Jumping Journal: October 26, 2009

Final evening session until winter.

 

What was initially planned to be the next to last jump session of the summer of 2009 has now turned into just the last evening session with three more sessions being planned for the early November.  Amazing how things change when you least expect it.

 

I arrived at Storrs Hill tonight to find a smaller than usual group of jumpers ready to hit the hill for the final after dark jumping session of the summer.  Walter, Kevin, Colin and Jonathan joining one high schooler and one junior jumper.  It was rather strange to not have a bigger crowd.  Admittedly, this was a big crowd compared to what I normally would see this time of the year.  I guess my reference point has changed thanks to all the jumpers that have showed up at the hill this summer.

 

As I was suiting up Nick Alexander walked in with his dad.  Nick is pretty much on a shoe-in to be going to the Olympics in Vancouver this winter.  He won at US Nationals earlier this month and he did quite well in Europe this summer earning himself World Cup points in the process.  Nick first started jumping at Storrs Hill either the same year I started or the year before me, aka 2000 or 2001.  Since the US Ski Team doesn't support the ski jumping program anymore any of the top ski jumpers in the country have to support themselves.  Their are a couple of fundraiser coming up in the next couple of weeks to help fund Nick's jumping.  He was also coming to inform some of the news media wants to come in and do a segment on summer ski jumping.  Between the two fundraiser, one at Storrs Hill and the news media, the one jump session we normally do in November has turned into three jump sessions.

 

After suiting up we all headed up the hill and got ready to show Nick the way us lowly jumpers do it, HA!

 

My first jump was a nice solid jump.  The past couple of weeks have definitely seemed much better than the entire rest of the sumer.  It was around 16-16.5 meters.  It felt quite solid.

 

The past two weeks has also found the outrun much faster than I can ever remember it being without it being wet.  I'm not sure if it's the leaves on the outrun or if it by us jumping so late into the evening the dew is already starting to form and it's taking away friction from the ground that would normally be there.  I was making it clear out to the lightpole tonight on most my jumps.  I don't ever remember making it that far out before.

 

My second jump was the same maybe a closer to 16.5 than 16.  The third jump was about the same.  On the fourth jump I did a little work on the inrun position to see if I could get the upper body down a bit more and make myself have to jump harder at the takeoff as a result.  It didn't seem to work the way I wanted it to.  I also tried it out on the fifth jump.  The jumps were still hanging out around 16-16.5 meters.

 

I had only planned on taking five jumps but after jump five I felt pretty decent and it still seemed 'early'.  I thought if Walter goes back up for another jump than I will as well.  Walter came down and it didn't look like he was too pleased with his jump so I figured he was going to be done for the evening.  I was wrong.  He walked toward the steps and I caught up with him and joined him back up top for one final jump.

 

He said he had to put in a decent landing tonight.  He does such a nice telemark landing, at least at times, and he hadn't put in a decent landing all night long.  I decide to join him and see if I could get myself to put in any kind of a tele at all.  I got the signal from Cannonball and headed down the inrun.  I thought to myself 'I will land in a telemark'.  I jumped at the takeoff and had another nice flight around 16 meters.  It did seem like I had a bit of a separation in the skis when I landed.  Not a big separation by any means but more than I normally have.  I was pleased.  Given I normally don't bother even trying a telemark landing to have even the slightest hint of one is better than nothing at all.

 

Now for a couple of weekend sessions coming up over the next two weeks.  First one is this Sunday before the first of two fundraiser for Nick and then the following Saturday before the fundraiser at the hill.  Gee, only once have I ever jumped more than once in November... in 2005 when we were in the process of jumping 68 consecutive weeks.  Between those two afternoon session and another on November 9th for the news media, hopefully I'll make that one, I may end up with three jump sessions this year in November.  Time shall tell.

 

Keep the ski tips up,

Crash