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)

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Jumping Journal: March 11, 2008

So that's what the transition looks like...from the air.  Ice definitely does help.
 
Yep, spring is starting to arrive here in west central New Hampshire.  The cold weather is turning warmer.  The snow is starting to slowly melt.  The snow storms of last months are becoming more ice to rain storms.  The windy days of March are once again reappearing.
 
Hold it...hold it.  Did I say ice and rain...did I say wind.  OUCH!!!
 
Friday evening as everyone was headed up to Lake Placid for the last jump meet of the season in Lake Placid the was being joined by the latest storm front.  Yes, this storm front had anything and everything to go with it.  It all depended on where you lived as to what you ended up getting for precipitation.  Some areas mostly all snow, others got all rain, and still other areas received a nice ice storm out storm front.
 
As I was seeing we were under a flood watch around here I started paying more attention to how much rain we were suppose to get.  The forecast was calling for anything from one to three inches.  I knew that wasn't going to be pretty.  Since I wasn't joining everybody else going to Lake Placid and I figured that no one had probably put the plastic on the K50 I decided to go up and do it before the precipitation started.  According to radar it looked like I should have plenty of time.  Radar lied, BIG TIME!
 
I got up there and just a minute or so before I pulled into the parking lot the sleet/freezing rain/rain/snow combo started.  I went to work and got the inrun covered.  I figured it should hold down even if we did get any wind.  The forecast wasn't calling for much wind with the storm front so I wasn't really all that worried.  Strangely the plastic covered all but the last four or five feet before the takeoff.  The rest of the time over the winter it was going all way down and over the takeoff.  We do use two 100 foot length pieces to cover the length of the inrun.
 
I left feeling like a drenched ski jumper...I guess I was a drenched ski jumper, LOL!!!
 
Friday night and all day Saturday it rained off and on.  I don't think we really saw much in the way of snow at all with the storm front.  Maybe a few flakes fell Friday evening as I was leaving the hill but it was mostly mixed precipitation to all rain.
 
Saturday night brought the wind with the passing of the cold front.  It blew quite nicely, maybe harder than what I thought it even blew.
 
Sunday things started to clear out and yesterday and today was partly to mostly sunny with highs getting back into the 30 to near 40 once again.  Cannonball decided not to jump Monday night so I spent the night as I had spent every waking hour since Saturday morning in front of the computer trying to finish up the scoring program for Mud Meet this weekend.  I still am hoping to avoid using Excel.  I did that last year and have no desire to ever do it again.
 
This afternoon under sunny skies I headed up to the hill.  As I got up there Jay, the groomer informed me that there was now a new feature at Storrs Hill, a haunted forest.  It turns out the strong winds managed to pick up the piece of plastic on the top part of the inrun.  It tore it to shreds and tossed it up into the trees.  Now when you look off the right side of the inrun, facing down the inrun, you see what appears to BBBBBIIIIIGGGGG cob webs hanging in the trees.  I think it is going to take another wind storm or two to get them out of the trees consider how high up in the trees the pieces of plastic are.
 
After helping run the lift I went over and helped Cannonball cut the track on the K50. The inrun held up nicely other than the top part that we never can really get covered all that well due to its shape.  Some of it has melted off but the bottom two thirds of inrun are right to grade and looking beautiful.
 
When we finished cutting the track I noticed there was no one else around that was planning on jumping the K50.  Nick wasn't even there tonight so I had no one to flag/coach me either.  I decided to go join the kids once again on the K25.  Spring must really be coming on strong for me to be jumping the K25 twice in seven days.
 
I suited up and walked over to the K25.  It was actually crowded tonight.  I haven't seen this many jumpers on the K25 in several years.  Cannonball's recruiting earlier this season brought in quite a few jumpers, even an adult or two to join the craziness.
 
The first jump was a surprise.  I headed down the inrun and jumped at the takeoff.  Everything seemed normal...at least until a split second before I landed.  I realized that I was going down the hill quite nicely.  It seemed like I was much higher in the air than I was use to being on the K25, err...it seemed like I was jumping a lot farther than normal.  I landed at probably only 20-21 meters and thanks to being caught off guard, I ended up going down.
 
I went back up for the second jump, determined to hold the jump all the way into the hill and to land at the bottom of the hill.  I knew the conditions were much faster than what I thought they were.  I knew they would be fast but the first jump, which was pretty typical in fashion, went much further down the hill than what I expected it to.
 
I didn't push out of house with quite as much gusto on the second jump and it seemed like I did play it a bit more timidly as well.  I still was going about the same distance.  I notice the mind trying to fight me and I just fought back and refused to give in.  I landed and rode the jump out smoothly.
 
The third jump was even better.  I wasn't being such a pussyfoot this time.  I may have hit 22 meters on the jump.
 
After several more jumps Cannonball started asking the question, "How far are we going to have to jump to win Mud Meet this year?"  I was asking the same question.
 
Pretty much all the jumps I took tonight landed in the 20-22 meter area.  I did have one or two that I had some real nice timing at the takeoff.  I think they ended up being the farthest of the evening.  I was mostly just trying to force the mind to except the idea of getting that far down the hill.  I know that is one thing my mind has been trying to keep me from doing.
 
All in all I ended up with twelve jumps on the evening.  I now have more jumps on the K25 this year than I did last year, DRATS!
 
Before changing clothes I did manage to get the hoop dug out of the snow and put inside so it could be wrapped later this week for the hoop of fire jumping at Mud Meet this Saturday.  Thus far, anytime the hoop has been set up and set a blaze since I started jumping, I have jumped through the hoop of fire.  It is one of the things I look forward to each year.
 
Hopefully, the weather will continue to hold up.  Tomorrow we may get a dusting of snow and then Friday or Saturday they are calling for a chance of rain.  I would love to see the fast conditions continue through Mud Meet.  If it does it could provide for some real stiff competition, at least on the jump side of the equation.
 
Keep the ski tips up,
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