USASJ Story Project- Dec 9 M HOLLAND

Ribs we will never see again.  Other guys kicked sand in our faces at  "Skinny Beach" .  
Hastings, Konopacke, McGrane, and Holland, 1983, Lahti, FIN.

STORY No. 48

MIKE HOLLAND

Age 50.999 (birthday TODAY!, Dec 9!)

Norwich, VT

Ford Sayre Ski Club

In the summer of ’83 the US Team headed to Lahti, Finland for summer jumping. The weather was beautiful and just at the end of the outrun was a public swimming pool (surrounded by topless, sunbathing Scandinavian women – Jeff Hastings tried not to look. He vowed never to look at any scantily clad woman other than the love of his life, his wife, Kathy).  The trauma Jeff witnessed that day may have (temporarily) weakened his resolve. It’s possible he soothed himself with a glance or two at pool side sun bathers. I can’t say for sure, he was wearing sunglasses.

The inrun of the K90 was covered with white plastic matting – before the days of inrun tracks. Our skis wandered a bit on the inrun which made it a challenge.  During one training session, Dennis McGrane was the first in our group to jump. He looked fine from the top but emerged on the outrun dragging his hands before skiing to a stop. In a shaky voice he yelled up the hill to Greg Windsperger on the coach’s stand, “Greg, I got some plastic in my finger.” The rest of us on the top of the jump thought, “What a woosie. Why would he even bother to broadcast that he got a sliver in his finger.”

After jumping, we skied up to Dennis. In horror, he held up his hand to reveal a full strand of plastic running THROUGH his index finger like a shish-kabob skewer. It entered his glove, ran through the middle of his finger, exited through the center of the finger nail and out through the other side of his glove.

In the emergency room Dennis was treated by a doctor with a large handlebar mustache and a very poor bedside manner. After cutting off his glove, the unsympathetic doctor gripped the plastic skewer with a pair of pliers and roughly ripped it through Dennis’ finger.

To this day, I’m always surprised when I see summer jumpers training without gloves. Dennis would surely advise against that.  

McGrane re-enacts with cut glove & souvenir.

Editor's note- If you haven't seen Mike's 186m world record  jump from Planica, Yugoslavia (1985) you should check it out.  Even if you have seen it, you should check it out again.--  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYZUXir2MiA