Ski Jumping Central - Artist's Perspective

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Ski Jumping - An Artist's Impression
(background - morning warmups)

The first ski jump competition I saw was at Lake Placid, New York over July 4th weekend 2003. A month later, in August, attended a 2nd competition in Park City, Utah. I brought a small crew (my cousin Howard shoots camera) to both places to get some footage of the Central Division. I am an artist who lives in New York City and have been considering making a film about a sport. Part of the plan would include a personal story about some of the athletes. A good friend, Mary Ellen Carroll, has a nephew, Michael Glasder, who jumps with the Norge Ski Club, outside of Chicago. She persuaded me to go and watch him and his team, thinking I would really like what I saw.

Upon arriving at the Olympic Parks in Lake Placid and in Park City I was struck by how beautiful ski jumps are, the way they are cultivated into the mountain. Ski Flying, wow it is beautiful and amazing, very graceful; Person after person gliding through the air and coming to land with a kind of smack on to the green Astroturf-like surface down below. It seems like a solitary pursuit out there and simultaneously has a sense of team spirit. I was struck by how young strong and lean looking the kids were, and no kidding, they were kids. The juniors were young teens. They carried themselves with a lot of dignity. There seemed to be a fairly straight-ahead attitude that prevailed along with continuous effort. This felt very fresh.

The slide at the top looked incredibly steep when I first watched the skiers, and if it wasn’t vertical enough they were also sliding down a surface laced with ball bearings! But then I saw skier after skier go down with great gusto and no one was getting hurt. The occasional wipe out seemed minor, going back on the chair lift, waiting for a turn and continuing to jump. After a while I got a sense of the form and what made it look harmonious; the body in the air, forward, horizontal steady, the skis in a V pattern, and then distance, how many meters someone jumps before landing firm on their feet in what looks like a lunge position. I could see that the wind and its direction make a big difference as to just how far someone could fly, or not.

The complexity of getting ready is impressive…. in the morning: early am exercise, getting much gear together; suits, boots, goggles, helmets, waxing skis, tightening bindings. Afternoons: a group meal, everyone is watching videotape from the morning and seeing what he or she did and how they can improve. Then back out to jump until late day. There is a continuous effort to take things on, to be focused, and to be in the present. The coaches are generous. I thought, what a good way for a kid to take a risk, really get out there, into the ether, and be kind of healthy.

There is a formality to this sport. This contributes to a kind of discipline and need for commitment. I like very much that it has a tone of extremeness. Extreme sports are very attractive in this culture and this is part of what attracts me to it also. It has that sense of being a large-scale adventure, all that speed and flying. And it looks very free and open, kind of like the expansive landscape where it all takes place.

Cara Perlman