Myth #1(Mother Nature killed the sport of ski jumping) Debunked

Myth #2(NCAA killed the sport of ski jumping) Debunked Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Myth #3(The US doesn't have the talent) Debunked Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Mind Of A Ski Jumper Part 1, 2, 3, 4

The Ultimate Coach - Ski Jump Training Device

Jumping Season Digest: (see bottom of this page)

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Jumping Journal: September 10, 2006

Gee, how long has it been since I last jumped.  It seems like forever.  At least I did manage to get August in.  I think it was the smallest August I have ever seen in terms of number of days jumping in August.  Normally I would see three or four days at least.  To only have one day this year seems quite unusual.
 
Today marked the annual Dion Cup, err the New England Summer Ski Jumping Championships.  Since Lebanon is the only place to have summer jumping in New England it automatically hosts the New England Chamionships each year.  This year we pretty much also called it the US Master Ski Jumping Summer Championships.
 
The Dion Cup is named for the Dion family that used to jumping many years back.  They've coached at Lebanon and one of them is in the Ski Hall of Fame.
 
I arrived at the hill and saw an unfamiliar face walking up toward the building carrying skis.  I had heard in late July or early August about a guy that was thinking of coming to Dion Cup that use to jump as a kid and was possibly getting back into sk jumping.  Turns out it was him.  He hadn't jumped in 17 years and decided to come back out and give it a try once again.  He sure hasn't lost his touch any, admittedly he has jumped the K48 at Lake Placid quite a few times this summer, so that has probably helped out some, LOL!!!
 
I get ready and Mark, the new guy, and I both head up the jump and take our first jumps.  He kinda surprises me a little on his first jump.  Most people are hesitant when they jump the 25 the first time since it doesn't have a porcelain or steel track, its just plastic all the way down the inrun.  He wasn't a bit bothered by that fact.  His first jump shows that he used to jump as a kid.  It probably landed in the 17-18 meter range, guessing from my vantage point at the top of the inrun.
 
I take my first jump and I was a little surprised to see how far down the hill I made it.  After being off a practically a month I still managed to get down around 15-16 meters on the very first jump.  Earlier in the season I couldn't even get down that far no matter what I tried.  Now I'm doing even after not having jumped in a month.
 
The next three jumps all are nice and solid just like the first one.  Each one goes slightly farther but pretty much not much beyond 17 meters.  I attempt a telemark landing and manage to put in a small one, that was probably not very noticable.
 
I take a break and after 20-30 minutes Dan and Bill show up and start jumping as well as the Cannonball.  I decide to take and three jumps so that by the time the three competition jumps are over with I'll have 10 jumps in for the day.  I don't think I have ever taken 10 jumps in a day any prior to mid October.  Granted today felt like mid October with highs only right around 60 degrees.
 
Each of the three jumps also go quite smoothly.  I was still getting down around 16-17 meters.
 
Time for the competition to get started and it finds one junior, one senior and five master jumpers competing for the Dion Cup.  Yes, it was more of a masters tournament than anything else.  I find myself as the last jumper to go.  Pretty much I knew that was the right position, I would probably end up in dead last place, HA!
 
First jump goes pretty decent.  It was down at 16 meters.  The second jump pretty much scared everyone.  It was definitely one of the best saves I have pulled off in eons.  I ended up landing with one foot and then with the other.  I got off balance and thought for sure I was going to end up loosing it at the end of the sawdust and find myself going face first into the grass.  Somehow I managed to pull off the nice save.  That jump ended up short at around 15 meters.  The third and finally jump of the competition I ended up back down around 16 again.
 
Not one of the three competition jumps seemed as nice as the practice jumps earlier in the day.  I don't think it was the number of jumps taken that was the problem as much as it was the competitive environment that led to the downfall in performance during the competition.
 
As expected I ended up in last place with Same Burke taken the 2006 Dion Cup.  He is headed off to Scotland in a couple of days to start college.  Cannonball took second with Mark Breen taking third in his first competition in 17 years.
 
Hopefully, I'll be out pretty much every weekend through the beginning of November, the end of the regular summer jumping season, with the exception of the second and third weekend in October.  Pray for no rain on Sundays until after the first Sunday in October, LOL!!!  Heck as weird as the weather has been around here over the past month we may be jump on snow in October if we are not careful.
 
Crash
Winter 2010
DateLeb 25Plymouth 25Leb 50And 38
Dec 121
Jan 056
Jan 063
Feb 024
Feb 032
Feb 046
Feb 073
Mar 063
Totals133102