Corby Fisher, Head Coach - Men's Ski Jumping

March 17, 2006
Planica SLO

Just a quick update from out here on the long and winding road. It's March 17th, and we have one more day of our jumping season, tomorrow's ski flying in Planica. Its been a long winter, with lots of ups and downs, but its great to be here, at the biggest hill in the world, to finish it off right.

Alan qualified today, in the Ski Flying cut to the top 40, for tomorrows event. 3 of 4 jumps here have been past the K point. He is a great flyer, and is closing in on catching all of the take off, which will boost him down where he belongs, past 220m. His Rossi's arent quite as great for ski flying as the old Fischers, but he'll do his best to make them work on this monster tomorrow morning.

In the Nordic Tournament, right after the Olympics, we had a few solid results, with Alan going past K in Lillehammer, 122.5m, but so did the other top 40 jumpers in the world ... so he was 35th. Still a good jump with extremely low speed. Clint Jones, ended his 2006 season with his top finish in Holmenkollen, with a 34th. Again, in the ball game, but no points. Clint chose to end his travel season a week early, and fly home after Oslo, leaving Alan to be our lone US Competitor here in Planica.

Wish us luck out here tomorrow to finish off the 2006 winter season. We'll be home soon!

February 23, 2006
Pragelato IT

I wanted to write from here in Sestriere to give you all a wrap up email from the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.

It's been a very intense experience out here. The results were not what we had hoped for, but they were respectable. The bottom line is that each member of our US Olympic Ski Jumping Team did the best they could. They have trained all of their lives, more than many of their competitors, and were here representing the USA in a sport where we're severe underdogs.

Each of their performances were good, and solid, right about where they have been. We didn't get the good luck I have been envisioning for years, but by no means did it go badly. They all jumped to their own level, at this highest stage of international competition. In Clint's own words, he sighed that he jumped as good on the K95 here when he placed 47th, as he did 2 weeks prior to win the US Nationals on the same sized hill.

Our suits were good, skis were ok, technique close, and attitude good, and they all did a fine job of representing our country here at the Olympic Games.

We are an under-funded, under-supported, and under-rated program. Every single other team has multiple coaches, team leaders, wax techs, physiotherapists, etc...and we have none. Despite that, we did our very best out here, and Im proud of the job that was done by each member of our small team.

There are the few 'gold medal' moments out here, but don't forget about the other thousands of competitors that have worked their whole lives for this moment, that didn't reach the podium. They are all worthy competitors, and are representing their countries at the highest level for a chance to make history. That's what the Olympics are about, and why it's so special; it's the one place where the whole world comes together, puts away their political, religious, and cultural differences, to compete out on the field of play, of the Games. I think each member of our team realizes that; from Ted Ligety who won an Alpine Gold, to Anders Johnson who is 16 and wide-eyed here at the Olympics.

For us, there is still a lot of winter left. It would have been great to peak here, but Clint, Alan, and myself will continue on to the rest of the World Cup tour. We have the Nordic Tourne', including Holmenkollen, and then finishing with Planica ski flying. We will build on this experience, keep improving, and keep our chins up, as we continue to represent the USA out here at the highest level, to finish out the 2006 winter.

Thanks for your support, we appreciate it, especially when the results arent there. It's so easy to be a supporter when they are good, but the true character is shown when the chips are down. That is what will get this program through and on to winning, where I know it can be soon.

February 13, 2006
Pragelato IT

Hello USA, from the Olympic Games! Last night was the K95 competition, and many of you may have seen the comp on prime time TV!

It was a good competition overall for this small hill here in the mountains of Italy. Although Alan was 40th and Clint 47th, they still are among the best jumpers in the world, and are out here fighting for the chance to win. Simon Ammann, the defending gold medalist jumped the same distance as Alan, and both Clint and Alan beat the reigning World Champion on the "normal" hill, Rok Benkovic. The level is just so high in Special Jumping, that the results fluctuate that often. Alan's qualification jump the night before was very close to breaking through. At 96.5m, it was good, and with similar conditions to the top guys, it would have been a top 10-15 jump.

It was great to see our new Madrenaline suits test great with FIS, and help the boys keep their good feelings in the air - they are turning out to be a great thing for our team. The new prototype skis were not approved by the Jury, but they all have skis that are working well for them now, and its another thing checked off the list.

Lars Bystoel, our good friend from Norway, won the gold medal and showed the world what great jumping and great competing looks like. He had to amazing jumps, but on a hill that small, and results that tight, it was the finish and telemark that won it for him. Its a great note to all our juniors out there in the USA, and in talking to Lars last night, he said it was all the training he did as a kid, working on perfect telemarks, that won him a gold medal tonight! It was a great reminder of the fundamentals, and how important the right training is, at the right ages, for all of our programs back home.

Lars is another good story of overcoming adversity, with a positive attitude and a good base. He has been up and down in his career, some days 40th, some days 47th, and some days not making the cut...but he goes home, trains right, and comes back ready to compete. I have seen it for many years, and it was awesome to see it pay off for him tonight.

We will now train all week, and get ready for the big hill here in Pragelato. The individual event is on Saturday and the Team event next Monday. All the guys are working hard, learning from this experience, and doing their best to represent the USA here at the Olympic Games. Thanks for your support, keep cheering back there. We can hear you all the way over here!

February 7, 2006
Lillehammer NOR

The US Ski Jumping Team has just finished up our pre-Olympic camps in Park City and Lillehammer, Norway, and we're on our way to Torino in the morning! Its been a great 10 days of jumping, training, and team building as we get prepared for the Winter Olympic Games. Each member of our 5-man team has made significant progress and have accomplished a goal of coming into the Games with some momentum.

There are many parts to this "momentum" but a few key ones include our training camp design, new suits, and having a good team to work with. We started the camps training in Park City; which not only are our home hills, but similar to the Olympic hills in Pragelato, both in design and altitude. Next we flew to Lillehammer, Norway, some great hills that are also similar to Pragelato, and in the same time zone.

Four of the five members were at the camps with us, due to young Anders Johnson going from World Junior Championships straight into the Olympic Games. Quite a winter for a 16-year old junior in high school! We will meet him there tomorrow. The other four; Alan Alborn, Clint Jones, Tommy Schwall, and Jimmy Denney, did a great job of making steady progress with the rhythm of the camps. Alan is coming off of the world cup tour, Clint is fresh off his Gold medal at US Nationals, Tommy with 2 bronze's, and Jimmy in the top 5. Now we have all gathered to put some finishing touches on the jumping. Pictured L-R Alborn, Jones, Denney, Schwall ... click photo to enlarge!

Part of those finishing touches include our brand new, US-made ski jumping suits. In an effort to level the playing field with our European competitors, I decided to get our own material and with some help from some great friends (thanks Nance'), make an American jumping suit company. The first ones were tested out in Park City last week and are working great for the whole team. They are made with the same material as the other suit companies around the world, but these are tailored for the US Team! We will continue to test them here, but after they pass the FIS plumb machine, you could very well see them being used in the Olympics! A great side note, is that we are gearing up to make them available to everyone, and will start taking orders soon, both in World Cup models and for juniors.

A partner in this new company is an old friend of mine and US Team jumper, Hoot Maynard. We teamed up to make this happen, as well as growing this into a whole outdoor line of clothing and gear. The new company is called "Madrenaline" and will soon be the next big thing! (Quicksilver WHO??) You are the first to hear of it, so get ahead of the world-wide rush and check it out on line at www.madrenaline.com. Along with the jumping suits, we have made some cool hats, beanies, and hoodies to outfit the jumpers on and off the hill. They are all available for sale on the web page. Many more products and pictures of the team are on their way, but we have been getting great feedback from these so far. Check out the attached pictures, with the boys showing off their new Madrenaline gear!

So, we are off for Torino in the morning, 4 am to be exact, from here in Lillehammer. The team is feeling good, and so am I. Of course they are underdogs, but as I always say, it's the American Way to rise to the occasion, use some innovation, and make miracles happen! On any given Sunday ... it can happen! I've seen it before, on a beautiful day in 2003 at Val di Fiemme, and am planning on seeing it happen again for the USA. We are looking forward to being in the village with all of our US Teammates, and helping support them too, as everyone goes for Gold.

Thanks for your support, we appreciate every bit, way out here on the road. Look for the new suits, and far jumps, as Alan, Clint, Tommy, Jimmy, Anders, and myself represent USA Ski Jumping in the Winter Olympic Games the next 2 weeks!

January 17, 2006
Park City UT

Im proud to officially announce the 2006 US Olympic Jumping Team. After an intense first half of the winter, and all of our international and domestic competitions, the qualification period is complete and the list is official.

Your 2006 US Olympic Ski Jumping Team:

1. Alan Alborn - most World Cup points
2. Clint Jones - most COC points
3. Tommy Schwall - 2nd most COC points
4. Anders Johnson - 1st place after domestic qualifiers
5. Jimmy Denney - 2nd place domestic qualifiers

Its a great representation from the regions around the country, Alaska, Steamboat, the Central, and for the first time Park City and the legacy of our 2002 Olympics, are paying dividends. All of our regions around the country can feel proud of these guys, and know they contributed to building our Olympic Team; from Hanover, NH to Anchorage, Ak, and every jump and program in between.

Alan and I just returned (last night at 1am) from World Ski Flying Championships in Kulm, Austria. It was a great event, with amazing jumping by the Norwegian team, over 100,000 fans for the weekend, and a guest appearance by Muhammad Ali! We sang Happy Birthday to him, as he toasted his second favorite sport, Ski Flying (who knew??). Alan had some very good jumps, but not the right air to gain that extra foot of lift needed to fly that last 20m, and was 34th. He is very close to coming through and jumping up many pages on the result sheet. I had planned on bringing our top four jumpers, to ski in the Sunday Team event, but at the last minute they had to fly to the COC in Japan, to assure their spots on the Olympic Team. The door was wide open that day, and it would have been great to field a US team at Ski Flying.

We are in town for about 24 hours, and will fly to Sapporo Japan in the morning. With the level Alan is skiing at, its important for him to keep up with the World Cup competition, as we prepare for the Olympics next month. the other 4 members of our team will travel to Steamboat for US Nationals, and keep developing their skills here at home.

I will gather everyone up starting next week for two pre-Olympic training camps; first in Park City, and then a few days of acclimation in Lillihammer, Norway. It will be great to get all 5 guys together, and start the final surge up to the Games. We have a great strategy to maximize our training time, and use our resources to get the best preparation for Pregalato. One of our biggest 'aces in the hole' is that Pragelato is at 1500m, considered a high-altitude jump there in Europe. Park City is even higher, which is normally a hindrance for our team, but in this case, it will be a perfect way to get an edge that the Euros can't. Something I love to see, for a change!

We are underdogs heading into an event of this level, by no means favorites ... but in the American spirt, we are inspired by this challenge, and will come into Italy and the 2006 Winter Olympic Games ready to peak at the right time, and surprise the world!

January 6, 2006
Bischofshofen AUT

We just wrapped up the final event here at the infamous 4 Hills Tournee in Austria and Germany. In accordance with our competition management plan, Alan and I just came in for the final event here in Bischofshofen, but it was an amazing finish to the traditional annual 4 Hills competition. The weather was good, only very light wind fluctuating up and down the hill.

Alan has shown some quality jumps in training at home, and in immos, so I know he is very close to breaking through. Unfortunately, this was not the day to show that, but with the level he is showing in training, he deserves to be here at the highest level giving it his all. It is a forum where great technique is rewarded with amazing distance, and the slightest slip is an embarrassingly short jump.... The level is that high, and the speed that low.

Part of our strategy was to get some training at our base in Park City during the holidays, for 2 solid weeks, then come in and use Bischofshofen as a warm up to the Ski Flying World Championships next week in Kulm. It is a good game plan, but the unusual weather in Park City only granted us half the training jumps we expected. Due to that, we had to rely on great immo sessions, which we had throughout the holidays. There is a marked difference between Alans good immos, and his great immos, and when he does that on the jump, it will be a great day for the USA. At least its is a consistent base, where we both know that the good can come on the hill.

Bischofshofen happens to be one of the most unique hills in the world, with an in-run that is as flat as a pancake, and twice as long.... This makes for an interesting first person view, but with the right technique, it rewards with long, flat ground-effect creating jumps.

Alan managed to qualify yesterday, fresh off the plane. This was in the game plan, to just get here, get in, and be ready for the real comp day when it counts. Today in the comp, he was very close, but didn't quite execute what he is fully doing in imitations. Just a bit behind, his jumps caught up to the speed, but did not catch it all and drive away from the hill at this ultra-low speed. He finished 47th, but at least gave it a go, and that is where we need to be for now, in the game. There is no way to win a world cup being in the USA ... seeing as though we dont host any there.

Clint Jones is back home still testing skis, and preparing to compete in the domestic Olympic qualifiers in Park City this weekend, and then to the Sapporo Continental Cups next week. Attending with Clint will be coach Mike Keuler, Tommy Schwall, Jimmy Denney, and Logan Gerber. They are the final international competitions for the boys to qualify for the 2006 Olympic team, good luck to them all.

In the historic finish I eluded to at the start, Janne Ahonen and Jakub Janda tied for the overall 4 Hills Tournee win. The jump points (as opposed to World cup style scoring) are totaled and the overall given to the one with the most....for the first time ever, the two top competitors tied for the victory. They both showed amazing performance under pressure, jumping 141 each in the 1st round! The crowd of over 50,000 was going crazy and they were rewarded with a great show from the Finn and the Czech. The joke around the jumpers was that they will have to saw the car, that goes to the annual winner, in half....probably looks like a normal car here in Europe ... not quite a Hummer.

Thats the news from the team so far for 2006. Although it's not the start I was counting on, I know that this new year will be much better for the USA. Keep the faith, thanks for the support (don't be afraid to write), and I'lll be in touch from the Ski Flying World Championships.

December 23, 2005
Park City UT

We are finally all back in our respective homes, after a LONG month on the road. We had a good plan coming into this winter, but due to some unforseen challenges, that didn't fully play out to script. Thats life though, and definitely a part of life out on the world cup tour.

Coming into Kuusamo, for the season opener, all of our flights were delayed and canceled. When we all finally arrived, it was 3 hours until the quali round. No team in the world had many jumps on snow, which is usually ok, but to then switch skis to the "winter model" (of Rossignol), is where the problem occurred. the winter skis felt totally different to the jumpers in the air, and they only had the chance to try them in the quali rounds..... with no other skis to choose from, the problem persisted, and eventually the jumpers were changing technique to try and get the skis to react - which was a shot in the foot of all the great progress we made all summer. Now, out here at the highest level, they didn't have confidence in their skis, and it showed in the jumping.

L to R - Jimmy Denney, Tommy Schwall, Alan Alborn, Clint Jones
  Click photo to see a larger image - get to know these names and faces!

This continued throughout the whole month, to the next (changed) event in Lillehammer, and onto Harrachov. Luckily, Alan brought a pair of his summer skis, and they felt much better, much more what he was used to. Alans jumping was a bright spot, scoring world cup points in both of the first two weekends. He was also top 10 in a few official training rounds, which was a great sign of things to come. He needed to know he was at the ultra-elite level again, and he definitely showed he is in the hunt again.

By the third week, I decided to split the teams, leave 4 in Harrachov for the COC event, and take Alan onto Engelberg for the final World Cups of the first period. This gave the chance for all of our COC athletes a quota spot, and for Alan to continue his exposure to the top level. It was a scenario I had set up prior to the trip, but it was great to have Coach Gregor with Team Canada in Harrachov to take on our guys for a few days.

Unfortunately, as this month went, the weather problems persisted. The COC's scheduled for Lahti were completely canceled, and 3 events were moved to Harrachov, but due to the snow and wind, only one of those comps were ever held. The same thing happened way over in Switzerland. It went from 1 day of sunshine on Thursday (the first time we had seen the 'alleged' sun in a month!), but Friday was straight to pouring rain, and then heavy wet snow for the rest of the weekend. In perhaps the most unfair round of world cup competition I have ever seen, they tried to sneak one by on Saturday in Engelberg. With 3 athletes crashing, the track filling up with snow between every jumper, and swirling winds, they finally came to their senses and canceled it, with only 4 to go.

Finally on Sunday they pulled off a competition and the period was complete. It was too bad that both days weren't good, because Alan had some great training rounds on that hill, and was focused on breaking through, we were really anxious to compete! Similarly, over in Harrachov, when I left the group on Wednesday, I saw some big improvements out of Clint, Tommy, and Jimmy - but with only 1/3 the comps, it's more difficult to come through for our guys.

Alan and I flew back to Prague to meet up with the rest of the team and fly back home. The good news is that Alan is coming back into his professional form, and shows he truly belongs battling at the ultra-elite World Cup level. Scoring points in multiple world cups has assured him a spot on our 2006 US Olympic Team, and we are getting ready for the next month of competing leading up to that. Clint and Tommy also came through and scored COC points - which was the goal of the first period and gives them a leg up on qualifying for the Olympic team. Due to some scheduling discrepancies, and our domestic qualifiers being held a week too early, in relation to the officially Team naming date - some people have dug up a COC in Japan that just fits within the qualifying period. Now, they athletes who did perform in the first period, will have to travel to Japan just to 'defend' their already-acquired spots on a self-funded trip to Japan, but that's how it goes out here in those "Olympic Years".

It's good to be home now, 14 our of our 15 flights were either canceled or delayed enough to affect the rest of the trip. We saw dark, rain, snow, dark, and more rain. So, a rough start, but we are back home now, addressing the problems, solving the challenges, and getting a game plan together to go back out and succeed to the best of these athletes and our budgets ability, vs. this enormous World Cup machine. We have 2 mini-camps here in Park City, and will then again spit the team up to go where they need to be in order to reach their goals. We will all meet back up in mid-January for the Olympic team naming and pre-camps here in Park City. With the right equipment, right fire, and right conditions, the other teams won't see us coming!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2006

December 4, 2005
Lillehammer, Norway

Just another quick update from Lillehammer Norway. Today Alan was 28th place, scoring more valuable World Cup points. It was another day of changing conditions out here on the World Cup, with the same old adage of the headwind picking up in the end of the round. Alan's first round was in steady tailwind, and at 125 meters was relatively a great jump; all the other coaches were impressed, and we were on our way. Then the light head wind came for the top 15, all who are jumping at a very high level and they all know how to take advantage. In the second round, we again didn't have favorable conditions. His jump was close, but not exactly what we were looking for and he dropped back to 28th.

Lars Bystoel of Norway had an amazing first round jump of 137m, and Andreas Kuettel of Switzerland had a monster 139m jump to win in the second. It is his first World Cup win, and great to see. Its encouraging for our team because we are very close to the Swiss team in many events - it just shows that on any given Sunday, a new winner can emerge, and that's why they hold the comps!

Tomorrow is another quali and competition on this great hill. Clint is still dialing in some equipment issues, changing skis and suits. He has had some good training jumps, and can be in there tomorrow. Alan is on a good track, gaining confidence and feeling every day. Yesterday in the official training his second round jump was ranked 8th, and he didn't even put in a telemark, to help preserve his healing knee. It was in a full field and in fair conditions, it was a great sign of things to come.

I'll try to stay in touch tomorrow after the competitions.

November 28, 2005
Kuusamo, Finland

Just a quick update from Ruka (Kuusamo) Finland. After the postponement of the opening World Cup, they hosted both on Saturday. The first was a 1-round comp, that was held in changing conditions and a crazy way to start off the year. The second comp was an hour later, and the same conditions.

Alan Alborn had a good first jump, that without a small bobble over the knoll, would have been amongst the furthest of the day. He still went 121 meters, and made the second round. In the final round, he missed the end a bit, and placed 29th. Not where we expected to start off, but still a good day for Alan scoring valuable World Cup points to kick off the year. He showed himself and all of us that he still belongs out here, competing at the top level of ski jumping action.

Clint and Tommy both are still trying to adjust to the new winter model of Rossignol skis, and its a tough way to do that in competition. Unfortunately there was no snow in the world to test the new skis, this season.

Today in training, Clint switched skis, and is on his way back to form. They are still not like his summer skis, that he had so much confidence on, but we are working hard to get that essential feeling back before the next competition. When that happens, we can start building towards the kind of start I predicted when things were going so well back in Park City.

Speaking of the coming weekend, its just been announced that the World Cup will be moved back, again, to Lillihammer. It was scheduled in Trondheim, but was rumored to be moved, then officially announced to be in Trondheim, and now, moved to Lillihammer. The good news is, the boys love that hill. Alan has had lots of good jumps there, and Clint was on the podium both COC events there this summer on the K90. So, once we switch all the logistics; tickets, accommodations, transportation, etc....it will be good news for us. We are training here in Kuusamo, and have already tripled the on-snow jump total to at least 20 ... things are starting to look up, as each of the boys finds the right winter equipment for their style. When that happens, well see improvement, and with some good luck, maybe a return to form I witnessed this fall from each of them.

I'll be in touch from Norway and let everyone know the good news.

November 25, 2005
Kuusamo, Finland

Its been a crazy and brutal start to the winter world cup season so far. The usually frigid Arctic circle of Finland, is about 35 degrees and raining. They have enough snow on the jump, but it is going fast. We also had some particularly brutal travels getting here, to complicate matters. Clint came in 3 days early, but was delayed overnight on the way, and landed in this rainy Finnish weather. Yesterday when they finally chose to hold the qualification, he had 1 on-snow jump this season, and was testing new winter skis and suit.

Tommy and Alan stayed in Park City to take advantage of our K120, and have more on-snow big hill jumps than almost anyone in the world, but we ran into the same United delay and missed all the connections, forced to stay the night in Helsinki. Alan got off of the airplane, after 3 days of travel, and had to compete in the qauli 3 hours later. All of the top teams have been at home jumping on plastic until Friday.

Tommy actually arrived the night before, but his skis didn't come until after the comp last night. He was forced to use a totally different pair for the quali jumps, and it didn't help.

Today, the weather was even worse, with rain coming down all day, and finally switching to sleet/snow during the trial. Alan jumped, but 2 jumpers before crashed and after a 15 minute delay of the track piling up, they only had 1 fore jumper....needless to say, he was a bit slow. In the comp round, the same conditions persisted. Jumpers had between 92 and 88k's of speed with the heavy sleet falling, and a decelerating table. Alan did his best and was 4th, when they canceled the comp after about 20 jumpers.

It was a tough and long day, but we have a new chance tomorrow. The first quali did not go as expected for the team, but I know that when they can get the right chance, they will show the kind of jumps that they ended the summer training season with, jumps that will surprise you and the world.

Just wanted to let you all know what really happens out here on the road.

Thanks for the support; send some head wind for tomorrow, and I'll be in touch.

November 21, 2005
Park City UT

After a short interim between the plastic summer season, and on-snow jumping, we are ready to kick off the winter. The jumping team ended the plastic season in late October on a good note, and picked right back up on snow last week.

The whole skiing world has been scrambling to find early snow this year. From here to Finland, Canada to Austria, its been a dry start to the early season. With some good luck, a grant from the USOC, and lots of hard work we got the K120 open here in Park City on Sunday.

I want to thank the jump crew and coaches at the UOP for not listening to the weather forecasts and some of their bosses ... and getting the jump open as early as possible. It gave us the few sessions on snow that the boys needed to get right back on track. Alan, Tommy, and Jimmy Denney all started the winter off looking better than the final jumps this summer, a great thing, and due to 1000's of immos this off season.

Now that we have gotten the winter off to a good start, we are on our way over to Kuusamo, Finland for the season opening World Cup. Clint Jones, Alan Alborn, and Tommy Schwall will start there and I will evaluate their performances to see who goes on with the rest of the World Cup tour, and who goes up the road to start the COC tour the next weekend in Rovaneimi. Our suits that we special ordered didnt come in on time, so Clint chose to fly to Finland 2 days early and pick them up. He learned this summer that being familiar with the new equipment is as valuable as anything. Alan and Tommy had what they needed and stayed here in Park City to take advantage of the first K120 open in the world.

Jimmy Denney and Skyler Keate will meet up with coach Larry Stone for the season opening Continental Cup the next weekend in Rovaniemi, Finland. They will ski the full first period there, Lahti, and finally in Harrachov Czech Republic. Luckily the World Cup and COC tours both start in Finland, and after a week apart, meet up in Harrachov, so we can gather the guys and train as a Team. It will be a good atmosphere that I know will pay off in terms of results. After Finland, we will travel to Trondheim, Norway for the next weekend of World cup. We will end our first winter period either in Harrachov at the COC, or in Engelberg, Switzerland, depending on the level of performance and snow availability in Europe. On Dec 20 we will all come home for Christmas, and to regroup.

This first period of winter competition is the start of the Olympic qualifications, and those who score the most international FIS points will have a head start to representing the USA in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. We are all looking forward to this winter, and are ready to rock and roll out on the tour.

I'll do my best to keep in touch, wherever there is email access, and let you all know the good news about the US Ski Jumping Team 2005-2006. Thanks for your support, and remember, you gotta believe!!

October 26, 2005
Park City UT

We will start in the season opener World Cup in Kuusamo with Clint, Alan, and Tommy and evaluate from there. Clint and I will go on to Trondheim for the next World Cup, and the rest will meet up with the COC (Continental Cup) team, just up the road in Rovaniemi. The focus for the whole team is to succeed in the COC for the first period, and build up from there. Mike Keuler will help out coaching the Finland leg of the COC tour, and then Gregor Linsig with the Canadian Team, will help out when we all meet up down in Harrachov.

The team all ended the plastic jumping season on a good note last week in Park City, and are now on a small break before the winter starts. Clint is in Jackson, Alan in Norway, and Tommy in Boulder, and they are all keeping up with our essential physical training.

October 10, 2005
Park City UT

The summer competition season of 2005 has wrapped up, and the US Ski Jumping Team is looking up! With the results from the final Continental Cup on Sunday in, we accomplished many goals I set for the team, and we now have some momentum not seen in years as we head into the Olympic winter of 2005/2006.

On Sunday, we finished with 5 US Jumpers in the top 20, including Clint Jones in 6th, the return of Alan Alborn finishing in 13th, but with his final round jump ranked 6th, Tommy Schwall in 16th, Welch in 17th, and young Anders Johnson rounding out the team in 20th. This was a big goal of mine, to show not only top results, but finally some depth in our developing talent pool.

The biggest goal of our 2005 summer was to have Clint Jones be ranked in the top 5 in a Continental Cup period. This would be great for Clint as well as the program, automatically adding one World Cup quota spot for our country. When the FIS amended their rules later in the spring, and changed the qualification to top 2, our challenge became infinitely larger. I'm proud to say that on Sunday we accomplished that goal. Clint has 473 COC points and is 2nd in the COC overall. With that we have earned more quota spots for US Ski Jumping. With his string of 9 top 10's, including 4 podiums, Clint showed that he is on his way back to top form.

It was also great to have Alan Alborn back from his knee injuries, and after 7 months of not jumping, finally competing again. He has worked hard at rehabbing his knee, focusing on ski jumping, and has made the swift return to good jumping I knew he would.

Tommy Schwall has done a great job this summer as well. He started working with our team in July and made steady progress from there. Starting with a 12th in Lillihammer, he had flashes of brilliance the rest of the summer. Unfortunately, a few of his best jumps weren't recorded in the FIS records, but they do count with me. He was 9th in Park City, but disqualified for a questionable suit measurement rule ... and in Lake Placid tied for the longest trial round on Friday. Just good signs of things to come for Tommy. He finished up in Lake Placid with an 11th and 16th place for a total of 75 COC points, and 41st in the overall. Getting another US athlete inside the top 50 was a big benefit as well, when the FIS evaluates nations quotas.

Jimmy Denney, Skyler Keate, and Anders Johnson did a good job of finishing strong this summer and taking many valuable COC points in our domestic COC competitions. In total, we had 11 US men score COC points, another good sign as we look towards the winter. Part of that is possible due to Park City and Lake Placid stepping up and hosting international competitions. I want to personally thank both sites, organizers, and volunteers for all the hard work they put in. With the 6 podiums, and many points taken by our US men and women, it showed what a little "home field advantage" can do for our skiers, and I feel that the whole US Ski Jumping community has a part in those results. I want to do everything possible to ensure we continue to host FIS competitions here on US soil.

Speaking of winter, it's right around the corner. Flying back into Park City today, with all the blue skies, we could see the dusting of snow from last week on all the mountain tops. The team will wrap up our jumping season here in Park City thanks to season extension at the UOP on Oct 20th. We will keep physically training throughout the jumping break, and have a target date of Nov 10th for the first on-snow jumps. This time will let the Team recharge a bit before the long winter, but will also ensure that all the momentum and progress from this summer will seamlessly continue onto snow.

Thanks again for all your support; it's much appreciated as we take this small underdog team to the top international ranks to represent the USA!

October 8, 2005
Lake Placid NY

Today was a good day for our Team. Its a big goal of mine to build our team up as we enter the winter ... members, technique, results, and quotas. It's tough when I can't work with everyone on a full time basis, but there are a handful of US guys that I've been helping out whenever I get the chance, to help them, to help our nation's standings, and to help build a team around our core. This is important as we build towards this winter and the Olympic team selection.

Today was cold and rainy, but overall a good day for ski jumping. The light headwind came and went, but not too giant of a variance throughout the day.

My highlight of the day is the USA having 3 jumpers in the top 20, not including one of our top jumpers, Alan Alborn. Clint Jones continues to lead our team with his strong jumping, finishing 5th today. He doesn't feel as good here as on some other hills, but made it work as best he could. He remains in 2nd in the COC overall.

Tommy Schwall is really coming around. Yesterday in the SuperTour, with a full European field, Tommy tied Skupien for the longest trial jump at 92.5m, a great sign. Today he had a solid jump in the first round, with the worst wind of the round, right after the water break. In the final round, he nailed it, and went 90.5m, to finish in 11th place overall. He has now moved up into the top 50 for the overall summer COC period.

Jimmy Denney had a good day as well, continuing his progress this summer. He had two solid jumps in the low 80s, and finished 17th.

Tomorrow we are skiing our 1A seed of 8 additional jumpers for a total of 12, including Alan Alborn. Im looking forward to finishing the summer competition season on a good note and some great ski jumping from Team USA.

October 7, 2005
Lake Placid NY

Just a quick update on the SuperTour competition. It was a long day of lots of jumps, but in the end, there were a few bright spots.

Clint Jones didn't have his best jumps of the summer, but did what he had to do on this 'unique' K90, and finished 3rd. We had a full COC field in our SuperTour today, so a good indicator for this weekend.

Bachleda was 1st and Mechler was 2nd. Tommy Schwall tied for the longest trial jump at 92.5m, but after a 2+ hour wait until the start of the men's 1st round, he couldn't quite keep that level. It's a great sign of things to come though, and I know he can do that when it counts soon.

Alan Alborn completed his first competition in 8 months. It was great to see him with a bib on, and back flying again. He is battling a cold this week, and was a bit off due to that, but I know once he knocks the rust off, he will be back at the top.

So, we are getting ready to start the COC this morning. It's rainy here in LP, again ... but hopefullly that brings fair conditions for today's competition.

October 2, 2005
Park City UT

We just completed the Continental Cup weekend here in Park City, and it was a dooesy! The USA had great results in each competition, men and women, on both days, and showed that we are on the right track as we build towards the winter.

We had beautiful fall weather, but unfortunately the wind came in for the weekend. That had a big effect on the competitions, but the jury did a good job trying to control the green light and predict the unpredictable winds.

On Saturday we entered our Nations quota of 4, plus the 1a seed of 8 US jumpers. In addition to that, the FIS allowed us to enter more US jumpers, outside of the quota, since it was in our home country. This was great experience for the younger jumpers, and the US N/C team, to be a part of our only home FIS competition.

Clint Jones led the US team and continued his strong jumping of this summer. His trial jump was the best of the round, and he was on his way. Unfortunately, the first round brought some tailwind and very difficult conditions. He stayed focused and had a great second round jump to storm up 9 places, back onto the podium in 3rd place.

Tommy Schwall continued his good summer, finishing in 17th and collecting more valuable COC points. The young NSF ski jumper, Skyler Keate took advantage of his home hill and great wind karma, and was leading after the first round. Unfortunately his second round didn't quite have the good air as the first, and he finished in 19th place taking his first COC points. Jimmy Denney was 24th, Kyle Kessler 25th, Nick Fairalll 29th, and due to the N/Cers and over-quota Canadians being pulled out of the results, Evan Bliss scored one point with a official 30th place.

In the ladies competition on the K90, the US had a great day with Lindsey Van and Abby Hughes going 1-2! An Austrian jumper was in 1st place, but left the bar on a red light and was disqualified, handing the win to Lindsay. Alissa Johnson was 6th, rounding out a great day for all the US jumpers with podiums in each event.

In an effort to avoid all the crazy wind, the jury moved the Sunday start to 9am for the K120. Usually that would work great, we almost never have wind in the mornings here, but our first winter storm is moving in, and that brought even more unpredictable winds for Sunday morning at the Utah Olympic Park.

Clint Jones stepped it up again, on his 'home' hill and with only the top 2 jumpers in the overall left, he had the longest jump of the first round at 125.5m. Tommy Schwall had a great jump, continuing his technical build, and was in 9th place at the end of the first round, but unfortunately was dq'ed for his stomach measurement being too small ... it was a bad surprise for us both, as he had competed and been tested in this same suit all summer long; in Germany, Switzerland, and Norway. Somehow they got a much smaller measurement on his stomach, and despite our efforts to re-measure in the proper spot, the ruling stood. Tommy would have been 9th, and scored 29 more COC points for a total of 65. Just a reminder, to always double check, no matter how sure you are of your legal equipment.

After Clint's long jump, the final jumper was held and held, and finally given a green light with what ended up being an enormous amount of headwind, 6-8+mps ... Bachleda, the top Polish jumper this summer (ahead of Malysz), took advantage of this early Christmas gift, and broke the hill record at 137.5m.

After a long attempt at a second round, the jury decided to cancel due to the changing winds, and officially make it a one-rounder. We were all looking forward to another chance to get that great headwind, and move up the result sheet, but in the end, things were still good after the first round. Clint scored another podium, today in 2nd place, and official moved up to 2nd in the COC overall. Our other quota skiers scored points, with Skyler in 20th and Jimmy in 27th.

Down on the K90, the wind continued, but they pulled off the comp, and Lindsey did great again with a 2nd place. Jessica Jerome regained her composure and was 3rd. Canada's Atsuko Tanaka won her first COC comp, rounding out a North American sweep in the Ladies comp, way to go! Another great day for the ski jumpers of the USA, with podiums being scored on both hills.

It was a great weekend of FIS competition here in Park City, and a great chance for our athletes to compete on a home hill. No crazy travel, strange food, or jet lag - our athletes showed what the home-field advantage can do. US jumpers took 6 podiums, and now have 7 US men with current COC points, including Clint Jones in 2nd for the overall summer period, with two competitions to go next weekend in Lake Placid.

As I said, its a great sign that we are on the right track as we build towards the winter season. Lots of good jumping, competing, and confidence here with the US Team. We will stay here and train for a few days, then make the relatively short journey to Lake Placid to finish up the summer competition on the K90 this weekend.

September 19, 2005
Park City UT

With the Contintental Cup tournaments coming up in Park City and Lake Placid, Clint currently ranks 4th in the COC overall, with three top 10's and two 2nds, despite missing the first three events in eastern Europe in July. It's our goal to move up into the top 2, which gets our country another World Cup quota spot.

September 13, 2005
Park City UT

We just returned from the final Summer Grand Prix (Summer World Cup) of the 05 season in Hakuba Japan. Clint Jones and I traveled over the week before with a plan of competing at the highest level in September, to check the progress in a good window. We jumped in a typhoon, then sun, and for the comp days, pouring rain and tricky winds, but we came out with some solid results and knowing that we are right on track with our year plan.

We started the season with the plan to build up some confidence and results on the summer Continental Cup for the first few months, then build up to the Grand Prix by the end of the tour. With that experience we could then finish up the summer season with Continental cups here on our home hills in Park City and Lake Placid. This was a good rhythm for our team, and allowed us to bring more club skiers on all but the SuGP trips (where we only have 1 quota spot). Clint started out with three to 10's in the July COC's, with the rest of the US team showing rapid improvement, and a real focus on internationally sound jumping. The next month, in Lillehammer, Norway we stepped up to where this talented team should be; with Clint getting two second places, one each day, and Tommy Schwall making some big technological improvements and finishing 12th earning some valuable COC points. Not only did we have 2 podiums from Clint, but starting to have a bit of depth with 2 in the top 15.

After a week home to train in Park City, we stuck to the original plan and set sail for Hakuba, Japan and the final weekend of the Summer Grand Prix tour. Clint is the only one with a quota spot, so he would have to be the lone wolf representing the US team this week. The weather was tricky, and Clint can now say he has literally jumped in a typhoon....and lived to tell about it. In typical Japanese fashion, it was nice the day before, and for the competitions, was pouring rain and windy. Usually when the rain is coming down that hard, it quells the wind, and at least makes for a fair competition. This was mostly the case on Saturday, a few got a lucky gust of headwind, and a few got the opposite, but Clint was right in the middle, and had the 10th and 11th best jumps of the round for a finish of 12th place; his best result in over 3 years.

On Sunday, the rain started up just in time for the comp, and this time, the wind was a major factor. With the speeds so low, and the international level so high, every breath of air counts. In the first round, a few early Japanese jumpers got 3 meters per second of head wind, enough to send anyone to the bottom of this Olympic hill. By the middle, the tides had turned, and a group of about 7 skiers got the green light with over 3 meters of tail wind ... unfortunately, Clint was in that group. Luckily, he squeezed in to the last spot for the next round, 30th place. With his new jump, and totally calm skies, he went 118.5m for the 9th best jump of the round. This shot him up in the order, 13 places, from 30 to 17th, and was a great redemption. Of course, the few top guys got more headwind, they always do, but for Clint to keep his composure and have a top 10 jump, with no help from the wind, was a great sign that he is becoming a contender again. At the end of the weekend, after only competing in two SUGP's, Clint is 36th in the overall, ahead of some of the sports biggest names.

This weekend was a big success for our team and program. Getting the exposure to the highest level, and being confidently in the hunt, was a great feeling. Now we are back for a short break, and to get the rest of the team, including the comeback of Alan Alborn, ready to keep up our progress and finish the season strong on our home hills for the COC's in October. Thanks for your support of the US Ski Jumping Team. Keep believing, and well see you out at the jumps!

August 21, 2005
Lillehammer NOR

We had another good day on Sunday, with Clint (R - click to enlarge) getting another 2nd place. He was definitely the best jumper on the hill, consistently in each round, trial-final. Lillehammer has some crazy winds, and each days winner got some huge headwind (Norweigans on their home hill, go figure) but Clint is skiing at a level that he will do well no matter what the conditions, and win if it's fair, so he's in a great place to be right now.

This is all part of the plan, to build up some confidence on the COC, get some more training, and then go to Summer Grand Prix. So far, so good.

It was great to see Tommy perform as well. He has been working hard for the past 3 weeks on a specific technique change, and it was great to see that pay off in the form of COC points.

August 20, 2005
Lillehammer NOR

Just sending a quick update from Lillehammer, Norway, while we have a wireless signal. Today Clint Jones took 2nd place, and Tommy Schwall was 12th in the Continental Cup competition here in Lillehammer. It was a good day of ski jumping, with a very deep field. The cut for the top 30 was basically a jump to K, (90m) with a telemark. Anders Bardal, last year's overall COC season winner, was first, on his "home hill". It was a good day for USA Ski Jumping, and the start of more good results to come!

We have had a good summer of training in Park City, with Clint making good progress. He has had some great training jumps, and its nice to finally see that in competition. Tommy has worked with us for the past few weeks, and make significant progress through that time. His 12th place a great sign of that. Click photo to enlarge ... it was taken at an earlier competition this summer in Einsiedeln SUI. L to R are Coach Corby Fisher, Tommy Schwall, Clint Jones, Brian Welch, and Anders Johnson.

Jimmy Denny and Kyle Kessler also jumped for the USA, but didn't make the cut to the top 30 for the second round. They both are learning, but have shown signs of good potential this week. We have another competition in the morning, and then off to Trondheim for some big hill training. We come back home for a week, and then we're off to the final Summer Grand Prix of the season in Hakuba, Japan. We will then be assembling the team to compete in the final summer COC's in Park City and Lake Placid this October. Finally some home hills for us!

We're off for dinner, and to get ready for tomorrow's competition. Thanks for your support, and we'll keep sending home the good news about US Ski Jumping!

2004-2005 Season Archive

 
(use BACK button to return to previous page)