The following week, Chris Lamb, Peter Frenette, and Anders Johnson will join this group in Europe. From that point forward, they'll be rotating between World Cup and Continental Cup based on results. The goal will be to earn two more quota spots prior to the Olympics, where there are only 70 spots overall.  Best of luck to all our jumpers!

New Helmet Cam Video From Park City!
Featuring Billy Demong & Jessica Jerome Nov 19, 2009   YouTube video
Jumping on snow has started in Park City. Check out this helmet cam video showing a jumper's eye view, another looking backwards, and several clips with two jumpers in flight at the same time!   Billy Demong won a gold medal in Nordic Combined at the 2009 World Championships, and Jessica Jerome is the current US Women's Ski Jumping Champion.

Iron Mountain's January COC in Jeopardy
Economics threaten only US Continental Cup event ... press release
The Kiwanis Ski Club of Iron Mountain MI, which has hosted major tournaments every year since 1939 (except during WWII), has announced that they need additional sponsorship lined up before the end of November in order to meet contractual obligations to FIS for staging what has become the only remaining annual Continental Cup (COC) event in the US. The COC international series is second in prestige only to World Cup, and the FIS-mandated expenses for prize money, travel, housing, officials, scoring and data processing, among other things have collided with significant cutbacks by many long-time sponsors of the Iron Mountain event. Please read the press release via the link above, and if you can offer sponsorship, or have ideas that might be helpful, contact the Kiwanis Ski Club at the phone number provided in the release.

Women's Appeal Rejected in Canada Court
Panel upholds IOC position despite finding of illegal discrimination ...
      CTV article    Mpls StarTribune article    Facebook page
This battle may be lost, but the story continues. The old boys of the IOC apparently won't be required to include women's ski jumping in 2010. The BC Court of Appeals has ruled that the IOC is immune from Canadian law, even though Canadian taxpayers are paying dearly to host these Games. Ski jumping and the related discipline of Nordic Combined, which involves jumping, will remain a boys-only playground. It's ironic that the person who holds the distance record of 105.5 meters on Vancouver's 90 meter hill is not welcome to participate. Five women and four men have exceeded 100 meters at that venue. Count for yourself how many Olympic competitors will reach 100 meters on that jump, referred to as the “normal hill.”

So this chapter is over, but the rest of the story remains to be written. The issue won't disappear, and the overwhelming sentiment of people, when they find out about this issue, does NOT favor the IOC's position. The online petition now has over well over 11,000 signatures; you can read the responses, and still register your opinion ... click here.   The comments of Canadian taxpayers are particularly interesting. Most of 'em see this as a huge violation of their national Charter of Rights and Freedoms, paid for out of their personal pockets. They're not going to be quiet. Fasten your seatbelts ... there will be more to come.

National Champions Crowned in Lake Placid
Jerome and Alexander win jumping titles, Lodwick wins NC ... again!
  * Results:   10/9 Training    10/10 Jumping    10/10 NC     10/11 SuperTour
The 2010 US National Championships for ski jumping were claimed by Jessica Jerome (her 7th) and Nick Alexander (his 1st). Second and third place in the women's division went to Sarah Hendrickson and Abby Hughes, respectively. Just missing the podium was World Champion Lindsey Van.  In men's jumping, second went to Chris Lamb and third to Johnny Lyons, with Mike Glasder in fourth.

In Nordic Combined, World Champion Todd Lodwick took the top spot on the podium; he now has a total of TWENTY US National Championships, having often competed in jumping events in addition to Nordic Combined. Brett Camerota and Bryan Fletcher rounded out the NC podium. Congratulations to all medalists ... you've worked hard, for a long time to achieve this!

The 2010 US Championships (yes ... they were the kickoff event for the 2010 season) ... were held Oct 10, 2009 in Lake Placid as part of their annual Flaming Leaves festival. The US Ski & Snowboard Association (USSA) provided cash awards of $2000 for first place, $1000 for second, and $500 for third in women's jumping, men's jumping, and Nordic combined.

On Sunday, Oct 11, winds resulted in a shortened USSA SuperTour event. The jury had already decided to cancel the second round, and because of increasingly dangerous conditions, Coach Jochen Danneberg asked the last three skiers in Open class (the top three from yesterday's US Championships) to withdraw. Jessica Jerome finished atop the Women's class ahead of Alissa Johnson and Abby Hughes. In men's Junior class, Brian Wallace won, followed by Michael Ward and AJ Brown. The Open class winner was Alex Glueck, with Todd Lodwick 2nd and Josh Hanson 3rd.

IOC Idiocy - You Can't Make This Stuff Up!
IOC's Jacques Rogge & Dick Pound insert feet further into own mouths ...
Canada's IOC representative Dick Pound is now claiming that even if the Supreme Court of BC rules that there must be a women's ski jumping event in Vancouver, the IOC will not recognize the results or award medals. Attaboy, Dickie, that's the spirit of sportsmanship. And citizenship, too!

As if that's not enough ... Jacques Rogge, Grand Poo-Bah of all things Olympic, is now "unhappy" that three countries (which he didn't name) aren't doing enough to promote the participation of women in sports!  I wonder if they'll award Olympic medals for hypocrisy? You can follow the ever-crazier capers of this dynamic duo online ... CLICK HERE TO READ MORE!   (you'll have to scroll down to early October for this comedy)

Schlierenzauer Wins Summer GP Finale
Summer equivalent of World Cup series wraps up on Klingenthal 140K
  * Results - Klingenthal     Oct 2 quali     Oct 3 comp     SGP final standings
Austria's Gregor Schlierenzauer won the final event in the Summer GP series, ahead of Slovenia's Robert Kranjec. Switzerland's Simon Ammann had the highest overall point total throughout the summer. American Nick Alexander, who had a terrific summer on the GP circuit, narrowly missed making the field in Klingenthal ... but we want congratulate Nick on a stellar summer season; in the final SGP standings, he ranked 45th among 75 of the world's top jumpers.

Norge Fall Tournament Sept 19-20
SuperTour field provides great show in great fall weather
The Norge Ski Club of Fox River Grove IL held its annual fall tournament Sept 19-20. Mother Nature cooperated, and a great weekend of ski jumping showcased the talent of some of the best men and women jumpers in the US. Results now available via Schedule & Results link at left.

Alexander 7th & 9th in Korean COC
3 Americans in top 30 Thursday, 4 make finals on Saturday!
  * Men's SGP - PyeongChang     Sept 3    Sept 5    COC standings
Your webmaster got too busy enjoying gorgeous late summer weather on the shores of Lake Michigan, and forgot about the men's Continental Cup event in Korea Sept 3-5. Better late than never, so here's some great news regarding four young Americans. Nick Alexander placed 7th and 9th, Mike Glasder grabbed 20th and 27th, Peter Frenette was 27th and 29th. Nick Fairall didn't jump Thursday, but came in 26th on Saturday. Alexander ranks 12th in COC standings.

Alexander 25th in SGP at Nagano Aug 30
American now ranks 43rd overall in Summer Grand Prix
  * Men's SGP - Hakuba     Aug 29    Aug 30    SGP standings
Once again, this time at the site of the 1996 Olympics, American Nick Alexander had a solid performance in Friday qualifying, tying for 15th place. He missed the final round in Saturday's competition, finishing 36th, but made it into the final round on Sunday, placing 25th. Robert Kranjec of Slovenia was Sunday's winner, followed by Japan's Daiki Ito and Switzerland's Simon Ammann. Saturday's event was won by Japan's Noriaki Kasai, with teammate Fumihisa Yumoto 2nd and Ammann 3rd. A second US athlete, Nick Fairall, didn't make the field of 50 on Saturday, but placed 46th on Sunday.

Hendrickson 2nd, 3rd in Lillehammer LCOC
Van 5th & 10th, Johnson 11th & 15th in Norway ... venue website
  * Women's LCOC - Lillehammer NOR     Aug 21     Aug 22     standings
The youngest American athlete, 15 year old Sarah Hendrickson, stood on the podium both days in Ladies' Continental Cup (LCOC) action at Lillehammer NOR. On Saturday, she placed 3rd behind Germany's Ulrike Graessler and Norway's Line Jahr. On Saturday, she was 2nd behind Jahr, with Japan's Yuuki Itoh 3rd. In her first competition of the season, World Champion Lindsey Van of the US, was 10th Saturday, and 5th on Sunday. Teammate Alissa Johnson was 11th Saturday and 15th Sunday. Hendrickson is now ranked 4th in the season standings.

Alexander 24th in Zakopane SGP
Schlierenzauer wins, Evensen 2nd, Malysz 3rd on Saturday Aug 21
  * Men's SGP - Zakopane POL     Aug 22    Aug 23
The SGP, which is the summer equivalent of the World Cup series, has two competitions in Zakopane Aug 22-23. American Nick Alexander continued to continued to impress on Saturday, finishing 24th. Austria's Gregor Schlierenzauer was the winner, followed by Norway's Johan Remen Evensen and Poland's Adam Malysz. On Sunday, the winner was Norway's Anders Jacobsen, followed by Schlierenzauer and Evensen. Both Alexander and teammate Mike Glasder qualified for Sunday's first round, but didn't make the the final round of 30.

Norwegians Dominate Lillehammer COC
Home team fills podium on Saturday, takes top spot Sunday
  * Men's COC - Lillehammer NOR     Aug 22    Aug 23
The Norwegian team put on a show for the home crowd in Lillehammer Sat Aug 22, taking all three of the top spots in men's Continental Cup action. Roar Ljoekelsoey was the winner, ahead of Fredrik Bjerkeengen and Thomas Lobben. Their teammate Anders Fannemel won on Sunday, followed by Germany's Erik Simon and Slovenia's Robert Hrgota. Three athletes from the US Men's Development team, Project X, competed, but none made the final round either day. final round. Chris Lamb was 49th Saturday, 44th Sunday. Nick Johnson was 59th and 55th. and Kris Kowalczyk 63rd and 59th.

Alexander 27th in Einsiedeln Grand Prix
Has longest jump in qualification, falls, still makes the field!
  * Men's SGP - Einsiedeln SUI   Aug 15 quali     Aug 16 comp
Once again, US jumper Nick Alexander served notice that he can fly with the best in the world, by having the longest flight in the qualification round for the Summer Grand Prix event in Einsiedeln SUI. His flight of 114.5 meters was followed by a fall, but he still made the field for Sunday's competition, where he finished 27th in a field of 70+ jumpers from 19 countries.

Alexander 15th in SGP at Courchevel
American outjumps EVERYBODY in training, qualifies 6th
  * Men's SGP - Courchevel FRA   Aug 13 trng     Aug 13 quali     Aug 14 comp
Got progress? The Project X men's development team does! American Nick Alexander finished 15th in a field of 70 of the world's best jumpers from 19 countries at the Summer Grand Prix event in Courchevel FRA on Aug 14. The winner was Simon Ammann of Switzerland, with Poland's Adam Malysz 2nd. Nick Fairall, also of the USA, finished 47th.

In training prior to the qualification round for a spot in the 50-man start list for Friday's Summer Grand Prix event in Courchevel, Alexander flew further than anyone else, landing at 129 meters. He outjumped Ammann, Malysz, Olli, Romoeren, Kasai, Kranjec, Schmitt, and many other in top jumpers in a field of 70 athletes from 19 countries. Training doesn't count, but Alexander backed it up by qualifying 6th, and Fairall made the start list again, qualifying 34th. This is three straight GP events with TWO US jumpers qualifying for the 50-man start list. Congratulations!

Glasder Ties for 3rd in Oberwiesenthal FIS
Scores first podium finish in international competition ... Frenette 15th
  * Men's FIS Cup - Oberwiesenthal GER     Aug 15 comp     Aug 16 comp
The young men of Project X continue to show impressive results. Mike Glasder flew to a 3-way tie for 3rd in FIS Cup competition in Oberwiesenthal GER on Aug 15, in a field of 80+ jumpers. This was Mike's first international podium finish. His teammate Peter Frenette finished 15th. Glasder was 6th after the first round, and moved up with a strong second jump. Kris Kowalczyk also made the final round, finishing 30th. On Sunday, Glasder was the only US athlete to get into the final round, and finished 24th. Germany's Danny Queck was the winner.

Hendrickson 6th & 12th in Oberwiesenthal
Nita Englund in final round both days, finishes 30th & 27th
  * Women's LCOC - Oberwiesenthal GER     Fri Aug 14 comp     Sat Aug 15 comp
The top US finisher on both days at the Oberwiesenthal LCOC was Sarah Hendrickson. She placed 12th on Sunday after taking 6th place Saturday. Nita Englund was 30th on Saturday, improving to 27th on Sunday. Nina Lussi was 35th both days, and Karin Friberg finished 38th and 48th. Anette Sagen of Norway was the winner, on Friday, with Ulrike Graessler of Germany taking the top spot on Saturday.

Americans Encouraging in Pragelato, Poehla
Alexander 34th in ITA, Hendrickson 11th in GER
  * Men's SGP - Pragelato ITA   Aug 11 quali     Aug 11 comp
  * Women's LCOC - Poehla GER   Aug 14 comp
Project X, the men's development team, got another encouraging performance from Nick Alexander and Nick Fairall in Pragelato ITA, the site of the 2006 Olympics. Jumping in a huge field including the best World Cup and Continental Cup athletes, Alexander qualified 16th on Tuesday with a flight of 129 meters. Fairall was just 2 meters behind, at 127, but he qualified 38th ... just 2 meters separated 22 positions! In Wednesday's competition, Alexander missed the final round of 30 by only 1.9 points, finishing 34th, with Fairall 42nd. Simon Ammann of Switzerland was the winner, with Poland's Adam Malysz 2nd. It's a major achievement for the US to qualify 2 jumpers when there are 70 jumpers from 19 countries in the field. Congratulations to Nick X2!

The younger women of the VISA Women's Ski Jumping Team are competing in the first few Ladies' Continental Cup (LCOC) events in Europe. Sarah Hendrickson narrowly missed the top ten in Poehla GER on Aug 12, finishing in 12th place. Nita Englund placed 30th, with Nina Lussi in a 3-way tie for 31st, and Karin Friberg 40th. Germany's Magdalena Schnurr was the winner, ahead of teammate Melanie Faisst, with Japan's Ayumi Watase 3rd. There were 57 women in the field, from 15 countries.

Game On! Jump Season Underway in Europe
Sarah Hendrickson places 4th in Bischofshofen COC
  * Men's SGP - Hinterzarten GER - Men Aug 9 SGP
  * Women's LCOC - Bischofshofen AUT - Aug 8 comp   Aug 9 comp
The international 2009-10 ski jumping season is underway. The men's Continental Cup (COC) season began last month. The Summer Grand Prix, a sub-series within the COC, begins in Hinterzarten GER Aug 8/9, and it draws most of the top athletes who compete in World Cup and men's Continental Cup during the winter season. The women's Continental Cup (LCOC) season begins with a series of events on smaller hills in Europe, starting at Bischofsgruen GER Aug 8/9.

In men's SGP, Americans Nick Alexander and Mike Glasder both qualified Friday with strong jumps among a field of 82 athletes from 18 countries, but didn't make the cut to Sunday's final round, finishing 43rd and 45th. The winner was Simon Ammann of Switzerland.  This was the first event in which the new FIS system for factoring in wind and start gate was being used in the scoring process. You can see how this works by viewing results!

In women's LCOC on Sunday, US jumper Sarah Hendrickson took 4th place with a strong second jump; she'd been 11th after the first round. Germany's Ulrike Graessler won both Saturday and Sunday in this first weekend of LCOC competition, with 65 women in the field, representing 15 countries. Among other Americans, Nina Lussi placed 27th Saturday 39th Sunday. Nita Englund managed 31st Saturday, despite a fall on her second jump, and finished 36th on Sunday. Karin Friberg was 39th Saturday, moving up to 32nd on Sunday.

Funding Remains Biggest US Challenge
Here's a quick rundown on how ski jumping is supported in the USA ... THIS IS A SHAMELESS PITCH FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT from individual donors and/or potential sponsors, and there are links at the bottom of this article to help you reach a pair of websites where you can make donations to support the development of our dedicated and motivated young athletes, both men and women.

Let's start with some background. There are now only two separate organizations involved in funding ski jumping in the USA;  Women's Ski Jumping USA, and the men's development program, known as Project X. The US Ski Team, which stopped funding a men's team in 2006, eliminated all funding from the women's team after a strong season in which Lindsey Van became the first women's World Champion. USSA's decision was a slap in the face of ALL US SKI JUMPERS!

Over the past ten years or so, a well-organized group based in Park City and known as Women's Ski Jumping USA  (WSJUSA)  has raised their own funds for the coaching and travel of a growing number of young female athletes. When FIS created the international Ladies' Continental Cup (LCOC) series in 2005, the US women quickly established themselves among the best in the world. In 2007, the US Ski Team named the top six women as the US Ski Jumping Team; their coach is Kjell Ivar Magnussen, formerly coach of the Norwegian women's team. The WSJUSA foundation remains as the only funding and organizational entity for female ski jumpers in the USA. Because VISA is still a sponsor, the development team is known as the VISA Women's Ski Jumping Team (VWSJT). Its director is former US star and pioneer female jumper Karla Keck. The president of WSJUSA is Deedee Corradini, former mayor of Salt Lake City, who was involved in the planning for the 2002 Olympics. The VISA sponsorship does NOT cover all expenses, therefore WSJUSA & VWSJT continue to seek individual donors and corporate sponsors ... and they're holding a fund-raiser in Park City Aug 19 ... visit www.womensskijumpingusa.com for details!

A new men's development team, named Project X, was organized for the 2008 season, also independent of, and not funded by, the US Ski Team. In their first year, the group raised sufficient funds to hire Jochen Danneberg, a 1976 Olympic silver medalist who formerly coached the German, Swiss, and Korean men's teams. A group of athletes was selected, and they competed regularly in the men's Continental Cup series as well as some FIS Cup events, in the 2008 season. They showed considerable progress again in 2009, and continue to showed promise in the early 2009 summer Continental Cup events. This independent group also seeks individual donors and corporate sponsors ... there's a link below for information on how to donate to Project X.

Please consider financially supporting US ski jumping. We wish that the USSA and US Ski Team would choose to fund a development program, but they don't, they haven't, and they're not likely to. We would like to think the day will come when our men's and women's development programs will share a single funding source, but that's not the case today. You may choose to support our men ... or our women ... or you could split your support between them.  Your contribution to either development team (or both) is, of course, TAX DEDUCTIBLE!  Here are the links to donation info on both groups' websites.

• Donate to WSJUSA    (women's development program)
• Donate to Project X   (men's development program)

Women to Appeal BC Court Decision
Legal team will continue the fight for 2010 Olympic inclusion
They lost the last round, but the female ski jumpers who are fighting to have a single women's event added to the 2010 Olympic program in Vancouver have been advised by their legal team that there are grounds to appeal the recent decision in their suit against VANOC.  In that ruling, Madam Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon held that the IOC's position is, in fact, discriminatory, but that the IOC, not VANOC, determines the program. For continuing coverage, visit  www.womensskijumpingusa.com.

Springertournee Concludes in Park City
Jessica Jerome & Anders Johnson dominate big-hill competition
With a large number of jumpers from beginners to former and future Olympians in action, the 11th annual Springertournee in Park City concluded on July 25 with Jessica Jerome a double winner in women's competition on the 90 meter hill, and Anders Johnson taking the top spot among men on the same hill. The 64 and 90 meter hills were the focus of action on Wednesday and Friday, with competition on the small hills (10, 20, 40 meter) on Thursday and Saturday. Complete results available on our Schedule & Results page, link at left.

Alexander 17th in Austrian COC July 12
US jumper in 10th place in Continental Cup season standings
    Results:     July 10 FIS     July 11 COC     July 12 COC     COC standings
American Nick Alexander finished 17th in Continental Cup action in Villach AUT on July 12, after failing to make the cut for final round on Saturday. He remains 10th in COC overall season standings. He had tied for 5th place on Friday July 10 in an FIS Cup meet, also in Villach. Teammate Mike Glasder finished 23rd in a field of almost 100 athletes in the FIS event, but along with teammate Johnny Lyons, didn't make the cut in either Continental Cup competition.

Judge: IOC Discriminates, No Legal Remedy
Rules VANOC can spend taxpayers' money, but IOC calls all the shots
    Read about it at:   www.wsjusa.com  or  www.courts.gov.bc.ca
After almost two months of deliberation, Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon of the British Columbia Supreme Court has ruled that there is no legal remedy available to force the IOC to include a women's event in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver ... even though she made it clear that the IOC's refusal to do so constitutes discrimination. This is small consolation to the plaintiffs.

This round is over, but IOC discrimination remains. This story won't go away! It will ultimately be decided in the court of public opinion. The IOC loses either way. This will continue to be the story of well-trained and qualified athletes denied the opportunity to compete on the world's largest stage. The Olympics will open with the RECORD HOLDER on their 90 meter hill on the outside, looking in! REMEMBER THIS ... they didn't ask to be INCLUDED because they are women ... they asked not to be EXCLUDED for that same reason!

Nick Alexander Starts Strong for USA
American places 10th in each of first 3 COC meets, ranks 9th overall!
    Results:     July 3 Velenje    July 4 Kranj    July 5 Kranj    COC standings
In a strong showing to open the men's Continental Cup (COC) season in Europe, US jumper Nick Alexander grabbed 10th place on July 3 in Velenje SLO, then duplicated the feat on July 4th and 5th in Kranj SLO (on the 5th, he was tied for 10th with Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes of Canada, a good sign for their men's team, too). Nick is a member of the "Project X" team, the men's independent development program, now in its third year. Teammates Mike Glasder and Johnny Lyons also competed in all three events, but didn't make the cut to the final round of 30.

Two NEW Films to Focus on Ski Jumping
Pair of projects now underway will bring ski jumping to wider audience

FIGHTING GRAVITY ... backed by actress Virginia Madsen ... article   trailer
Variety Magazine reported on April 8 that the documentary "Fighting Gravity" has gained the backing of Title IX productions. It focuses on the women's struggle for inclusion in the Olympics ... the outcome of the upcoming court proceeding will be incorporated in the film.

FREQUENT FLYERS ... by Media Ventures ... visit website, view trailer
Ski jumping has been struggling against long odds for many years in North America, while it's an enormous prime-time TV attraction, with megabucks sponsorship and rock-star status for athletes in Europe, Scandinavia, and Japan. In the US, there is no funding mechanism other than the bank of mom & dad, and and various local fund-raisers. What small support the US Ski Team has given for a handful of athletes in international competition (nothing for development for many, many years) has been stripped. There is NO funding from USSA or the US Ski Team. The men's and women's development teams are both INDEPENDENT of USSA/USST.

While this new film is not yet finished, it shows promise of giving an audience some appreciation for what it takes to learn, improve, and finally excel in this demanding but very rewarding individual sport. At the top of this article you'll find a link to a website about this project, and it gives a very realistic assessment of the state of the sport in the US, including both the men's and women's development teams (with links to both). This is one sport where both men and women can participate ... except, as we all know, at the Olympics. We're hoping that will soon change, because flight is neither enhanced or hampered by gender.

US Gains Three World Champions in 2009!
Lindsey Van (Gold),  Todd Lodwick (2 Gold),  Billy Demong (Gold, Bronze)
It was a most amazing week for the US Ski Team at the FIS Nordic World Championships in Liberec CZE. Until this week, the total US take in Nordic skiing had been a bronze for Anders Haugen in ski jumping at the 1924 Olympics (which nobody realized he'd won until a scoring error was discovered in the 1990s), a bronze by Bill Koch in XC at the 1976 Olympics and another at the 1982 Worlds, a gold by Johnny Spillane in NC at the 2003 Worlds, and a silver by Bill Demong in NC at the 2007 Worlds. Those five medals had had been the total US winnings in Olympic or World Championship competition over the last 85 years. Over an eight day span in February 2009, the US Ski Team brought home five more ... four golds and a bronze!

The first gold went to Lindsey Van, who became the first-ever World Champion in women's ski jumping. Then Todd Lodwick picked up a gold in the mass-start Nordic Combined event. He followed with another gold in the next event, and shared the podium with teammate Demong, who took the bronze. Finally, Demong won the final NC event of the championships to take home the fourth gold! Congratulations to all the US athletes who participated!

Lindsey Van - World Champion!
Jessica Jerome 6th ... Graessler 2nd, Sagen 3rd, Iraschko 4th
  *  Women's Ski Jumping Results:   Friday Feb 20
CLICK PHOTO TO VIEW GALLERY ON THE US SKI TEAM WEBSITE!
(Getty Images photo / USST)     US Ski Team article   ESPN   The Ski Channel
The US Ski Team's Lindsey Van, ranked in the top three in the world (Ladies' Continental Cup series) for each of the past five seasons, stood fourth after the first round of ski jumping in the first-ever women's event at the FIS World Championships. In the final round she launched a mighty flight to 97.5 meters, and made history as the very first Women's World Champion ... and the first American to win a gold medal in the sport of ski jumping at either a World Championship or Olympics!   US teammate Jessica Jerome placed 6th, with Alissa Johnson 20th, and 14 year old Sarah Hendrickson 29th.   We want to also recognize their coaches, Kjell Ivar Magnussen and Larry Stone.  

Two veterans, Germany's Ulrike Graessler and Norway's perennial Ladies' Continental Continental Cup champion Anette Sagen were 1-2 after the first round, with France's surprising thirteen year old Coline Mattel 3rd. Van leaped past all three to take the title, ahead of Graessler, Sagen, and another veteran, Austria's Daniela Iraschko. Arguably the four best female jumpers over the last five years, they topped the field, with the youngster, Mattel, finishing 5th. Thirty-six women from 13 countries competed. This is the same size hill the IOC refuses to let 'em jump on in Vancouver ... where Van holds the record of 105.5 meters!   Please read and sign the petition to include them in the 2010 Games!

Todd Lodwick - World Champion!
US veteran wins MS 10/100, Demong 5th, Spillane 24th, Camerota 25th
  *  Nordic Combined MS 10K/HS100 Results:   Friday Feb 20   USST article
The first Nordic Combined event of the FIS World Championships was the mass-start 10K race followed by jumping on the K90/HS100 jump. Todd Lodwick of the USA was in the lead after winning the 10K race by almost 5 seconds over Germany's Tino Edelmann ... with US skier Bill Demong six-tenths back in third. After the first round of jumping, Lodwick remained in the lead, with Demong 4th. When it was all over, Lodwick's final jump of 97.5 meters gave him the overall win and the World Championship in this event!   We wish to also recognize NC coach Dave Jarrett.

Lodwick, age 32, is a four-time Olympian who came back from two years in retirement to reach for the gold ... although he'd been highly ranked in the World Cup throughout his career, with six wins, he'd never won a medal at Worlds or the Olympics ... until today! Demong, a silver medalist in 2007, hung on for 5th; Johnny Spillane, who'd become the first American ever to win Nordic gold medal (gold in 2003), finished 24th, with teammate Eric Camerota 25th. More info will be available on the US Ski Team site, link at left, as well as the US Nordic Combined site, www.USNOCO.org.

Lodwick Gold #2, Demong Bronze!
Americans share Nordic Combined podium in Individual Normal Hill/10K
  *  Individual NH/10K Results:   Sunday Feb 22      USST article   USST blog
On Sunday, Feb 22, at the FIS World Nordic Ski Championships in Liberec CZE, Todd Lodwick grabbed his second gold medal in two days, and teammate Billy Demong joined him on the podium with the bronze medal. The event was the Individual Normal Hill/10K event, run in the traditional "Gundersen" format, where one round of jumping is used to determine start intervals for a 10K cross-country race. As he did in Friday's mass-start event, Lodwick won the jumping round. He earned a 2/10 second advantage at the start, and had a tight battle for about half the race before pulling away from Norway's Jan Schmid. Meanwhile, Demong had started 12th, and raced to third behind Schmid and Lodwick.

With the pair of golds by Lodwick, a gold by Lindsey Van in women's ski jumping, and the bronze by Demong, the US leads in medals with 8 of 20 events completed!

Billy Demong - World Champion!
Win caps stunning week for US Ski Team ... 4 golds, 1 bronze
  *  Individual NH/10K Results:   Saturday Feb 28      USST article
In the final event for US athletes at the FIS Nordic Winter Games in Liberec CZE, Billy Demong finished almost 13 seconds ahead of Germany's Bjorn Kircheisen to put an exclamation point on the greatest week in the history of US Nordic skiing! He was 8th after the jumping round on the big hill, and stormed through the field to seal the victory. Todd Lodwick finished 10th, Johnny Spillane 19th, and Eric Camerota was 35th. Demong had been disqualified on a violation during the team event on Thursday, which kept the team out of contention. The team reported yesterday that they would simply keep focused on today ... and Demong turned that lemon into lemonade!  Congratulations to the US Ski Team! Lindsey Van won the first-ever women's world championship in ski jumping, and Todd Lodwick won the other two individual NC events, with Demong also earning a bronze. More on USST site via link above!

Year-End Homepage Access ... All Years
See stories & coverage from the end of 2008 and earlier seasons
Each spring, we archive our homepage with end-of-year stories. You can view these pages via the links below.

• 2009 - Van, Lodwick, Demong Strike Gold at Worlds
• 2008 - IOC's Exclusion of Women Dominates 2008 News
• 2007 - Malysz #1 in WC, Van & Demong US Champions
• 2006 - US Women #1 Team, Janda Wins World Cup
• 2005 - Romoeren Flies 239M at Planica
• 2004 - Ahonen World Champ, Women Fly in Norway
• 2003 - Hautamaeki 231M, Spillane Wins First US Gold
• 2002 - Kids Learning to Jump, Alborn Flies 221.5M

Our Visitor Traffic Continues To Grow
Olympics, Women's Continental Cup drew 100K+ visitors
During the winter 2005-2006 season, we set all-time visitor records. We had 22K+ visitors in January, 42K+ visitors for February, and 20K+ in March. We drew just about 100K for the winter 2006 competition season from December through March, at about 5 minutes per visit. We averaged well over 300 per day throughout the summer, up significantly over last year, with much of the increase driven by the Olympics.

With the beginning of the 2006-07 season, our traffic increased as expected in December 2006 to 450 visitors per day, and in January 2007 it rose to 600 per day. We averaged 555 per day in February, just under 500 per day in March, 350 per day in April, just over 300 per day during the summer months. Traffic climbed steadily in the fall. We averaged about 600 per day from Christmas 2007 through mid-February 2008. Through the spring and summer we drew about 250 visitors per day. We've hosted well over three quarters of a million visitors since going online in 2001.

Average time per visit through the years has consistently been about five minutes, but a trend toward longer visit times had become apparent by fall 2008. Through the 2009 season, we drew about 500 visitors per day, and they were remaining on the site over eleven minutes per visit (average). While we're encouraged by these trends in our visitor statistics, there are signs of a resurgence of interest in the SPORT of ski jumping with an American audience. We attibuted the start of this trend to the attention paid by media to the women's issue. It also helped that the success of our NC athletes brought additional media to NC and jumping early in the season, and the huge haul of gold medals by our athletes at the World Championships put our sport in the spotlight later in the season. Thank you for your interest in our sport!

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(formerly WCSN)

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NBC Sports
SKI JUMPING
*  Van interview
NORDIC COMBINED
*  Demong interview

Boston Globe Pix!
Celebrating 30 years of World Cup Ski Jumping
30 photos - click here

Flashback!
Remember our "Behind the News" page? It ran during our 2002 and 2003 seasons. We've updated it a bit, but left it in the original layout. Click here to read a bit about big ski jumps, female jumpers, questions jumpers get asked, a cool mobile wind tunnel, and famous folks who were once ski jumpers!

Beginner Video
How do kids begin to learn the sport of ski jumping? Here's a one-minute video of youngsters learning on the little 10 meter jump at the St Paul Ski Club!