Jumping Journal: February 28, 2009

If I try to make up for lost time...I'll pay for it.

 

Gee, the last day of February.  Gee, a nice warm 50+ degree day yesterday followed by rain last night.  I wonder...

 

That could only mean trouble.  T.R.O.U.B.L.E.  Hold that's one too many letters.  I only got six jumps in today not seven.

 

Before I left today I came to find out it has been since January 2003 that I last/first jumped at Vermont Academy.  After the old jumps at the prep school in eastern Vermont fell in to complete disarray a former student wanted to leave the school some money but didn't want it go into the general fund and someone knew his brother or some relative had jumped for the school.  He decided to put the money toward rebuilding the ski jumps.  They got rebuilt and used for the first time back in 2003.  I was at the meet and learnt on that memorable day what was meant by the phrase "the agony of defeat".  Yes, I pulled off a agony of defeat slide of my own on the first round of competition on the 35 meter jump.  In 2004 I didn't go for the meet as I was pretty much not jumping at any jump meets, kinda like this year.  Since 2004 the hills have pretty much set idle since the person hired in to take care of them was more interested in cross country skiing and didn't want to put any time into getting the jumps ready to be jumped.

 

This year Lebanon's famed Jon "Cannonball" Farnham decided since he lived rather close by to the school to see if he couldn't try to restart the program since the former coach left and went to a different teach at/run the winter sports program at a different prep school.  Cannonball got the go ahead and has been having jumping practice at the hill this winter three days a week and has a few of the local kids and maybe one or two of the prep students out jumping.  This was the second meet of the winter that he hosted.

 

After tracolating the inrun on each of the three jumps three times yesterday everything got the chance to setup overnight when the temperature dropped back down to the lower 20s.  This morning cleared out nicely and the east facing jumps managed by practice time to turn soft once again even though the temperatures was only right at the freezing point.

 

I arrived at the hill and saw no one out jumping.  I got there about 30 minutes after practice was suppose to start.  I was wondering why no one was out practicing yet.  I walked into the registration area and found only a couple of people had even showed up thus far to jump.

 

A short time later Dan comes walking in and he manages to fully coax me into competing.  I was planning on it anyways and at the same time I wasn't wanting to as well.  Call it one of those days under one of the situations where you are fighting yourself wishing you had just stayed home and at the same time glad you came.

 

After lunch practice finally got underway.  I headed out and rode the tow rope up to the takeoff of the jump and walked on up the inrun.  I had forgotten how narrow the landing hill was.  It seemed like it was much wider than it is now.  Amazing what you can forget in six years.  I also thought the K15 and K25 meter jumps were further off to the side of the K35 than what they are.  I had forgotten an awful lot of the jump site.  I thought the vertical separation between the knoll and the takeoff was much closer together as well.

 

After waiting for the other jumpers to go I put on my skis and get the signal from the takeoff.  I headed down the inrun and actually jumped halfways reasonably on time at the takeoff.  I say that because back in 2003 I couldn't time the takeoff at all.  I jumped late and normally quite late on each jump I took back then.  I figured it was because of the knoll and the takeoff being so close together...now I wonder.

 

I jumped at the takeoff and didn't have the best of jump but for the first time off the jump in six year it wasn't bad.  I landed and started down the landing hill and the next thing I found myself sliding on my behind across the snow.  I think I just got sitting too far back and got sucked down as I went through the transition.  My right ski came off and went sailing.  After getting up and taking off the other ski I followed behind one of the prep school jumpers that was walking to getting my ski.  Turns out the ski traveled a long ways across the snow before it came to a stop. It also somehow managed to get a nice right hook as it traveled.  It didn't go straight out the outrun.  Instead it went off at about 45-60 degree angle from straight out and finally came to a stop on pavement some 200- 300 feet beyond where it came off my boot.

 

I headed back up the lift and waited in line for my next jump.  By this time all but one of the master jumpers for the day, six in total, five jumped the K35, were up jumping and all the kids were out jumping as well.  I put the skis on and got the signal and started down the inrun.  I hadn't realized yet that I was sitting back too far while going through the curve on the landing hill.  I jumped at the takeoff.  I probably added another 1.5-2 meters to my jump.  I landed and at first it seemed like it was going to be fine.  Right before I got to transition I lost it again.  Down for the count.

 

The first crash I ended up banging my shoulder...nothing serious but enough that I knew I had banged it.  On the second crash I managed to get my foot back too much against my boot and still as of 8:30PM have a nice tender spot on my calf right where the back of boot sits.  Gee, could my luck get any better.

 

I headed up for the third and final practice jump.  Before I stopped sliding on the previous jump I already knew why I went down.  I decided to make the focus the rest of the day to stay more on top of the skis after landing.  Normally it's not a problem but it seems like the landing hill at Vermont Academy is steeped than the other landing hills I normally jump.  It might be my imagination or it may have just been the weird snow conditions today that made it seem that way.

 

I got the signal and headed down the inrun.  I had a better jump than either of the first two.  I landed and started riding down the landing hill focusing on staying more upright.  I partially lost it again.  This time I didn't lose a ski like both the previous two times, and I didn't go all the way down.  I did end up dragging my hands quite nicely and lost a glove that I had to search for as well.  Ohhhhh, the joy.

 

I walked back to the registration building and waited for a while for the jumping on the small hills to get completed.  I and the other jumpers all walked on back to the jumps and headed up the hill.  The kids went first and than Dan had the pleasure of being the first master to jump.  The meet was going to be trial and two to count instead the normal for a smaller hill of best two out of three.

 

I was right behind Dan.  I got the signal from takeoff and headed down the inrun.  I jumped at the takeoff...yes, no agony of defeat slide today, LOL.  I landed at 23.5 meters, the longest of the day...naturally.  I started down the landing hill and got through the transition fine and was snowplowing to a stop in the outrun.  I'm not sure if I caught an edge or what but I went down.  I was wayyyy past the fall line.  Granted it didn't count anyways since it is trial and two to count.

 

As I pick myself up and am getting out the way the next jumper, Tom Dodds comes down and almost hits Dan and I trying to stop.  The next jumper Jared King, ends up falling down at the end of the outrun as well.  Cannonball does manage to stay upright.

 

To say the landing hill outrun was a bit dicey...a bit unusual...rather rare...would be an understatement.  I haven't seen conditions that weird before, not even when doing any alpine skiing.  It was spring and winter skiing wrapped up into one.

 

All of us headed back up for the first competition jump.  After Dan goes 24.5 I get the signal and ride down the inrun.  Something did feel a bit strange so I was kinda hesistant/late at the takeoff as a result.  I jumped and when I land I know that it wasn't as far as the previous jump.  I was right, I landed at 21.5 meters.  Oh well...what else is new.  It must be comp time.  I ride the landing hill and get through the transition fine.  I start snowplow and almost make it all the way but I lose it again and the ski comes off and goes for the building at the end of the outrun.

 

I head back up for the last jump of the day.  Gee...could I actually stay upright or should I have stayed home and not bothered wasting the time going jumping today.

 

Dan once again goes 24.5 meters. I get the signal and head down the inrun.  This time everything seemed better.  I jumped much closer to on time and end up going 22.5 meters.  I make it down the landing hill and start snowplowing.  I actually come to stop...on my feet.  Everyone is clapping and commenting about the fact I actually managed to pull it off without going down yet again.

 

Ended up in fourth place out of five amongest the master.  What else is new.  I know better than to get into a competition.

 

It sounds like I might be going for an old fashion day of ski jumping tomorrow.  I'm not going to know what to do.  It's been a couple of years since I last did any weekend jumping on the K25 in Lebanon.  The talk is about going for it.  I'm not sure how the inrun is going to be.  With the rain and now the cold temps it may take a decent amount of work to even get it back into shape.  Granted if I can ski the K50 when its soft without a track than I can ski the K25 with icy conditions without a track.  Tomorrow should be interesting.

 

Gee........4 days of jumping in one week???  When was the last time I pulled that feat off...last winter.  Boy, has it been a long winter.

 

Crash