USASJ News

USA SKI JUMPING NEWS IT’S JOHNSON, LAMB, ALEXANDER ON SUN FEB 19 IN BRATTLEBORO Sunday results: FIS Cup Fred Harris Memorial tournament By: Peter Graves, USASJ PR Director BRATTLEBORO, VT----- Despite a strained ankle Anders Johnson of Park City, UT skied to his second victory in as many days as this Southern Vermont town played host to an FIS Cup and the 90th Fred Harris Memorial Ski Jumping Tournament in front of a large crowd on a bluebird day. Peter Graves photo ... click to enlarge A two-time Olympian, Johnson, 22, soared to a pair of jumps of 94.5 and 93.5 meters to win Sunday with total points of 255.5. He was delighted with the pair of wins, telling the USASJ News Bureau, “this weekend it all came together, I felt great jumping and really enjoyed being here, for sure I’ll be back. I feel like I’m back in the groove.” Johnson leaves for Europe on Monday. In an all USASJ podium sweep Andover, NH’s Chris Lamb finished second with a pair of 90 meter leaps and points of 238.5. Lamb has been living this winter in Trondheim, Norway and attends school at the University of Trondheim. Lebanon, NH’s Nick Alexander—who was born in Brattleboro-- took the third podium spot with two solid jumps of 87.5 and 88.5 meters, and he finished with 219.5 total points. Mike Glasder (Cary, IL) last year’s Harris Hill winner was fourth, while Andrew Bliss (Lake Placid, NY) jumping for NYSEF was fifth. The top European was Filip Sakala from the Czech Republic. Officials from the Organizing Committee said the two-day crowd was estimated to be 4,200 spectators. Competitors came from Canada, Ukraine, Austria, Norway, Czech Republic and Slovenia. Tyler Hutchins in flight ... click to enlarge ... Peter Graves photo The USASJ’s Rex Bell, who also served as the Chief of Competition called it an amazing day for USA Ski Jumping. “We are really happy about sweeping the podium again Sunday, it shows the depth that is developing and over time it will pay off as we head to the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014. The tournament was a great success and we thank all the athletes for being here with us, the sponsors, all the volunteers and everyone who worked hard to make it happen. Brattleboro is a special place,” the former US Ski Team jump coach said. In the open class, the Andover Outing Club’s Zack Daniels took the win followed by Brattleboro native Spencer Knickerbocker (NYSEF) while third place went to Cooper Dodds (Hanover, NH) skiing for the Ford Sayre Club. JOHNSON, LAMB, GLASDER 1-2-3 in BRATTLEBORO FIS CUP FEB 18 Saturday results: FIS Cup Pepsi Challenge open collegiate By: Peter Graves, USASJ PR Director and Ken Anderson, Webmaster BRATTLEBORO, VT---The nation's top ski jumpers are in Brattleboro this weekend (Feb. 18 & 19) for the first-ever FIS Cup to be hosted in this Southern Vermont hotbed of ski jumping ... it’s the 90th year of jumping here. It's a weekend full of exciting action with Saturday's annual Pepsi Challenge also playing host to the finals of the US Ski Jumping Cup and the US Collegiate ski jumping nationals On Sunday, action will continue with the 90th Fred Harris Memorial Ski Jumping Tournament, with a field that includes many international athletes. All the top members of the US National Team were on hand for both days, with the exception of 2010 US Olympian Peter Frenette, who was jumping in Oslo, Norway, preparing for this year's FIS Jr. World Nordic Championships in Turkey. Frenette placed a season best 8th last weekend at a Continental Cup in Iron Mountain, Michigan. Podium pix below by Tom Bickner. In Saturday’s FIS Cup, three USASJ athletes filled the podium, with Anders Johnson the winner, followed by Chris Lamb and Mike Glasder. Places 6-10 were also taken by USASJ team members ... Nick Alexander, Nick Fairall, Alex Haupt, Will Rhoads, and Trevor Wert. Christian Friberg was 15th, Hyrum Bailey 17th, Tyler Hutchins 18th, Brian Wallace 20th, Ben Loomis 22nd, Trev Edlund 24th, Nick Mattoon 25th, Kevin Bickner 26th, AJ Brown 27th, Andre Denney 29th, and Casey Larson 30th. FIS Cup podium Sat 2/18 ... Glasder, Johnson, Lamb ... click to enlarge Andrew Bliss and Karin Friberg were the winners of the second annual Collegiate ski jumping championships. You’ll find them sharing the top step on the podium at left. Collegiate Championships podium ... click on the photo to enlarge it. The USASJ's Rex Bell spoke for many about the weekend. "We are so thrilled to have this historic-first FIS Cup in Brattleboro. The hill, that was rebuilt three years ago, is in terrific shape, and with the international field, it will be a really good test for our USASJ athletes. We are pleased with the progress we are making and hope to see the US right up on the podium. This should be a world-class event," he said. Open Class podium ... click on photo to enlarge. USASJ Coach Casey Colby was looking forward to bringing his squad to Brattleboro saying, "the season for the guys on the team is on a decided upswing after the past weekend at Iron Mountain and attitudes are positive and the motivation levels are high for this weekend because good performances at a home event are always a major goal for the season." FRENETTE 41st, 14th, 26th IN OSLO CONTINENTAL CUP FEB 17-19 Next stop is World Junior Championships Results: Fri 2/17 Sat 2/18 Sun 2/19 The lost day at Iron Mountain was added in as a Friday event in Oslo. Peter Frenette placed 41st without benefit of rest and training. On Saturday, he flew into a tie for 14th ... in a full field of the best athletes in the Continental Cup series. Finishing just behind Frenette was Germany’s Marinus Kraus, last Sunday’s winner in Iron Mountain. Norway’s Andreas Stjernen and Kenneth Gangnes were 1-2, with Austria’s Michael Hayboeck 3rd. On Sunday, Stjernen won again, with Slovenians Mitja Meznar and Ziga Mandl. Frenette once again made the final round, finishing 26th Marc Estabrook photo, click to enlarge. TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR JUNIOR WORLDS IN TURKEY FEB 22-25 USA sending four men, three women: team announcement event website Seven ski jumpers will represent the USA at the Junior World Championships at the spectacular new jump complex in Erzurum, Turkey Feb 22-25. The current runaway leader of the first season of Women’s World Cup, Sarah Hendrickson (Park City) will be joined by Nita Englund (Iron Mt MI) and Nina Lussi (Lake Placid). Peter Frenette (Lake Placid) will lead the men’s squad, which will include Christian Friberg and Brian Wallace (both of St Paul) and Will Rhoads (Park City). FRENETTE 8th, JOHNSON 17th, FRIBERG 18th IN IRON MOUNTAIN COC Wind cancels Saturday competition, Sunday completed in longest-ever COC event! Results Sunday Feb 12: training competition photo album helicopter video A huge crowd came out on a cold and windy Saturday in Iron Mountain, but Mother Nature forced a cancellation, preventing any jumpers from getting off the ground. Thursday’s open practice had been held in perfect weather, but on Friday it had also been too windy for official training. On Sunday, it was still windy, but the required training round for 46 jumpers got underway just after 9:00 ... and it took most of the morning, with several wind delays, to complete the training session. The first jumper down was Christian Friberg (L) of St Paul, age 17, a member of the USASJ development team. He flew 134.5 meters, the second-longest jump in training, behind the 135M flight by Norway’s Robert Johansson. (Peter Graves photo - click to enlarge) After a break for opening ceremonies, competition began, and the first round was finally completed in mid-afternoon. There were frequent wind delays, and the wind still caused problems for some jumpers, but when the round was over, Germany’s Marinus Kraus was leading on a jump of 142.5 meters, just one meter short of the hill record. Peter Frenette (L) of the USA was 2nd, with a jump of 136.5, and Friberg was 10th on a flight of 122.5 meters. (Ken Anderson photo - click to enlarge) The shadows were getting longer as the final round began, and there were several more delays for wind. Some of the jumpers caught the breeze just right and greatly improved on their first-round distances, while some had the the opposite kind of luck, coming up a bit short. But when it finally ended at 4:30, Kraus stood atop the podium, having had the second-best jump in the final round (133.5) to add to his huge first jump for a total score of 292.3 points. His German teammate Markus Eisenbichler finished 2nd, with 266.5, and Johansson was 3rd with 257. Frenette didn’t benefit from the wind, landing at 122, but combined with his first jump, earned him 8th overall. Friberg also was hampered by wind, landing about 20 meters short of his big first jump, but it earned him an 18th place finish in his first Continental Cup. One who was able to take advantage of the wind in the final round was Anders Johnson, (L) who had been 26th after the first round. His second jump was eighth-best of the round, and it put him in 17th overall. Nick Alexander, 27th after the first round, finished 24th. It was a good day for the US team in front of a home crowd for the only time this year. One in the top 10, two more in the top 20, and another making the final round of 30. (Ken Anderson photo - click to enlarge) We want to give a shout out to the USASJ athletes and coaches, and to the Kiwanis Ski Club of Iron Mountain for once again running a first-rate tournament, and for having the persistence to get in a full competition despite the efforts of Mother Nature to keep it from happening. And we want to acknowledge our sponsor, Lagunitas, for hosting a wonderful reception for our USASJ team at Sol Blu in Iron Mountain on Friday evening! CHRISTIAN FRIBERG WINS US CUP #5 IN ISHPEMING MI FEB 8 Anders Johnson 2nd, Peter Frenette 3rd Results: US Cup #5 5 Hills totals FB page There were lots of fireworks in Ishpeming Wed eve Feb 8, both on the hill and in the night sky. The USA Ski Jumping Team was well represented, with a number of skiers just back from Europe. Christian Friberg of St Paul, a member of the USASJ development team, completed a sweep of all five midwestern meets, and captured the title for this “5 Hills” tournament within the overall US Cup series. Friberg jumped 93 and 92.5 meters, scoring 243 points. Anders Johnson of Park City was 2nd (91.5, 90, 233), and Peter Frenette of Saranac Lake NY was 3rd (88.5, 91.5, 227.5). They were followed by Nick Alexander and Nick Fairall. Jere Kykkanen and Janne Nordman, both of Finland, were 6th and 7th, with Mike Glasder of Cary IL 8th, Volodymyr Glyvka of Ukraine 9th, and Brian Wallace of St Paul 10th. Brian’s also on the USA Ski Jumping Development Team. Ben Loomis of Eau Claire was the Junior Class winner, and Zak Hammill of Kingsford MI won the Open Class. Zak attends NMU, and coaches juinor skiers for the Ishpeming Ski Club. Local spectators indicated it may have been the biggest crowd at Suicide Hill since the 1960s. ALEXANDER BATTLING BACK FROM INJURY, 16th IN KRANJ FIS CUP FEB 5 Misses Saturday’s final round after huge trial ride Results: Sat 2/4 Sun 2/5 After an injury last summer, USASJ’s Nick Alexander has recently been back in competition. On Saturday Feb 4, in Kranj, he showed a flash of brilliance with the 2nd longest flight in the trial round, trailing only Slovenia’s Nejc Dezman. But in the competition, he wasn’t able to duplicate that feat, and wond up 48th. Dezman wound up 2nd, with the win going to his teammate Jaka Hvala, with three more Slovenians rounding out the top five ... youngsters Anze Lanisek, Cene Prevc, and Rok Justin. Two other Americans finished just behind Alexander, with Trevor Wert 51st and Hyrum Bailey 53rd. On Sunday, Nick skipped the trial round, and focused on the competition. His first-round jump of 95 meters put him solidly into the final round, at 21st in a field of 69 jumpers from 11 countries. In the final round he flew 99.5, eigh-best among the finalists, and finished 16th. Wert was 41st and Bailey 57th. Lanisek was the winner, with Justin 2nd and Slovakia’s Ondrej Vaculik 3rd. FRIBERG 1ST, GLASDER 2ND AT US CUP #4 ... FRI EVE, FEB 3, IN WESTBY WI And they do it again Saturday in Snowflake Invitational Results: Fri 2/3 Sat 2/4 Westby is a little slice of Norway in the coulee terrain of southwestern Wisconsin. Their Snowflake Ski Club hosted US Cup #4 on Fri eve, Feb 3rd, and the pattern of the first three competitions was almost repeated. Christian Friberg won, followed by Mike Glasder, but Finland’s Janne Nordman squeaked by Brian Wallace to grab the last podium spot. On Saturday in the annual Snowflake Invitational, they placed 1-2 again. Friberg piled up 283.5 points on jumps of 123 and 121.5 meters Friday evening, and scored 283.9 on Saturday, with a pair of 120 meter flights. * Night photo taken at Eau Claire by Tim Rohe ... click photo to enlarge! The 2012 US Cup series began in Eau Claire Jan 20, made a midweek stop in Minneapolis on Jan 25 before last weekend’s date in Chicago. After Westby, there will be a competition Wed Feb 8 in Ishpeming MI before a pair of dates the next two weekends in Salisbury CT and Brattleboro VT. This seven-event circuit is the top US domestic ski jumping series. The top three in points are Christian Friberg (St Paul) Mike Glasder (Norge-Chicago), and Brian Wallace (St Paul). This trio finished 1-2-3 in each of the first three US cup events, and Wallace captured 4th in Westby. They’re competing against many other US talents and several jumpers from Finland and Norway. IT’S FRIBERG, GLASDER, WALLACE AGAIN AT US CUP #3 JAN 29 - CHICAGO Glasder wins Saturday tourney Results: Sat 1/28 Sun 1/29 long standing It was a familiar group on the podium at US Cup #3 in Chicago on Sunday afternoon Jan 29. For the third time in as many events in the top domestic ski jumping series, Christian Friberg of St Paul claimed victory, followed Norge’s Mike Glasder and St Paul’s Brian Wallace. The results (link above) show those competing in the US Cup series as Class A. Luke Daniels of Andover NH was the winner in men’s Junior class, followed by Nigel Lauchlan of Calgary and Norge’s Casey Larson. Karin Friberg of St Paul won the women’s title, ahead of Eau Claire’s Emilee Anderson (she’s just back from competing in the first Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck). St Paul’s Elizabeth Wallace placed 3rd. Mike Furey won Masters class ahead of Albert Gasienica of Park City. One of the largest crowds in years was on hand both days to enjoy the jumps! Finland’s Janne Nordman took first place in the long-standing jump competition after the official tournament was completed ... he landed at 81.5 meters, and was followed by teammate Jere Kykkanen and a pair of Norwegian jumpers. The best distance by a US skier was 76.5 meters, by Ben Loomis, age 13, of Eau Claire, who won the long-standing comp on his home hill last week! On the K70 Saturday, Glasder edged Friberg for the top spot in Open class, with Wallace third. Glasder is a member of the USA Ski Jumping Team, and Friberg and Wallace, both of St Paul, are both on the USASJ development team. All have been competing internationally this season. Tyler Hutchins of Coleraine MN was the men’s Junior 1 winner on Saturday, ahead of Norge’s AJ Brown. Coleraine’s Andre Denney placed 3rd. Emilee Anderson was the women’s J1 winner, ahead of Annie Frenette of Lake Placid. Ben Loomis of was the J2 men’s winner, with Elizabeth Wallace taking the women’s J2 honors. Mike Furey was the winner in Masters’ class. ITO WINS TWICE, FRENETTE 40th, 50th IN SAPPORO WORLD CUP JAN 28-29 Johnson narrowly misses qualifying both days Results: Sat 1/28 Sun 1/29 Fifty-nine of the world’s top jumpers were in Sapporo JPN for two days of World Cup competition. Ten were pre-qualified based on current standings, so 49 jumpers competed to qualify for 40 spots to complete the World Cup field of 50. Peter Frenette was 32nd among the qualifiers on Saturday, and placed 40th overall. Japan’s Daiki Ito won his first World Cup title, edging Norway’s Anders Bardal by one-tenth of a point, and Poland’s Kamil Stoch was 3rd. Anders Johnson came ever so close to qualifying on Saturday, missing the cut by just one point. On Sunday, Frenette qualified 37th and finished 50th. Johnson’s frustration continued as he came within nine-tenths of a point of qualifying for the field of 50. Ito made it two in a row, winning his first two World Cup titles in front of his home crowd. Stoch moved up a spot to 2nd, and series leader Andi Kofler of Austria took 3rd. US CUP #2 IN MINNEAPOLIS JAN 25 - FRIBERG, GLASDER, WALLACE REPEAT Trio of USASJ jumpers repeats last Friday’s podium Minneapolis results: Jan 25 To quote Yogi Berra, the podium at US Cup #2 in Minneapolis on Wed Jan 25 was “deja vu all over again.” Last weekend the US Cup series kicked off in Eau Claire WI, with the top spots going to three USASJ athletes: Christian Friberg, Michael Glasder, and Brian Wallace. The same three guys did it again in Minneapolis. If you look at the scoresheets via the link above, you’ll find US Cup competitors listed as “Class A.” SAPPORO COC JAN 20-22: PETER FRENETTE 26th, 26th, and 25th By Peter Graves, USASJ PR Director Results: Fri 1/20 Sat 1/21 Sun 1/22 SAPPORO, JAPAN (January 22, 2012)---23 year-old Norwegian Andreas Stjernen ended the week as he started it here by winning yet another COC title. He was fourth after the first round, but a massive jump of 125 meters helped him take his second victory in three days here at the site of the 1972 Olympic Winter Games. With his win, Stjernen jumps to the head of the pack in overall points on the COC. In front of an excited and energized home crowd, young talent Kento Sakuyama (JPN) took his best ever COC finish with a pair of jumps of 122 and 123 meters. Slovenian jumper Robert Hrgota was third. Norway’s Kim Rene Elverum Sorsell took fourth, while Germany’s Felix Schoft—who won Saturday’s event—was fifth. It was another fine day for Canadian ski jumper Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes, who finished a solid seventh. The Calgary- based jumper took a brilliant third last Friday. Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, NY) lead the US Sunday placing 25th—his best of the weekend triple. US Head Coach Clint Jones told the USASJ News Bureau, “On a positive note, Peter was able to score points in all three events here in Japan, for he placed 26th, 26th and 25th. Overall his jumping has been pretty good, but he has room for improvement, which is always a good thing. He does seem to be getting into a good competition groove.” (click photo to enlarge) Nick Alexander (Lebanon, NH) in his return to competition following a long rehab placed 49th—his first competitive jumping event in four months. Nick Fairall (Andover, NH) placed 55th. In an interesting case of the final results don’t tell the whole story, Anders Johnson’s (Park City, UT) result today of 51st has a story behind it. According to Coach Jones, Johnson has been jumping better than he has seen in a number of years—and today was no exception. Johnson jumped 121.5 in the trial round, and followed it up with a great first round comp jump of 120 meters. Jones picks up the rest of the story. “Anders was leading the round for awhile, and then the jury decided to have a short break. They ended up delaying the round for one hour and then restarted the comp. On Anders second jump, the wind was terrible and he jumped 30 meters shorter. I guess the only good thing is that he has been getting all of his bad luck out of the way…it can only last so long”. FRIBERG, GLASDER, WALLACE 1-2-3 IN US CUP OPENER FRI JAN 20 USASJ athletes own podium in first of 7-event series Results: US Cup #1 Sat 1/21 The US Cup Series began on Fri eve Jan 20 in Eau Claire WI. There were several classes of competitors, but our spotlight is on those competing in the US Cup class. USASJ development athlete Christian Friberg won with jumps of 89.5 and 88 meters, for 237 points. USASJ elite team member Mike Glasder was a point back, and development jumper Brian Wallace was 3rd. There was another (non-US Cup) tournament on Saturday afternoon. The series moves to Minneapolis on Wed eve Jan 25, followed by Chicago (Jan 28), Westby WI (Feb 3) and Ishpeming MI (Feb 8), all night events. It will then hit Salisbury CT (Feb 11) before the series finale in Brattleboro VT (Feb 18). This will also be Brattleboro’s FIS Cup weekend. FIRST-EVER YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES CONCLUDE IN INNSBRUCK JAN 21 Individual results, Sat Jan 14: men women Team competition Sat Jan 21: results Articles of interest: IOC-YOG website Park Record - Will & Colton WSJUSA site - Emilee The first-ever IOC Youth Olympic Games were held in Innsbruck Jan 13-21. USASJ development team jumper Will Rhoads of Park City UT placed 19th in men’s competition and Emilee Anderson, Eau Claire WI, finished 9th in women’s on Saturday Jan 14. Colton Kissell of Park City is the US Nordic Combined athlete. All three jumped for the US in the team competition Saturday Jan 21, finishing 11 in that event. FRIBERG 21st AND 30th IN FIS CUP ACTION JAN 14-15 AT PREDAZZO ITA Brian Wallace 28th on Saturday FIS CUP Results: Sat Jan 14 Sun Jan 15 Christian Friberg, just off a triple win in Calgary, placed 21st today in FIS Cup action in Italy, with fellow St Paul athlete Brian Wallace 28th. They were the only Americans to make the final round. Slovenian Rok Justin was the winner. Alex Haupt was 50th, Hyrum Bailey 62nd, Trevor Wert 63rd, Tyler Hutchins 64th, and AJ Brown 66th. Friberg made the final round Sunday as well, finishing 30th. Wallace placed 50th, Bailey 54th, Haupt 56th, Wert 63rd, Brown 67th, and Hutchins 74th. They’re coached by Casey Colby and Scott Smith. FRIBERG ON TOP OF PODIUM AGAIN; WINS BY 31 POINTS ON TUES JAN 3 USASJ devo jumper sweeps Nor-Am Jr Championships Results January 3: men women Christian Friberg capped off an amazing three-day winning spree at the North American Junior Championships in Calgary with a 31-point margin of victory on Tuesday Jan 3. He scored 274 points, with jumps of 98.5 and 101.5 meters on Calgary’s K89/HS95 Olympic hill. We’re still awaiting results from Tuesday’s women’s event. FRIBERG, HENDRICKSON, WALLACE, RHOADS WIN MIXED TEAM IN CALGARY US Team 1 wins, Team 2 takes 3rd place Results January 2: mixed team In the first major mixed men’s & women’s team competition, US team #1 took top honors at the North American Junior Championships in Calgary Jan 2nd. Team members were Christian Friberg, Brian Wallace, and Will Rhoads of the USASJ Development team, and Sara Hendrickson, who won the very first Women’s World Cup last month in Lillehammer, Norway. Canada’s top team finished 2nd, and US team #2 finished 3rd. That team was made up of Dillon Maurer, Alex Gantick, Hyrum Bailey, and Nita Englund. FRIBERG & HENDRICKSON GET FIRST-DAY WINS AT CALGARY NOR-AMs USASJ Devo Team 1-3-5, VISA Women’s Team 1-2 Results January 1: men women Christian Friberg was the winner, Will Rhoads placed 3rd, and Brian Wallace was 5th on the first day of the North American Junior Championships Jan 1-3 at the Calgary Olympic Park. Sarah Hendrickson, winner of the first-ever Women’s World Cup event in early December, won the women’s competition with teammate Nita Englund 2nd. NICK FAIRALL WINS TWICE IN LAKE PLACID DEC 29-30 RESULTS: Dec 29 (elimination) Dec 30 (traditional two-round format) Video: Christian Friberg flies 135 meters. USASJ’s Nick Fairall was a double winner in Lake Placid’s two days of traditional New Year’s ski jumping. On Thursday Dec 29, he finished first in an elimination event, ahead of Alex Madden and Will Schott. On Friday,he took the top spot in Open class, with Andrew Bliss and USASJ’s Nick Alexander tied for 2nd. Andre Denney was the Junior class winner, and Emilee Anderson won in Women’s class. USASJ’s Rex Bell provided this commentary: “Thursday night was cold with temps going below 0. There was a field of about 25 skiers. The event was rather informal and the format used allowed skiers to pick their starts and distance only, however if a skier didn't have a telemark landing they got a 5 meter penalty. There were two rounds and each skiers best jump counted to go into a final round of 10 skiers. Nick Fairall won. “The event was fun to watch since most skiers jumped over 85 meters. Nick Alexander literally took his first jumps thursday morning since July when got injured, so he literally had 5 jumps under his belt when he went into the competition. Yesterdays event was a normal competition format and again Fairall won. “Dan Warner did an incredible job getting the hill in shape and deserves credit / recognition. The hill was first jumped last Saturday but then it got washed out so Wed he re-snowed the hill, with the help of Casey, Evan Bliss, Scott Smith and the athletes. Jessica Thornton-Sherman (physical therapist) from Alpine Clinic was present to care for USASJ athletes, as was USASJ Merchandise Director Britt Southworth.” JUNIOR PROGRAMS DEVELOP YOUNG SKIERS IN MIDWEST Duluth TV station features 1984 Olympian and his son ... Fox21 article & video There are several clubs in the midwest with a long tradition of attracting and developing young athletes in the sport of ski jumping. Jon Denney, a 1984 Olympian, grew up in that tradition in Duluth. He now resides in Grand Rapids MN, and is the head coach for the Itasca Ski Club’s jumping program in Coleraine MN. Jon and his son Andre were recently featured on Fox21-TV in Duluth. Click the link above to read the feature article and view the video. ALAN JOHNSON INTERVIEWED BY PETER GRAVES Personal thoughts from one of USASJ’s key people, and a look at organization’s plans ... READ INTERVIEW Alan Johnson has been a key figure in US Nordic sports for many years; he’s a major force in the development of the USASJ organization, and dad to a son and daughter on the national teams. lick link above to read full interview)

Recent Headlines, Articles & Features Alan Johnson Interview Development Program 2012 US Cup Series 2011 Achievements Central Reunion 5/21 New Partner: Lagunitas Torger Tokle Honored USASJ-Shamrock Deal Getting to the Start Bar N Alexander Flight Sim Articles from Other Publications College Jumping (from Boston Globe)

STOIC & USA Ski Jumping Announce Partnership Stoic, the Park City-based manufacturer of technical outerwear will support the athletes of the USASJ ski jumping squad with dry land training gear for the off-season. GAME ON! Stoic will supply the talented team with leading-edge shirts, shorts and apparel. Lagunitas Brewing of Petaluma CA is a proud sponsor of USA Ski Jumping. Look for them at selected events this winter!

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Video Interviews From US Nationals (with Peter Graves) D Warner, C Colby Nick Alexander Peter Frenette Nick Fairall J Thornton-Sherman Videos hosted by YouTube