USANS Story Project 21-DEC-2016 STEPHEN SCHUMANN

 
A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE- from left to right Ben Loomis, Stephen Schumann, coach Martin Bayer, Jared Shumate, Jasper Good. This photo was taken after the NC Team event in Rasnov Romania at last year's WJC.

STEPHEN SCHUMANN
Park City
 skunk90@comcast.net

STOLEN SKIS
 
In February of this year, just before World Junior Championships, my teammates and I woke up to a message from our wax tech telling us that all our skis had been stolen. As a first time World Junior athlete this was the biggest event in my life to date and I was devastated and had no idea what I would have to do to be able to race. That afternoon there was a scramble to try and get whatever skis we could by the next week. We called equipment suppliers and posted on our social media accounts trying to find out anything about equipment for the next week and asking for people to contact us if they saw anything about our skis.

While we were still trying to train for the big week coming up we were getting many comments and messages from supporters who knew people who were also going to be in Romania. Many said we could use their equipment. Suppliers in Norway and the United States also said they could help so that in the end, despite losing 30 to 40 pairs of race skis just one week prior to competing, we had the best team event result for an American team at Nordic Combined World Juniors in over 10 years.

While having the good result was nice the biggest part of remembering this story was that the team was still able to compete. Despite having the most important piece of equipment for cross country skiing stolen. We were able to get over 20 pairs of cross country skis to Romania from multiple people in less than one week. This experience gave me a new understanding and appreciation for the support we get from friends, family and even strangers in such a small community.


CRANKING IT- Schumann, no 21, pushing hard on an uphill.


UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL- Stephen Schumman rockin' USANS product.

USANS Story Project 20-DEC-2016 MIKE HOLLAND

A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY- Bischofshofen 1989,- not only because an American won on European turf, but because in marked the beginning of the end of the "classic" style.   Ari-Pekka Nikkola (2nd, classical), Mike Holland (winner, classical), Jan Bokløv (3rd, v style).  Bokløv jumped 1.5m farther but finished 3.5 points behind because of style deductions

MIKE HOLLAND
Ford Sayre Ski Club
Norwich, VT
mike@lendingcapital.com

Father of the V-Style
Jan Bokløv dropped in an epileptic seizure on top of Marikollen Norway’s HS95. Several minutes later, he recovered, shook off the brief interruption, and had the longest summer training jump of the day.  While competing in Norway this particular July, I was shocked to learn of Bokløv’s epilepsy and the enormous risk he experienced while ski jumping (and sky flying!) with unreliable medication.  Jan always approached duck footed, perhaps the reason for his V-style. Stuttering with a cigarette in his mouth, “Huh-hi” he’d announce with a wide smile.  Such were some of my impressions of Jan, the impressions of some others follow:

 Erling Rimeslatten, former US Team Coach writes, “I vividly remember one interview on TV with him.  You probably remember that he seldom got more than 16's for style. The reporter asked him what he thought about those low style points. Answer:  ‘I am jumping. Judges are judging’. And nothing more was said in that interview. Jan was a good guy. Kind and always friendly. V-style father!!”

Rex Bell, former US Team Coach writes, “First, I remember sitting with Erling watching videos of his takeoff in Hinterzarten one summer (when he was first beginning to have his success) and being totally confused how he jumped so far with an in-run position with little shin angle and the takeoff move wasn’t at all conventional.  I remember feeling embarrassed that i couldn't see the reason he was jumping so well. I asked Erling if he could point out to me what he was doing.  Erling replayed a takeoff of Bokløv’s 6 or 7 times while he dragged on a cigarette saying nothing. He was searching and searching for something to point out to me and finally it was clear to me he didn’t know what to say.   He turned to me and said, '...i have no &%$#ing idea why he goes so far….I just don’t get it….'  I was so relieved that i wasn’t the only one couldn’t figure Jan out.”

“Another time I was talking with his coach over a beer one night (I can’t remember his name). It was a pretty relaxed conversation so i asked him (what probably many other ski jumping people has asked) what was the technical reason Jan jumped with his skis split apart.  He said, his feet naturally turn out when he stands and walks and its the most comfortable position for him in the air.  And he’s a little bit stubborn and doesn’t care if he gets poor style points. And he’s jumping pretty well so i just decided to let it be. I think he was being straight with me.”
“The other thing i remember was in Planica one year.   It was about 3:00 in the morning and a couple of you guys couldn’t sleep because the next day was the first day of the World Ski Flying Championships.  As i recall Greg and i were up with you guys keeping you company and doing what we could to keep things light.   What stands out in my mind is i remember being surprised that at that hour of the morning, just how many skiers and coaches were up and Jan was one of them.  But the reason i remember Jan was because he was smoking one cigarette after another and pacing away.” 

Ernst Vettori, Austrian Ski Team. Shortly after winning a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics (with tears in his eyes) Ernst told me, “I owe this gold medal to Jan Bokløv.” Ernst felt grateful that he was able to refine Bokløv’s technique in time for the Normal Hill event in Albertville.

Greg Windsperger, former US Team Coach writes, “I remember he was short, and he had a slight speech impediment.  He told us (Erling and me) that he started spreading his skis out to the side because he was short and that when he did it, it allowed him to see ‘where he was going better.’   But soon he found out that he was having these amazing long jumps every 1 in 10 times.  When he first came off the take-off (I think it was for the 1985 Worlds Championships in Seefeld, and spread his skis out to the side, most of us on the coaches’ stand (except his coach) said, “What the hell was that?”   But every once in a while that year, he had these amazing jumps. As a person, I remember him to be very nice, down to earth type, and funny.”

While not the most focused on health and self-preservation, Jan Bokløv revolutionized ski jumping the way Dick Fosbury transformed the sport of high jumping. We are eternally grateful for Jan’s contributions to the sport (all as one of the friendliest competitors on the World Cup Tour).  Thanks to Jan, ski jumpers fly a bit slower, are more stable in the air, follow a lower flight curve and land much softer.
See what Jan Bokløv looks like today.


A postcard Jan gave Mike in the late 1980's.

USANS Story Project 18-DEC-2016 SCOTT SMITH

VIEW FROM THE CLUBHOUSE-  the Norge facility in Fox River Grove, IL.

SCOTT SMITH
Norge Ski Club
Cary, IL
sds63@sbcglobal.net 

Bill Demong, the new Executive Director for USA Nordic, asked me to share a story about how the Norge Ski Training Center started. The Norge Ski Training Center is the junior program associated with the Norge Ski Club.
 
The Norge Ski Club was founded in 1905.  Like most clubs, Norge has always been a volunteer club. As we all know, things have changed over the years with volunteers. When I grew up jumping, I was fortunate enough to have great volunteer coaches both at Norge and throughout the Central Division. Over the years, I have seen numbers decline in many clubs, including Norge.
 
In the late 90’s, I was coaching at Norge as a volunteer. We only had about 5 kids jumping. It was a Sunday afternoon in the fall and Bart Lockhart and myself were out with our handful of kids jumping on our old 20 meter. AJ Brown was one of them. At the end of the day, AJ’s Dad, Gene, walked by me and said, it looks like the kids are making some great improvement. I replied, just think if we had a full time program like Steamboat and Park City? He replied back, that would be great.
 
So, everyone went home and Bart and I went into our clubhouse at Norge and sat down at the bar, of course we had a beer, and we started making some notes on a napkin on how we could start a full time program. Bart is originally from Steamboat so he spoke to some folks there about their program and I spoke to some folks in Park City. To make a long story short, we compared notes, and the Norge Ski Training Center was formed in the year 2000. The Norge Ski Training Center also became a 501c3 organization. Within a couple of years, we had approximately 40 kids in our program.
 
Mike Glasder and AJ Brown were two of those kids the day Bart and I sat down with a napkin. Mike is now the veteran of our top U.S. Team and AJ continues to train and compete at a high level with hopes of progressing even further. Throughout the last 16 years, we have had many kids go through our program and progress to a National level. Joining Mike on the U.S. Team are Kevin Bickner and Casey Larson. All 3 are competing at a high level internationally. Norge also has Cara Larson on the Women’s U.S. Team.
 
I would like to thank the families that have made this possible. The Lockhart’s, Glasder’s, Schauer’s, Furey’s, Fisk’s, Gilgenbach’s and Brown’s. There are many other people in our club that helped out as we moved forward. During this time, we also moved a K70 meter trestle from Ely, Minnesota to Norge (in 2004). We now have a K5, K10, K25, K45, and K70 meter. All have plastic for summer jumping. This group started the Norge Ski Training Center and it continues to be a great junior program.
 
When we started this program, I was the only coach. We now have 3 parttime coaches. Long time ski jumpers and members of the Norge Ski Club, Scott Immens and John Glasder are the other 2 coaches. We currently have approximately 45 kids in our program. For a small club in the Midwest, we are proud of what we have accomplished.

I feel more clubs could have a similar program like ours, even on a part time basis, to help this great sport grow.
 
Thanks for everyone’s support.

Editor's Note- Scott Smith was an inveterate track setter (never said no) and has skied and coached at every level and has been recognized at many levels, most recently with the USANS's coveted Ptarmigan Award in 2016.


A STORIED HISTORY (photo and caption from Chicago Tribune)- Approximately 20,000 spectators showed up for the annual Norge Ski jump tournament in Fox River Grove, Ill., on Jan. 16, 1938 on the banks of the Fox River. Birger Ruud, of Norway, is shown here making one of his two jumps of 172 and 181 feet that won him the international title. Ruud was a two-time Olympic champion with Norway's Olympic ski team.

USANS Store Project 18-DEC-2016 KURT KLING

Dartmouth's Vale de Tempe ski jump shown here during a winter carnival event
 in the 50's.

KURT KLING
Gunstock Nordic (NH), Middlebury College Ski Team
kurt@northernedgeassociates.com

Anyone that has competed in any of the Nordic Sports has traveled the all too familiar I 89 from Concord NH to Burlington Vermont many times.  I actually remember when there was no I 89 and the last section to be completed was the Purmort to Grantham NH section, most likely in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s.

My story has to do with the north-bound section around Royalton VT and the very large and high curve that is just south of town.  You can look over the edge and see the VT Law School several hundred feet below. The year was 1973 or 74.

We had taken the afternoon trip to Hanover from Middlebury to compete in the Roger Burt night jump.  A good guess was Dave Lantz, Craig Ward, my brother Chase, possibly a couple of others, and myself made the trip with then coach John Bower.  It had been a warmish afternoon and we had our practice jumps before dark and then a quick bite to eat before the competition was to begin. Many of us climbed the Vale de Temp jump that evening and as the competition drew to a close it got cold fast.  John was in a hurry to get going so we piled in and started for home, up I 89.

We got as far as exit 2, the Sharon exit, when it started to snow quite hard and then it quit just as fast as it started.  Piece of cake until we went sideways, right at the beginning of that big corner. Now many folks know about John’s skiing abilities but very few know of his driving abilities and we certainly saw them in action.  One side of the road to the other and then back again.  Finally coming to a stop with about 25 other cars, semi-trailers, and such all over the highway. The road had turned to black ice, so slippery that the cars could not stay on the road and were all slowly merging into the median as the road is quite banked on that section, thankfully.  Fortunately, it had been one of New England famous no snow winters and there was very little snow in the median and the cars were piling up thick.
 
Now John was not one to sit around and discuss his options and he proceeded then to show us his Off Road driving skills as we wove our way down thru the rest of the melee in the median.  I seem to recall some drainage culverts that appeared to be possible show stoppers but they did not deter and we were soon back on the highway headed for the Bethel exit and home. I am not certain what was scarier, the initial foray on the curve or the off-roading but it kept our attention.  There was no conversation as we continued thru Bethel, Hancock, up over the Gap and down to Midd.

I still travel that section of I 89 quite frequently for work, and to this day we have had many difficult trips on 89, but none so impressionable as that night.  I still refer to that curve as John Bower Corner when we pass, and I stick to the inside of that curve regardless of the weather.


Things you can find on the web (when photos are hard to come by)- Kurt Kling with his crew Senya and Peter Kling. It appears Kurt and his family won the the Fleet 301 fleet trophy (Bob Sidle Trophy) in 1998.


In addition to being an excellent driver, John Bower, shown above, was also the first American to win the King's Cup (Nordic combined)  at Holmenkollen in 1968.  He is also in the Middlebury, Maine, and National Ski halls of fame (at least).

USANS Story Project 17-DEC-2016 JASPER GOOD

TO GREAT HEIGHTS- Jasper flying in Planica SLO last year.  Photo credit Romina Eggert.

JASPER GOOD
Steamboat Winter Sports Club
Steamboat Springs, CO
 jrobertgood@gmail.com

My first day to jump this was an evening at Howelson Hill which means that the entire ski mountain is throbbing with athletes training in multiple disciplines with parents and coaches watching from the bottom.

I have been waiting for this all throughout my school day and now the moment has finally come. As I start my warm-up I become more and more excited, after completing my warm up and watching videos from the previous day of jumping I start to get dressed. This involves putting on Under Armor and the right thickness of socks.  I then pull on my jump suit and begin to tie up my boots. After this is completed I grab my helmet, goggles, gloves and pass.
With all my equipment I grab my skis and head for the poma. As I ride the poma up to the top stop I am starting to get really excited because I have never been at this stop with jump skis. I have finally made it to the top stop of ski jumping in Steamboat.

The walk to the jump is filled with my mind going over what I am working on and what I will think about when jumping. As I arrive at the top of the jump I get butterflies and I start to get my skis and suit fully on. Right before putting on my skis I look down the jump and the view across town as the light begins to fade and I am able to see all across town from here.

I then slide out on to the start bar which I will go from. I straighten my back and become focused; the moment has come and I signal to my coach that I am ready. He checks the hill then with a downward sweeping motion of his hand he signals that I am good to go.

I take a big deep breath and let go of the bar starting my descent, the in run is faster than any I have ever been on. I near the end of the take off with my mind completely focused and I nail the timing of my jump and lift off into the air. I feel like I just keep going up and out, my mind is telling me to stop getting more on top but I over rule that and stay with the jump. I feel as if I am extremely high which is one of the coolest feelings ever because I really felt like I was flying.
 My jump ends and I am very excited as I arrive at the base of the poma. The jump is replaying in my head and I just want to keep jumping. I make my way through the crowd as fast as possible so that I can have the experience of flying for five seconds again and again.

Editor's Note- Jasper competed in a Continental Cup in Klingenthal, GER yesterday and scored points, finishing 21st!  To see his FIS bio CLICK HERE


EARLY SIGNS OF GREATNESS- (L-R) Jasper Good, Ben Berend (who finished 8th yesterday in Klingenthal), and Nicholas Madden around 2012 when Jasper first jumped the big hill in Steamboat Springs, CO (seen in the background).

USANS Story Project 16-DEC-2016 BRAD HASTINGS

EARLY DAYS - Ford Sayre Carnival at Sample's Hill in Norwich VT around 1970.  Bob Sachs (no. 14), Brad Hastings (no. 13) and Jamie Hutchins (no 12). BRAD HASTINGS Ford Sayre Ski Club Grafton, NH bhastings@golfskiwarehouse.com One Jump, Two Landings and a Bandanna Being a Nordic combined skier most of my competitive years I was not exposed to the big hills until near the end of my career. My first jump on the Lake Placid Large Hill (used to be the 90M back in my day but does not sounds as good, I guess) turned out to be one of the most memorable for me. My good friend Bob Sachs and I had taken a year off between high school and college and were living the life training and working in the Lake Placid area. When the day finally came to take my first jump it was so cold that the elevator was not working and we had to hike to the top. I (or was it Bob?) had the great idea to put a bandanna over my face to protect from the wind chill (back in those days we were hitting the takeoff near 60mph!).  Most people reading this know the feeling of your first jump on a bigger hill, excitement, nerves and fear come to mind. With my bandanna tucked under my goggles I took a deep breath and kicked (or pulled?) out of the start, probably barely enough to tip over the edge. When I exhaled my breath went up under my goggles and completely fogged over! Heading down the in-run I was almost completely blind but because of the spruce bows and markings had an idea when to jump which in this case was more like just standing up. I managed to keep my feet under me enough to hit the knoll and then bounced in the air again. If there had been markers at the time they would have argued over two different landing spots, although nobody would have been marking near my first landing. Because I spent so much time in contact with the snow I was carrying a ton of speed through the transition but still managed to stand though pretty it was not. I’m sure whoever witnessed this ugly ride (Bob was certainly one of them though from the top or bottom I cannot recall) was wondering who the hell had let this guy to the top and thought I should head home. But as many of you also know this feeling, I ran back to the top excited to go again with much less nerves and fear and no more bandanna! It is well documented in this Story Project how lucky we all were to be able to live this life growing up. The support from our families, coaches and many volunteers along the way deserve a huge thanks for giving so much; a thanks I probably was not very good at giving at the time so please take it now. Too many to name but you know who you are! PARTNERS IN CRIME.  Brad Hastings (bib 65) and Bob Sachs (bib 64) in the early days.  Always tough on equipment. BAND of BROTHERS- Brad, Chris, and Jeff Hastings in Calgary in 1988. Lake Placid Olympic jumps- site of the great goggle fogging. ###

USANS Story Project 15-DEC-2016 KARYL (& PAUL) LOOMIS

Ben Loomis as a 10 year old jumping the Silvermine hill in Eau Claire, WI... and eliciting comments for the crowd on the sanity of his parents.   Photo credit to Shane Opatz. KARYL (& PAUL) LOOMIS Eau Claire Flying Eagles Ski Club loomii@msn.com Though there are many, our favorite ski jumping memory is from 2009, when our younger son Ben (age 10) first competed at the local Eau Claire Silver Mine Tournament. Our older son Adam had begun jumping a few years before then, but we still felt like “newbies” to the sport, and were nervous to watch our sons jump an Olympic size jump! Therefore, I volunteered to drive the skiers up to the top of the hill- that way I could avoid watching the jumping. On his first jump, I decided to be brave and actually got out of the truck to watch. A large crowd had gathered at the bottom of the hill on a beautiful balmy evening, and I ended up in the midst of a large group of spectators, barely able to make out the tiny speck at the top of the jump. My knees were shaking so hard I could barely stand, but I was thrilled to hear Ben's name announced and the roar of the crowd. I had no idea how far he jumped, but was simply relieved that he landed safely. As I turned to return to my “shuttle” duty, a tall man in front of me suddenly shouted: “ What kind of effing Mom would let their little boy do that?” Unsure whether to respond, I slunk back to my truck quickly. Yet in hindsight, I have often wished I had proudly shouted, “That would be me!” As  ski jumping parents, this is most common question we hear from friends, relatives, even strangers- (albeit without the expletives): “How can you let your child do THAT?” Often, we think to ourselves, “well there's no logical explanation for it”, but the reality is, it isn't always our choice as parents. Our boys love Nordic Combined and we really wouldn’t be good parents if we didn't support them to follow their passion and dreams, whether it's music, theater, athletics, etc. After getting caught off guard on that night, my response now is, “If they can throw themselves headfirst off a ski jump at 60 mph, they won't feel life has many limits.” Another common question we hear is “Will they make the Olympic Team?” Our standard response is cliché but sincere: “It's not about their results, but the journey. Whether they achieve that level of accomplishment or not, if they quit today, it has still been quite the JOURNEY!” Leaving home at 15 and 17 years of age entails considerable sacrifice and commitment, but the confidence, courage, and character they've gained simply can't be achieved in any school or job. Problem-solving, resiliency, patience, and an awareness of other cultures and perspectives are just a few of the skills and rewards that ski jumping has brought to them. For that we are so grateful.