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Tag: Lindsey Van

  • Demong Gets It Done in Placid with Ninth National Title; Van and Alexander Dominate Ski Jumping

    Demong Gets It Done in Placid with Ninth National Title; Van and Alexander Dominate Ski Jumping

    Olympic Champion Billy Demong shares the podium with teammates Taylor and Bryan Fletcher after winning his ninth career U.S. title. (Photo: USST/ORDA-Jon Lundin)
    U.S. Nordic Combined’s Billy Demong (c) shares the podium with teammates Taylor (l) and Bryan Fletcher after winning his ninth national at U.S. Nordic Combined Championships on Sunday in Lake Placid, N.Y. (Photo: USST/ORDA-Jon Lundin)

    Consistency is key when it comes to nordic combined. Third in the morning jump at the U.S. Nordic Combined Championships on Sunday in Lake Placid, N.Y., national-team staple Billy Demong went on to win the 10-kilometer rollerski with the third-fastest time at the Olympic Jumping Complex, holding off teammates Bryan and Taylor Fletcher by 11 seconds in 25:47.8.

    According to Steamboat Today, Demong started 16 seconds behind jump leader Todd Lodwick, another U.S. Nordic Combined veteran. Lodwick started four seconds ahead of Aleck Gantick and ultimately placed fifth after Demong, Bryan Fletcher, Taylor Fletcher and Brett Denney, respectively. Bryan and Taylor started nearly a minute behind in seventh and eighth, respectively.

    Taylor passed his brother and edged him for second by 0.3 seconds. Denney finished 31.1 seconds behind Demong in fourth and Lodwick was fifth (+1:14.5), reportedly slowed by asthma.

    It was Demong’s ninth national title in what may very well be his last U.S. championships. The 33-year-old Lake Placid-area native plans to retire after the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

    “No doubt, this was my best race of this summer,” Demong said in a U.S. Ski Team press release. “This was a solid start to where I want to be right now.”

    Most threatened by the idea of Lodwick sprinting to the finish or Taylor Fletcher catching him and skiing away, Demong said he tried to ski his own race.

    “I just wanted to ski an even split and stay just 10 to 15 seconds in front of [Taylor] so he didn’t have the opportunity to break away from me,” he explained. “It seemed like that worked out. He pulled within 10 seconds of the last lap, but I had enough energy to hold that gap to the finish line.”

    Best of all, Demong said the dryland results indicate that the team’s in good shape overall.

    “There were four to five guys who could have won so I think that our team is exceptionally strong, even stronger than four years ago,” he said. “That’s the most important thing to me.”

    The U.S. Nordic Combined squad is headed to Europe on Monday for its final overseas training camp before the World Cup season starts next month.

    “We had some good results,” head coach Dave Jarrett told Steamboat Today. “It was difficult conditions and this hill is hard. We didn’t do very well jumping, but we have jumped well here, so this was just one of those days.”

    2009 World Champion Lindsey Van celebrates her U.S. Ski Jumping title along with teammates Jessica Jerome and Alissa Johnson in Lake Placid. (ORDA-Jon Lundin)

    2009 World Champion Lindsey Van (c) celebrates her U.S. Ski Jumping title along with teammates Jessica Jerome and Alissa Johnson on Sunday in Lake Placid, N.Y. (Photo: USST/ORDA-Jon Lundin)

    Van, Alexander Take Jump Titles

    Also on Sunday in Lake Placid, 2009 world champion Lindsey Van (Women’s Ski Jumping USA) and Nick Alexander (USA Ski Jumping) notched national titles on the K90 Olympic normal hill at the U.S. Ski Jumping Championships. For Van, it was her 16th title and Alexander’s second.

    “This validates all of the hard work that I’ve been putting in all this summer,” Alexander said in a U.S. Ski Team press release. “Now I just have to appreciate today and work even harder heading into the wintertime.”

    “I had fun today and jumping is about fun,” Van said. “I started jumping well a couple of weeks ago. It’s nice as I was struggling a couple of years. It was nice to feel the rhythm of ski jumping again.”

    Earlier this summer, U.S. Women’s Ski Jumping world champion Sarah Hendrickson, who is recovering from knee surgery and did not compete on Saturday, and USA Ski Jumping’s Nick Fairall won the large hill competitions in Park City, Utah.

    Van tallied the two longest jumps of the weekend of 92.0 and 96.5 meters to top teammate Jessica Jerome, who was second, and Alissa Johnson in third. Alexander soared 99 meters on both rounds, the longest of any man, to beat teammates Fairall in second and Anders Johnson in third.

    Video from WPTZ News Channel 5

    Results

  • Lindsey Van Donates Bone Marrow Again for Man with Cancer

    Lindsey Van Donates Bone Marrow Again for Man with Cancer

    Lindsey Van of USA celebrates after winning the gold medal during the Ladies Ski Jumping 100m Hill competition at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championship 2009 on February 20, 2009 in Liberec, Czech Republic. Photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images

    World Champion ski jumper Lindsey Van got the call again this fall.

    Eight months after she donated bone marrow to help a cancer-stricken man, the doctors said they needed twice the number of stem cells they took from her last spring — which was 500 million.

    Last time, Van agreed to be on-call when the doctors needed her marrow. She ended up donating just two weeks after competing in the World Championships in Oslo, Norway. This time, she was recovering from ankle surgery, which caused her to miss the historic opener of the first-ever International Ski Federation Women’s World Cup circuit.

    She agreed to donate again, fully aware of the discomfort and possible issues the procedure may cause her in getting back to international competition.

    “Someone asked me for cells to help save their life and there’s no reason why I wouldn’t do it again,” said the 27-year-old. “It’s the right thing to do.”

    Van has never met the man whose blood DNA is identical to hers — it’s an anonymous process. It’s also extremely rare to be a bone marrow match for another person. Once you’re listed on the Be The Match Registry, the National Marrow Donor Program puts the odds at about 1 in 540 that you will go on to donate to a patient.

    Recently, Van flew to San Francisco to go through a series of extensive physical tests to make sure she was healthy enough to donate again. While there, she received some of the best news of her life — her “patient” was in remission, and her donation last spring had indeed saved his life.

    “It was so cool to hear he wasn’t sick anymore and to know that my bone marrow helped him,” she said.

    Once back in Park City, Van underwent five days of filgrastim injections to move more blood-forming cells from her bone marrow into her bloodstream.

    “There’s some flu-like symptoms and nausea, but that’s about it,” Van said.

    Then she went back to San Francisco to go through the donation process. Blood is removed through a needle in one arm and cycled through an apheresis machine, which separates and collects blood-forming cells, platelets and some white blood cells from the bloodstream. Plasma and red blood cells were then returned back to her through a needle in the other arm. A healthy person’s body, like Van’s, will regenerate the donated cells within four to six weeks.

    “I was very tired because your body works so hard to process all this blood through the machine,” she said. “You get some pain in your bones — hips, ribs, sternum. It doesn’t last too long and then you feel healthy and healed and it’s fine.”

    Her additional donation will be available should the patient need more treatment in the future.

    “The fact that Lindsey was willing to make a second donation to this patient speaks to the importance of commitment to donating when people join the registry,” said Nadya Dutchin, national account executive for the National Marrow Donor Program and Be The Match.

    Van said she’s ready to get back to the business of being an elite athlete. In October, doctors removed cysts in her ankle that were pinching a nerve and causing her left leg to go numb as soon as she put on her jumping boot.

    “I’m just training every day and jumping as much as I can to get my ankle and leg strong again,” said Van, who added that she hopes to compete on Jan. 6 in Schonach, Germany. “I’m so motivated by the success of our team and Sarah’s win. I’m ready to get back out there.”

    Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team member Sarah Hendrickson, 17, won the historic World Cup opener on Dec. 3 in Lillehammer, Norway, and the team has notched several top-15 results.

    The team’s Head Coach Alan Alborn said not many elite athletes would donate bone marrow and take themselves out of training at the start of a World Cup season.

    “Obviously, this is a huge show of character for Lindsey,” Alborn said. “She’s confident enough in her jumping that she knew she could take this on and I knew she could handle it too.

    “This means so much for Lindsey to donate and it’s far better to do something like this for someone else, to then give herself inspiration. I know her results will reflect that.”

    Van originally signed up two years ago for the Be The Match Registry after feeling helpless when her roommate was suffering from Leukemia.

    “My friend (who’s now in remission) told me at the time to just sign up, and so I did,” she said.

    “Now, I’m lucky enough to have helped save a man’s life and I would want someone to do the same for me or my family members and friends. I would encourage anyone to sign up on the registry.”

     

    LEARN MORE ABOUT DONATING: http://marrow.org/Home.aspx

     

    Women’s Ski Jumping USA is the primary support group for the VISA Women’s Ski Jumping Team and aims to foster development level athletes throughout the U.S. WSJ-USA, a 501c3 foundation, also advocates for equality for women and girls in sports.

  • Jerome Jumps Through Fog to Lead U.S. at Worlds

    OSLO, Norway – Jessica Jerome (Park City, UT) led U.S. women’s ski jumpers in a thick as pea soup fog that proved unnerving for many as the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo hit day two with the women’s jumping event. Gusty winds engaged the athletes in a battle of wills against Mother Nature. Jerome was 14th.

    Defending World Champion Lindsey Van (Park City, UT), who had been strong in training, jumped short in the first round and failed to make the top 30 cut.

    Held at the famed 106-meter Midstubakken normal hill, the massive crowd of over 10,000 could not see the flyers until they hit the outrun. Instead, all eyes, were viewing the big screen in the finish. Yet neither the fog, nor even a bit of rain, seemed to deter the best women’s ski jumpers in the world from putting on an amazing display of athleticism in challenging conditions.

    It was the second time for women’s ski jumping in the World Championships. And, once again, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was keeping close watch for possible inclusion in 2014. International Ski Federation President Gian Franco Kasper expressed his optimism that the IOC will decide favorably. A total of 43 athletes from 15 nations took part – a big jump from 2009.

    Austrian jumping legend Daniela Iraschko, back from an injury that sidelined her for two weeks, leapt to a pair of 97 meter jumps to take the win with style points all in the 18’s. Silver went to Italian Elena Runggaldier, while World Junior Champion Coline Mattel of France took bronze.

    Jerome was off the pace in the first round with an 84 meter jump but followed it up with an improved 90 meter ride to place 14th.

    Jerome echoed the sentiments of many jumpers by noting, “The weather was not amazing. For the last three days we’ve been training well with good weather. Unfortunately, on the day that it counted, it wasn’t the best. I didn’t do what I am capable of.”

    After the first round, Alissa Johnson (Park City, UT) stood seventh with a jump of 91 meters. But her second jump came in short at 81 meters dropping her to 20th. Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT) had a first round jump of 90.5 meters and added an 84 meter ride that put her in 16th.

    “It’s about as hard as it could get for any jumper today,” Johnson said. “Conditions like this are everywhere but you can’t do anything about the weather. Every jump I have taken on this hill has gotten progressively better and I felt really relaxed. I was happy with my first jump. I didn’t, by any means, expect to be in the top 10. My last jump wasn’t awesome, but I am still happy to be here.”

    The reigning World Champion from Liberec in 2009, Van had a first round jump of 75 meters, which failed to qualify her for a second ride.

    “I caught a wicked sidewind on my jump,” said Van.

    Competition at the World Championships continues Saturday with the opening nordic combined event and the women’s 15k pursuit.

    OFFICIAL RESULTS
    FIS World Nordic Ski Championships
    Oslo, Norway – Feb. 25, 2011
    Normal Hill

    Gold: Daniela Iraschko, Austria, (97.0, 97.0), 231.7
    Silver: Elena Runggaldier, Italy, (97.5, 93.5), 218.9
    Bronze: Coline Mattel, France, (92.0, 97.0), 211.5
    –
    14.  Jessica Jerome, Park City, UT, (84.0, 90.0), 177.8
    16.  Sarah Hendrickson, Park City, UT, (90.5, 84.0), 177.0
    20.  Alissa Johnson, Park City, UT, (91.0, 81.0), 169.0
    24. Abby Hughes, Park City, UT, (86.5, 83.0), 156.5
    34. Lindsey Van, Park City, UT, (75.0), 61.4

    For complete results: www.fis-ski.com

    Source: USST

  • Defending Champ Van Leads Worlds Team

    PARK CITY, UT – Reigning World Champion Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) will lead a team of six U.S. ski jumping athletes at the International Ski Federation’s 2011 Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo, Norway Feb. 25 – Mar. 5. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) announced the World Championship Team that qualified through the Continental Cup circuit on Tuesday.
    Van will be joined by four fellow Women’s Ski Jumping USA athletes, all hailing from Park City, at the top of the ski jumping hill as they soar off the jump to open the Championships on Feb. 25. Among these athletes are Continental Cup standout Jessica Jerome and up-and-comer Sarah Hendrickson. With Van as the defending champion, the U.S. was able to name five athletes to compete in Oslo.

    “The women have proven that they can be on the podium in any competition and Lindsey has a real opportunity to defend her World title,” said USSA’s Nordic Program Director John Farra. “In addition to Lindsey, both Jessica Jerome and Sarah Hendrickson have had outstanding seasons. This will be a very competitive U.S. women’s team.”

    Jerome, who has been at the top of the women’s circuit for many years, has a win and three podiums this season. She was sixth at the 2009 World Championships and has been going head-to-head with Van all season. Sitting side-by-side, Jerome and Van are in third and fourth in the overall Continental Cup standings.

    Hendrickson comes to World Championships having earned her second Continental Cup win earlier in the season. She also led the Continental Cup for the first series of early season competition in Europe.

    Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, NY) will be the lone American man at World Championships. The 2010 Olympian is coming into the event strong. After finishing second in a Continental Cup in Sapporo, Japan, Frenette scored the best U.S. World Cup finish in over seven years with an 18th .

    “Peter has had a bit of a breakthrough year and we are looking to continue his development and education as an athlete,” said USA Ski Jumping Coach Clint Jones. “He has shown that at any moment he is capable of long jumps that can compete with the best in the world.”

    The World Championships will take place in the heartland of the sport in its most treasured venue, the Holmenkollen Ski Stadium. The jumps were recently rebuilt in anticipation of the World Championships. Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected for the Championships, with the ski jumping events among the most popular.

    2011 U.S. Ski Jumping World Championship Team
    (both hometown and club)
    * Indicates current student in U.S. Ski Team partnership with Westminster College

    Men
    Peter Frenette, Saranac Lake, NY (USA Ski Jumping/New York Ski Education Foundation)

    Women
    Sarah Hendrickson Park City, UT (Women’s Ski Jumping USA/Park City Nordic Ski Club)
    Abby Hughes, Park City, UT (Women’s Ski Jumping USA/Park City Nordic Ski Club)
    Jessica Jerome, Park City, UT (Women’s Ski Jumping USA/Park City Nordic Ski Club) *
    Alissa Johnson, Park City, UT (Women’s Ski Jumping USA/Park City Nordic Ski Club) *
    Lindsey Van, Park City, UT (Women’s Ski Jumping USA/Park City Nordic Ski Club) 

    2011 Ski Jumping World Ski Championship Schedule
    Oslo, Norway

    Fri., Jan. 25 – Women’s HS 106
    Sat., Jan. 26 – Men’s HS106
    Sun., Jan. 27 – Men’s Team HS106
    Thurs., Feb. 3 – Men’s HS134
    Sat., Feb. 5 – Men’s Team HS134

  • Van Leads U.S. Jumpers in Norway

    NOTODDEN, Norway – Defending World Champion Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) continued to be a factor in the women’s Continental Cup Saturday finishing fourth in the final competition of a two-day event.

    Van, who had jumps of 88.5 and 91.0 meters, moved from ninth after the first jump to finish fourth followed by Abby Hughes (Park City, UT) in sixth. Hughes, who was in second after the first jumping round, was held in snowy conditions and registered jumps of 91.5 and 86.5 meters.

    The winner was Coline Mattel of France who had jumps of 90.5 and 92.0 meters to overtake Austria’s Daniela Iraschko, who has won four events in a row.

    Jerome and Van are currently second and third in the overall Continental Cup standings.

    The women’s Continental Cup circuit now takes a Holiday break.

    OFFICIAL RESULTS
    December 18, 2010
    Notodden, Norway
    HS 100

    1. Coline Mattel, France,  (90.5, 92.0), 238.5
    2. Daniela Iraschko, Austria, (90.0, 93.0), 230.0
    3. Melanie Faisst, Germany, (94.5, 87.0), 228.5
    4. Lindsey Van, Park City, UT, (88.5, 91.0), 227.0
    5. Line Jahr, Norway, (89.0, 91.0), 226.0
    –
    6. Abby Hughes, Park City, UT, (91.5, 86.5), 223.0
    7. Jessica Jerome, Park City, UT, (90.0, 87.5), 216.5
    20. Sarah Hendrickson, Park City, UT, (75.5, 87.5), 188.0
    21. Alissa Johnson, Park City, UT, (80.5, 83.0), 185.0
    –
    32. Karin Friberg, Roseville, MN, (78.5, 65.0), 136.0
    36. Avery Ardovino, Park City, UT, (71.5), 70.0
    37. Nina Lussi, Lake Placid, NY, (71.0), 67.5
    39. Nita Englund, Florence, WI, (69.5), 61.5

    For complete results: www.fis-ski.com

    Source: USSA

  • Lindsey Van Leads USA Women Jumpers In Second Day Of Competition

    VIKERSUND, Norway (Dec. 12) – Defending World Champion, Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) continued to be the picture of consistency with her jumping, taking third in a Continental Cup ski jumping event in the second day of a two-day competition in Vikersund.

    Austrian jumper Daniela Iraschko kept her hot streak alive, winning the competition with jumps of 118.9 and huge leap of 122.0 on her second ride for her third straight victory. Coline Mattel of France was second.

    Van, who has her eyes on defending her world crown in February at the Nordic Worlds in Oslo, had jumps of 112.0 and 115.0. She was immediately followed by Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT) who continues to jump well in fourth place. Hendrickson had a pair of jumps of 111.5 and 107.5 meters.

    “That was a great competition. We really try to earn our spots in these days,” said Van. “Vikersund has just a great hill, it is one of my favorites.”

    While Iraschko moved ahead of the USA’s Jessica Jerome (Park City, UT) for the Continental Cup lead over the weekend, the Americans are packed in the standings. Jerome leaves Vikersund second in the standings and Van third. Hendrickson moved up into the fourth spot with a strong weekend.

    The tour now heads to Notodden, Norway for a pair of competitions Friday and Saturday before the holiday break. Van brings a good track record into the event, with four career podiums in the remote Norwegian town southwest of Oslo.

    OFFICIAL RESULTS
    Continential Cup
    Vikersund, Norway
    December 12, 2010
    Women’s HS 117m

    1. Daniela Iraschko, Austria, (118.0, 122.0) 286.0
    2. Coline Mattel, France, (113.0, 115.0) 265.4
    3. Lindsey Van, Park City, UT (112.0, 113.5) 259.9
    4. Sarah Hendrickson, Park City, UT (111.5, 107.5) 246.7
    5. Melanie Faisst, Germany, (112.0, 108.0) 242.5
    –
    6. Jessica Jerome, Park City, UT (106.5, 108.5) 237.0
    13. Alissa Johnson, Park City, UT (103.5, 105.0) 221.3
    21. Abby Hughes, Park City, UT (100.5, 98.5) 201.2
    30.  Nita Englund, Florence, WI (101.0, 91.0) 180.6
    –
    38. Nina Lussi, Lake Placid, NY, (85.5) 76.5
    39. Avery Ardovino, Park City, UT (86.0) 72.8
    40. Karin Friberg, Roseville, MN (87.5)  72.5

    For complete results: www.fis-ski.com

    Source: USSA

  • IOC: No Decision on Women’s Jumping Until April – Updated

    American jumper Lindsey Van in a competition in Norway. Photo: WSJUSA

    Female ski jumpers have waited 86 years for their sport to be included at the Olympic Games, and now they will have to wait six more months.

    The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) executive board announced Monday that a decision about whether to add women’s ski jumping to the program for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi would not be made until next spring—quashing the hopes of athletes and supporters who had hoped for a definitive ruling.

    While an IOC press release said that the executive board is looking “favorably” at women’s ski jumping, the final word will not come until after the World Ski Championships conclude in Oslo in March. At that point, IOC President Jacques Rogge will have sole authority to approve or deny the sport’s inclusion at Sochi.

    According to Deedee Corradini, the president of Women’s Ski Jumping USA (WSJUSA), the IOC gave no criteria to serve as a basis for Rogge’s upcoming decision.

    “There was no specificity in an answer,” she said. “Presumably, they’re talking about more jumpers [participating] from more countries.”

    In a conference call Monday afternoon, Corradini said that one possible reason for the delay was an old IOC rule that required new sports to have conducted at least two World Championships before they could be considered for entry into the Olympics. That rule, Corradini said, has been removed, but she added that it was likely that it played into the executive board’s decision.

    “Our sources, over the past couple of weeks, have started to filter in, saying that it would be a conditional approval,” she said.

    Corradini said that she looked at the IOC’s decision “very positively,” but she also acknowledged that the delay in approval would make it harder for WSJUSA to attract sponsors and raise the $200,000 that it costs to run the U.S. women’s jumping program for one year.

    “There’s no question that fundraising will be so much easier once we have a final decision that we are in Sochi 2014,” Corradini said.

    WSJUSA raises all the money for America’s female ski jumpers, as the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) pulled its funding from its women’s team last year when the sport was denied for inclusion in the 2010 Olympics. Corradini said that that support probably would not return until at least next year.

    “We are in regular communication with USSA, and what we’ve heard from them is, ‘let’s talk after you are in the Olympics,’” Corradini said. “I’m not sure that they will consider this a definite yes, so we may have to wait to have further conversations with them.”

    In a statement, USSA Vice President of Athletics Luke Bodensteiner said that “we respect the decision making process of the IOC and are pleased that they will continue to consider several new sports for inclusion in the 2014 Olympics. The addition of new events will enhance the relevance and public appeal of the Games and will help to connect the millions of youth worldwide who participate in these sports to the Olympic movement.”

    While the IOC’s decision will make the next six months more challenging for WSJUSA, Lindsey Van, the American who won the first world championship in women’s ski jumping history in 2009, said that she was still confident about her sport’s chances for Sochi.

    “I’m not really concerned about the stipulations they put on it today,” Van said in the conference call. “They said they’re looking for progress in the sport…they will see that progress at World Championships.”

  • Three U.S. Jumpers in Top 10; wind wreaks havoc in Oslo comps

    Oslo, Norway — Jessica Jerome overcame erratic winds and a number of course holds and restarts to tally a pair of fourth-place finishes to lead the U.S. Women’s Ski Jumping Team in Continental Cup competition over the weekend in Oslo, Norway – site of the upcoming Nordic World Championships in February.

    Jumping took place amidst continuing construction surrounding the famous K120 Holmenkollen and K95 Midtstubakken jumps in the Norwegian capital as it readies to welcome the Nordic skiing world this winter.

    “The design of the new (Holmenkollen) complex is really cool and modern,” said U.S. team member Abby Hughes. “We heard the plan is to build four more ski jumps in that area and make a sports park, with k10 k20 k40 and k60 (jumps) along with a ropes course, swimming area, cross country trails and so on. Hopefully the important things — such as roads, stadiums, and the ski jumps — will be ready for the World Championships.”

    Despite all the construction in the new-look Holmenkollen, an old foe – wind – will continue to wreak havoc with competitions held there. Officials stopped and started Saturday’s event four times because of changing winds, and most jumpers battled a strong tailwind that severely limited flight distance.

    The one jumper who benefited from a headwind Saturday was Austria’s Daniela Iraschko, who swept last weekend’s two-competition stop in Lillehammer. Iraschko’s first effort Saturday measured a whopping 114.5 meters, more than 8 meters longer than the hill size for the competition (106). “She dropped like a rock and landed pretty hard and whiplashed onto her back,” Hughes said. “Because she (dragged her hands), it didn’t count as a hill record.”

    Iraschko flew a more modest 93.5 meters on her second jump, tallying a 241.5 score to edge France’s Coline Mattel in second. Jerome, who began dialing in her technique last week in Lillehammer with two top-five finishes, jumped 92.5 and 88.0 meters for a 203.5 score, good for fourth. Lindsey Van was right behind in fifth, Alissa Johnson was seventh, and Hughes ended up 13th.

    “All of us had pretty good first-round jumps considering the air was so bad,” Hughes said. “For the second round, we had lower speed and even more inconsistent air. Jessica had another good jump, Lindsey fought her way through the conditions, Alissa put two good jumps together, and I felt like my technique was consistent, however the tailwind over the knoll was very strong and didn’t help me at all.”

    Iraschko, Mattel and Germany’s Juliane Seyfarth finished 1-2-3 on Sunday, with Iraschko the only jumper to twice jump more than 100 meters. Jerome flew 100.5 her first time down and easily maintained fourth place in the final standings. Van (10th), Hughes (14th) and Johnson (20th) rounded out the U.S. placers.

    France’s Mattel maintained her lead in the Continental Cup standings with 503 points, with Iraschko in second with 400. Austria’s Jacqueline Seifriedsberger is third. Sarah Hendrickson of the U.S., who didn’t compete in Oslo, is sixth, followed by Jerome in 10th and Johnson in 13th place.

    The women’s Continental Cup circuit moves to Falun, Sweden, next weekend (Sept. 25-26) for two competitions.

    Oslo HS 106

    Saturday, Sept. 18

    1. Daniela Iraschko, Austria (114.5, 93.5) 241.5

    2. Coline Mattel, France (101.0, 93.0) 234.0

    3. Jacqueline Seifriedsberger, Austria (95.5, 92.0) 222.0

    4. Jessica Jerome, Park City, UT (92.5, 88.0) 203.5

    5. Lindsey Van, Park City, UT (89.0, 88.5) 199.0

    –

    7. Alissa Johnson, Park City, UT (89.5, 86.5) 192.5

    13. Abby Hughes, Park City, UT (91.5, 80.5) 182.0

    Sunday, Sept. 19

    1. Daniela Iraschko, Austria (104.0, 106.0) 248.2

    2. Coline Mattel, France (100.0, 99.5) 230.9

    3. Juliane Seyfarth, Germany (103.5, 95.0) 220.6

    4. Jessica Jerome, Park City, UT (100.5, 92.5) 214.6

    5. Jacqueline Seifriedsberger, Austria (94.5, 93.0) 210.1

    –

    10. Lindsey Van, Park City, UT (88.0, 95.0) 195.9

    14. Abby Hughes, Park City, UT (91.5, 92.5) 192.3

    20. Alissa Johnson, Park City, UT (94.0, 82.5) 177.3

    Source: Women’s Ski Jumping USA

  • Q&A with Lindsey Van, Who Rejoins Continental Cup After Year-long Break

    Lindsey Van of the U.S. Women’s Ski Jumping Team returned to the Continental Cup the weekend of Sept. 11-12 in Lillehammer, Norway, resuming high-level international competition after taking last season off to rest and recharge after a tumultuous yet exciting couple of years.

    Van made history in 2009, becoming the first-ever World Champion in women’s ski jumping. She was also a leader in the fight to include women’s ski jumping in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, joining teammate Jessica Jerome and 13 other female jumpers from around the world in a lawsuit challenging the discipline’s omission from the Games. Van more often found herself in front of reporter’s microphones and television cameras than on the jump hill as the battle for Olympic inclusion stretched to the highest levels of the Canadian court system. The women were still not allowed to jump in the 2010 Games and the focus has turned toward the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.

    Van said she’s eager to put politics aside for the time being and simply focus on flying again. She recently talked about her return to the sport prior to the weekend competitions in Lillehammer:

    Q: With the Vancouver Olympics in the past, has it been refreshing to simply focus on jumping again?

    Van: Ski jumping is a whole new thing for me without the political aspect now. I can focus on jumping and only jumping. It feels like it did when I was a kid, the way it should be. I sure do enjoy it a lot more.

    Q: Describe your emotions as you get back to competition? Excited, nervous, eager to gauge your fitness level?

    Van: I am excited to compete again for the first time in over a year. Honestly, it doesn’t feel like it has been that long. The year off was great, and it feels good to be excited about ski jumping again.

    Q: You’ve had a lot of time off to think about doing other things. Is it hard to come back?

    Van: I needed that break for my brain, and my body. I did a lot of skiing, and was able to have a different perspective on ski jumping. I went to school, and worked during my time off so that was good, too.  I am now back on track with school and look forward to continuing my education in the future. Coming back to ski jumping was not hard. It was a much easier choice having had a different perspective on it. The idea of ski jumping was simple: I am back because it’s fun, I love the sport, and that is the only reason. I had to rediscover my motivation, but taking away the political aspect made that pretty easy.

    Q: How focused are you on getting to Oslo and defending your world championship?

    Van: I am excited the Worlds are there, but I wouldn’t say it’s at the top of my list to go there and defend that title. I just want to jump far, and have fun. I have no expectations, except to make it fun. For me it has to be that way, I can’t have these high expectations, it just does not work for me. I jump because it’s fun to fly, and I am going to keep it simple.

    Q: What are your immediate goals for the competitions in September?

    Van: My goals for September are just to get back into the competition world. I don’t have any expectations. It is what it is, and if I make expectations or high goals, then it feels more like a job to me. The simplified version seems to fit me right now. There is no rush to get back to that same mindset that I had before. I found it very stressful, and I don’t want to feel that. I want to enjoy myself, and keep it fun.

  • Jerome Hits Stride, Podiums in Lillehammer

    Jessica Jerome of the U.S. Women’s Ski Jumping Team found her way back onto the podium, while teammate Lindsey Van made a successful return to Continental Cup competition over the weekend in a pair of events in Lillehammer, Norway.

    The competitions were held Saturday and Sunday on the HS 104 hill in Lillehammer. Jerome, having finished second on back-to-back days on this hill in 2008, found it to her liking once again Saturday, finishing in third place behind Austrians Daniela Iraschko and Jacqueline Seifriedsberger. Jerome posted jumps of 93 and 97 meters and finished with 248.5 points. Iraschko won Saturday’s competition with 268 points, which included a second jump of 106.5 meters, a hill record jump that was “really amazing and really fun to watch,” according to Jerome.

    “Since it was an afternoon comp and a little rainy, the air was doing some weird things and some people weren’t as fortunate as others,” Jerome added. “(My third place) is my best result in about two years now, so I was really satisfied with that. … (Saturday) was overall a pretty good day for the Americans.”

    Van, the reigning World Champion in women’s ski jumping from 2009 — the first time a women’s champion was crowned in the sport — took last season off to give her mind and body a break. Saying it felt good to be excited about ski jumping again, Van posted back-to-back sixth-place finishes over the weekend, the second-best U.S. finisher both days behind Jerome (Jerome finished fifth in Sunday’s competition). Van most recently jumped in competition in late July in Park City, Utah, capturing the large and small hill titles at the U.S. National Championships.

    Abby Hughes, who has been working to gain confidence in tricky wind conditions for the past couple of seasons, punched a pair of top-15 results in Lillehammer (13th Saturday, 10th Sunday). “It’s one of my huge mental blocks, but there are a few things I am doing so that I don’t think about the wind,” Hughes said. “I write notes on my hand, just key trigger words that help me mentally assess what I need to be doing on the end of the take off. (Coach) Kjell (Magnusson) just really wants me to ‘just do it.’ My technique off the hill really impresses him; it’s translating it to the hill that’s really challenging.”

    Alissa Johnson won a Continental Cup event in Lillehammer in 2008, but struggled to uncork a big jump this time, finishing 22nd on Saturday and 17th on Sunday.

    Iraschko completed the weekend sweep Sunday by cruising to victory over France’s Coline Mattel, outdistancing her my more than 20 points. Norway’s Line Jahr finished third. Mattel did grab the lead in the Continental Cup standings with 343 points. Seifriedsberger sits in second with 280. Sarah Hendrickson, who didn’t compete in Lillehammer, leads the U.S. women in fifth place.

    The Continental Cup season continues Sept. 18-19 with two events in Oslo, Norway.

  • Frenette, Van Large Hill Champs

    PARK CITY, UT – The 2011 backcountry.com U.S. Ski Jumping Championships wrapped up Sunday morning with the large hill competition. Both Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, NY) and Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) won their second U.S. Championships title of the weekend. This marks Van’s 15th U.S. Championship title and Frenette’s second.

    The men’s competition was eventful, with Frenette crashing on the landing of his first jump of 139 meters. Frenette combined a second jump of 133 meters to top nordic combined athlete Brett Camerota (Park City, UT). Anders Johnson (Park City, UT) rounded out the podium, grabbing his second third place finish of the weekend.

    “My first jump was a really good, but it was from too high of gate. I went really far and landed too flat, so I wasn’t able to stand,” said Frenette. “It’s just nice to have good results early in the season and to go to Europe with momentum.”

    Van stomped the furthest jump for the women, with her second jump of 124.5 meters. Van’s second jump pushed her onto the top step of the podium ahead of Jessica Jerome (Park City, UT), the leader after the first jump. Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT), who turned 16 today, finished the day in third.

    “Everyone has been so competitive and that’s good for our team and our sport,” said Van. “We’re pushing each other every jump and everyone is improving. It keeps it interesting for everyone.”

    The large hill competition results will be used to seed the cross country portion of the 2011 backcountry.com U.S. Nordic Combined Championships. After the jumps, brothers Brett Camerota and Eric Camerota (Park City, UT) take the top two starts heading into the cross country race. Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) is in fifth place, followed by Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) in sixth and Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) in eighth. Also competing from the U.S. Ski Team are Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO), Nick Hendrickson (Park City, UT) and Brett Denney (Steamboat Springs, CO). The second half of the event will be held at Soldier Hollow, beginning at 6 p.m.

    OFFICIAL RESULTS

    2011 backcountry.com U.S. Ski Jumping Championships

    Park City, UT

    Large Hill

    Men

    1. Peter Frenette, Saranac Lake, NY, 260.60

    2. Brett Camerota, Park City, UT, 256.90

    3. Anders Johnson, Park City, UT, 239.80

    4. Eric Camerota, Park City, UT, 230.20

    5. Todd Lodwick, Steamboat Springs, CO, 224.90

    –

    6. Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO, 203.40

    8. Billy Demong, Vermontville, NY, 197.40

    9. Mike Glasder, Cary, IL, 190.20

    11. Nicholas Fairall, Andover, NH, 177.90

    16. Nick Hendrickon, Park City, UT, 147.30

    18. Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO, 146.60

    31. Brett Denney, Steamboat Springs, CO, 55.80

    Women

    1. Lindsey Van, Park City, UT, 226.00

    2. Jessica Jerome, Park City, UT, 220.10

    3. Sarah Hendrickson, Park City, UT, 206.20

    4. Alissa Johnson, Park City, UT, 197.70

    5. Abby Hughes, Park City, UT, 195.90

    Source: USSA

  • Frenette, Van Crowned U.S. Normal Hill Champs

    PARK CITY, UT – The 2011 backcountry.com U.S. Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championships were underway Friday morning with athletes jumping on the K90. Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, NY) and Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) were crowned 2011 Noraml Hill U.S. Champions.

    The men’s competition was tight with Olympic silver medalist Brett Camerota (Park City, UT) and two-time Olympian Anders Johnson (Park City, UT) landing solid jumps forcing Frenette, who jumped last, to fly high. Camerota followed Frenette in second, while Johnson claimed the final spot on the podium.

    “I’m confident with my jumps this summer,” said Frenette. “My best jumps this were in this competition.”

    Also on the start list were Olympic medalists Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY). Lodwick and Demong joined a roster of 84 male athletes, ranging in all ages. Demong and Lodwick, who took Vancouver by storm, hope to secure and impact the U.S. nordic combined program for the future.

    “A lot of these guys have been training really hard,” said Demong. “One of the benefits of doing U.S. Championships in the summer is it’s the first big competition for everybody. It’s a time to showcase what they’ve been doing. Since Todd and I have taken some time off, it’s a good opportunity to beat us.”

    The women’s final round kicked off the championship title battle, with Van dethroning 2010 U.S. champion Jessica Jerome (Park City, UT). Van took the top step of the podium with Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT) in second and Abby Hughes (Park City, UT) third. The podium was swept by three Park City women competing in front of a hometown crowd.

    “It’s definitely good to be jumping again. I haven’t competed in almost a year so it’s a little nerve racking, but more relief,” said Van. “I’m just happy that I was able to jump in general and perform pretty well, I can’t complain.”

    Events continue Friday night with a nordic combined two-man relay roller-ski exhibition. The race is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at the Utah Olympic Park. The 2011 backcountry.com U.S. Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championship titles are on the line again on Sunday with the K120 jump and nordic combined competition.

    Complete and official results will be posted on www.parkcitynordicskiclub.org in the near future.

    2011 backcountry.com U.S. Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championships

    Men

    1. Peter Frenette, Saranac Lake, NY

    2. Brett Camerota, Park City, UT

    3. Anders Johnson, Park City, UT

    Women

    1. Lindsey Van, Park City, UT

    2. Sarah Hendrickson, Park City, UT

    3. Abby Hughes, Park City, UT

    Source: USSA