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| 5 GENERATIONS! A century old legacy that began in Norway continues today- Hunter in Park City with "Papa" Mike. |
HUNTER GIBSON-SMITH
Age 13
Norge
Ski Club
Cary,
IL
In the early 1920’s a young man
named Magnus Lien, fresh off the boat from Norway, made his way to the Duluth,
MN ski club to continue his ski jumping career which started in Norway. He then moved a little farther south and
began jumping at Norge Ski Club around 1927.
By the time the 1960’s arrived, Magnus’ jumping days were over but he
and his Norwegian friends would attend all of Norge’s events while toting his
grandson, Mike Gibson (current Norge Ski Training Center President). Magnus would share one of the three jugs of
hot chocolate that he and his Norwegian friends would prepare and bring
along. The other two Mike was not
allowed to taste as they were “adult” only beverages. The years went by and Mike grew up very
familiar with Norge and its’ hills.
In 2001, Mike’s first grandson
was born, Hunter Cole Smith. In 2006,
Hunter went for the first time to watch a competition at Norge with his Papa
Mike. He stood in awe at these “flying
humans” coming off of such a huge jump.
When they announced that it was possible to “learn to fly”, Hunter told
his Papa he wanted to do it! Three days
later Hunter was at his very first practice, suiting up, putting on borrowed
skis and flying a few feet off of the 5M hill.
He saw a vision of what his future would look like that night!
He began traveling to state
competitions in 2007 with his papa by his side at every event. He was bringing home gold medals at nearly
every event. He was setting hill records
on the 10M and 20M whenever he got the chance.
He and his papa were bringing to life the vision and legacy that his
great-great grandpa started in the early 1920’s!
In the fall of 2008, Hunter was
only 7 years old and competing regularly on the 40M hills, getting ready to
start training on Norge’s 70M hill. He
had a goal of being the youngest kid to fly off of the 70M at Norge. On a brisk September morning his dream was
tested however. He took a typical jump
off of the 40M but due to a freak landing, ended up in a horrific
accident. Flight for Life was called to
the scene where he taken to a nearby hospital suitable for trauma. He ended up with a broken arm, the loss of
some teeth and with something called a LeForte #2 fracture of the face. Thank goodness for the use of helmets and
goggles as they most definitely saved his life, along with his guardian angels
that day! The very first night in the
hospital Hunter woke up crying in the night saying that he would not be able to
be the youngest jumper to go off of the 70M now. It was at that moment we all knew this sport
was much more than just a fun thing to do, but most definitely this little
boy’s future!
The winter season of 2008 was
upon us, and Hunter was back on the hills, after only 12 weeks from his
accident, setting over 10 hill records throughout the Midwest! He jumped the 70M at the age of 9 and has
competed at the Jr. Nationals for the past two years. He plans to place in the top 15 this year at
the Jr. Nationals in Steamboat! Hunter
has been homeschooling since 2012 to accommodate his traveling schedule and
continues to get straight A’s in all his work.
He has a goal to be on the Olympic team for the 2018 Olympics in South
Korea. He has been through a lot in his
short 8 years jumping, but his spirit is strong, his mind is resilient and his
vision is as ever-present now as it ever was!
His name will surely be one that is not forgotten as he continues to
pursue his dreams and carry on the legacy that his great-great grandfather
started nearly a century ago!
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| Hunter floats one in Park City. |
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| MAGNUS WAS HERE- Photo from Chicago Tribune showing 20,000 spectators watching Birger Ruud win with jumps of 172' and 181' on January 16, 1938. |
WOW!!
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