Jumping Journal: November 01, 2009

Expect the unexpected.  Stranger things have happened before.

 

This year is starting to remind me quite a bit of the year that lead me into starting to keep this jumping journal.  The year was 2005 and the boys at Storrs Hill were on a jumping binge.  Jumping every week for 68 consecutive weeks.  The strange time came in November.  Each year prior to and since we had jumped normally on the first Sunday of November and called it quits until snow arrived.  In 2005 we were jumping each and every week, right through November.  2005 led the way into moving jumping off of Sunday's and instead jumping during the week to keep the weekends open for everyone to do other things, including giving the better jumpers the chance to make a trip to Lake Placid to jump on the K48.

 

Last year we jumped midweek until early September.  The lighting system got knocked down by a storm in mid July and with the sun setting earlier each night we switched back over to Sunday afternoons.  This year everything has went much smoother and has allowed us to continue jumping into the wee early evening hours under the lights.

 

Due to the first of two fundraisers for one of the local ski jumpers that is travelling a lot in Europe on the World Cup circuit being this evening it was decided to jump in the afternoon before the fundraiser got underway.  At first when the decision was made it seemed like it was going to be the last jump session of the summer as usual...until...

 

After a rather nice morning/early afternoon that I wasn't expecting to have I made my way on up to Storrs Hill and found myself following Dan into the parking lot.  As I walked up to the lodge I didn't see all that many jumpers around.  It was a rather unusual site.  I was there right at 4PM so I figured I would see more jumpers.  I was really surprised to see Walter wasn't there.  Something didn't sound quite right for Walter to miss a session.  Sorry Walter, can't help myself, LOL!!! :)

 

In the next 10-15 minutes several more jumpers showed up including Walter.  All in all there was 2 juniors, 1 high schooler, and Walter, Dan, Kevin, Jonathan and myself out jumping this afternoon.  Since today was the day we moved the clocks back one hour it did seem rather strange still jumping under lights at 4PM.  Winter must be coming on fast.

 

Everyone suited up and headed up the hill.  I decided I would see if I couldn't be crazy enough to pick up where I left off Monday evening...working on the telemark landing.  I jumped about five feet late on the first jump but to my surprise it did seem like I had a small separation in the skis on the landing.  I don't know if I really do have any separation when I think I do or not but it did seem like I should have.

 

The second jump was worse and it also felt like I was trying to land on my heels versus landing on the hole foot.  I was surprised I didn't end up falling on the landing given how bad the landing felt.

 

Before the third jump Walter came up the trestle and made the joke that he would buy a beer for the guy who rode the furthest in the outrun.  I was still managing to go right out to the light pole which is normally unheard of.  Heck on my third or fourth jump I ended up putting in a bit of a hockey stop even to slow myself down.  It hadn't rained all day long and the temperatures were still well into the 40s while we were jumping.  I think the leaves must be providing the lack of friction that is allowing everyone to make it so far out the outrun before stopping.

 

My fourth jump had a real small separtion and I thought about calling it quits after number four but I decided to stick it out and take one more.  The fifth and final jump of the evening gave me the best feel of separation I had all evening long.  I'm not doing bent knee telemarks by any stretch of the imagination just a small separation of the skis.

 

 

I called it quits with 101 jumps so far for the summer.  This is the second most jumped summer I've had since I started jumping in 2001.

 

Now for what I believe is going to be the final two jump sessions of the summer.  Saturday is going to be a fundraiser at Storrs Hill for Nick and once again we are going to be jumping before the dinner gets underway.  A couple of days later one of the television stations in the area wants to shoot some video of summer ski jumping.  I think Nick has managed to stir the pot on getting them to come in and shoot the footage.  Gee, more jumping than I planned this fall.  I won't complain any.

 

Sagola,

Crash