, will continue with their respective responsibilities this coming season. USA Ski Jumping Announces Points Totals for 2012 Season Click links for more info: website ... article ... points list The season’s point totals have been released by USA Ski Jumping. Visit their new website, created in partnership with Burgess Advertising, to see the season standings based on US domestic competitions. SEE OUR EXTENDED NEWS PAGE FOR RECAP OF 2011-12 SEASON ... GO >>>