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click logo to visit site click logo to visit site Berkutschi.com offers a wide variety of news, features, team rosters, hill information, and >> LIVE SCORING << for fans of ski jumping! You can find the most current news on the homepage; we move older features to the Extended News”page, which you can reach via a button at left. READY TO FLY Premiered Feb 10 in Salt Lake City Area ... CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON FILM click IMAGE to enlarge Isn’t Ski Jumping Awfully Dangerous? The PERCEPTION is that ski jumping is an extremely dangerious. sport. The reality is far different ... learn more! ** READ ARTICLE How Do People Start Ski Jumping? Nobody just picks up a pair of skis and gives it a try. Not on big hills, anyway. Ski jumpers start young, on very small jumps, and learn incrementally, moving gradually to larger jumps as their skills and confidence develop. ** RECRUITING VIDEO Here’s a short video from a junior jumping event in St Paul MN at their annual Christmas Beginner’s Camp ... ** LITTLE KID VIDEO The following video was an 20th Century Fox Newsreel feature in about 1950. ** HISTORIC VIDEO Here’s another, from the St Paul Ski Club ** 1939 NATIONALS When Do People Hang Up Their Jumping Skis? The answer to this one is quite simple ... when they want to! Once a jumper is 30 years of age or older, he or she becomes eligible to participate in “Masters” competition. Jumpers age 30-39 are class M1, 40-49 M2, 50-59 M3, 60- 69 M4, 70-79 M5, etc. Don West retired in 2011 as the oldest jumper in the US. A resident of Plattsburgh NY, Don is a retired college professor. He was an M5 jumper (in his seventies), and in recent years he has competed in Masters World Championships in Europe. Another active Masters jumper is Tom Ricchio, a semi-retired corporate jet pilot, who is also the coach of the junior program in Iola WI; he jumps in class M4. Tom has also competed in the Masters World Championships. ** READ ARTICLE about Tom, and his recent participation in the 2010 US Masters Nat’l Championships in Coleraine MN. For those who enjoy ski jumping, it can be a lifetime sport. Some like to continue competing, others become coaches or volunteers. If you live anywere near one of the clubs listed on our Regional Clubs page, make an effort to see some live ski jumping, and if you’re inclined to give it a try, talk to one of the coaches. Although most jumpers start very young, there are adults who would like to try it, and they’re welcome, if they’re willing to “start small” and work their way on up, just like kids do.

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It’s going to be listed soon as a rental, so if you’re thinking about buying, THIS IS THE TIME ... click the ad, call Dan TODAY! Hendrickson WINS at Holmenkollen, Van 7th, Jerome 10th, Johnson 19th Women make history at sport’s most historic venue! Results: Sun 3/17 Nations Cup Watch video of Sarah’s winning jumps at Holmenkollen ... see BOTH jumps on YouTube On March 17, Sarah Hendrickson won the first-ever Large-Hill competition in women’s World Cup history, edging Japan’s Sara Takanashi, with Italy’s Elena Runggaldier 3rd. Lindsey Van finished 7th, Jessica Jerome 10th, Alissa Johnson 19th, and Abby Hughes 28th. They also locked up the overall Nations Cup team championship for the 2013 season. Congratulations to the WSJUSA athletes, and to coaches Paolo Berni Bernardi and Alan Alborn. Once again, US women are THE BEST IN THE WORLD! More coverage at WSJUSA.com and Berkutschi (link at right). WSJUSA photo; click to enlarge. Link to video of Sarah’s winning jump above. Fairall Ends Season With Another Big Jump in Team Comp at Planica Hits 195 meters in team event, but US team finishes 9th Results: indiv 3/22 team 3/23 Nick Fairall (L) provided a US highlight in qualifying in Planica SLO, flying 208 meters on Thursday, and had an impressive 195 meter flight in Saturday’s team competition, but it wasn’t enough to pull the US into the final round of eight teams. He was the only US qualifier for Friday’s individual event, and he placed 38th. It’s the end of a long season, and an opportunity for our athletes to rest, relax, and regroup. The Summer Grand Prix will be starting in July! click to enlarge (ptoto by Peter Graves) Nick Fairall Flies 208 Meters, Qualifies 25th in Planica! watch video Windy conditions in quali for 2013 FIS World Cup finale... quali results 3/21 USASJ FB page Nick Fairall of the USA Ski Jumping team, placed himself solidly in the field for the individual ski flying competition Fri 3/22 in Planica SLO. Fifty-nine of the world’s best ski jumpers were trying to earn one of the 30 spots to fill out the field of 40 (the top ten in World Cup standings are prequalified). Three more Americans joined Nick for the team competition on Saturday, though they didn’t make the cut into the individual competition. They included Nick Alexander, who was 48th in qualifying, Anders Johnson 49th, and Peter Frenette 55th. Video of hill record (239.5 meters) hill facts Americans 2nd in Both Men’s Events at Canadian Nationals Mar 29-30 Pascal Kaelin (SUI) and Atsuko Tanaka (CAN) both double winners ... Results: NH 3/29 LH 3/30 Switzerland’s Pascal Kaelin (men) and Canada’s Atsuko Tanaka (women) were double winners in the 2013 Canadian National Championships, held at the Whistler ski jump complex, site of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Brian Wallace finished 2nd in men’s normal hill (NH) competition on Friday, and Peter Frenette placed 2nd in the men’s large hill (LH) comp Saturday. Holmenkollen Men’s Competition Ends in a Tie for the Win! Schlierenzauer and Zyla Tie for Holmenkollen Win, Kranjec 3rd Results: Sun 3/17 Following normal World Cup procedure, men’s qualifying was held on Saturday to fill 40 spots in the starting field of 50 on Sunday (the top ten in World Cup standings are prequalified). Anders Johnson and Peter Frenette of the USASJ missed the cut, placing 43rd and 46th, respectively. In Sunday’s competition, Austria’s Gregor Schlierenzauer and Poland’s Piotr Zyla shared first place, with Slovenia’s Robert Kranjec in 3rd. The men’s season wraps up next weekend with ski flying in Planica SLO. Alexander 6th & 4th, Fairall 16th & 12th, Glasder 20th & 29th in FIS Cup Nine US athletes in field of 82 jumpers ... TWO comps Mar 16 Results: Sat 3/16 am Sat 3/16 pm Four Americans, led by Nick Alexander in 5th, made the cut to the final round of 30 jumpers today in the first of two Saturday competitions in Oberstdorf GER. Nick Fairall was 16th, Mike Glasder 20th, and Nick Mattoon 30th. Five more US jumpers were in the competition, finishing as follows: Brian Wallace 42nd, Will Rhoads 48th, Christian Friberg 67th, Trevor Wert 75th, and Trevor Edlund 78th. In the afternoon competition, Alexander moved up to 4th and Fairall to 12th. Glasder again made the final round in 28th. Mattoon was 45th, Wallace 58th, Rhoads 67th, Friberg 68th, Wert 75th, and Edlund 80th. This event was scheduled for two days in Garmisch-Partenkirchen GER, but it was moved to to Oberstdorf at the last minute because of deteriorating conditions (per info from Coach Casey Colby). After Steamboat Finale, Bickner wins US Cup, Glasder 2nd, Brown 3rd Norge skiers take home top three places, with two of ‘em absent! Results: US Cup class Kevin Bickner, who won the US Junior National title in Minneapolis last month, added to his list of 2013 achievements by locking up the US Cup series championship, even though he wasn’t at the season finale in Steamboat Springs on March 16. Mike Glasder finished second overall, though he was competing in the FIS Cup finale in Oberstdorf GER. His overall point total put him in second place for the season. AJ Brown was there in person, and when all was said and done, he wound up third in overall standings. All three of these athletes belong to the Norge Ski Club of Fox River Grove IL. For more coverage, visit the USA Ski Jumping website: USASkiJumping.org Hendrickson Dominates in Trondheim, Jerome 4th, Johnson 14th, Van 21st Sarah scores 283 points ... Takanashi 2nd, Seifriedsberger 3rd Results: Fri 3/15 The US women’s ski jumping team had another great day in World Cup competition at Trondheim NOR on Friday Mar 14. Sarah Hendrickson’s flights of 101.5 and 101 meters, rolling up 283 points. Her closest rival, Japan’s Sara Takanashi finished 2nd with 274.9 points, and Austria’s Jacqueline Seifriedsberger took 3rd with 271.2. Jessica Jerome of the USA was just six-tenths back at 270.6. Alissa Johnson placed 14th, Lindsey Van 21st, and Abby Hughes 41st. There were 47 jumpers in the field, from 16 nations. Athletes from 9 nations made the top 10, and all of them scored over 250 points. Only the US had 2 in this group, and Liu Qi of China was a surprise in 7th. HENDRICKSON WINS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, FLIES 106 & 103 METERS Takanashi 2nd, Seifriedsberger 3rd, Mattel 4th, Vogt 5th, Jerome 6th ... Results: Fri 2/22 Sarah Hendrickson (L) blasted out a flight of 106 meters in the first round, then landed at 103 in the final round to win the FIS Individual World Championship with 253.7 points, edging Japan’s Sara Takanashi (104.5, 103, 251). Austria’s Jacqui Seifriedsberger (104, 98.5, 237.2) took the final podium spot. France’s Coline Mattel placed 4th, Germany’s Carina Vogt 5th, and USA’s Jessica Jerome (R) 6th. Lindsey Van bounced back from 24th after round 1 to finish 16th, and Abby Hughes placed 33rd. Click photos to enlarge! More coverage at Berkutschi.com WSJUSA.com Sarah’s US Ski Team blog Ladies-Skijumping.com The battle between Hendrickson and Takanashi has been the focal point of the entire 2013 World Cup season. Just last week, Takanashi wrapped up the overall World Cup series title over defending champion Hendrickson; today Hendrickson came away today with the individual title at the FIS World Championships, which are held every other year. It has truly been the “Sarah and Sara Show!” Congratulations to Sarah and Sara, and to all the other women who’ve elevated the level of women’s ski jumping. Eight nations were represented in the top ten, and eleven nations in the top fifteen. In the long fight with the IOC for Olympic inclusion, the IOC’s position was that it didn’t involve enough countries, and that the level of competition wasn’t good enough. Wasn’t true then, but the fact that they’ll be welcome in Sochi has boosted both numbers and level of competition! US Men & Women in Continental Cup Action in Scandinavia March 8-10 Vikersund NOR Mike Glasder 23rd, Chris Lamb 30th on Saturday Results: Fri 3/8 Sat 3/9 Örnsköldsvik SWE Nita Englund 7th & 5th, Nina Lussi 10th & 8th Results: Sat 3/9 Sun 3/10 Nick Alexander placed 33rd and Mike Glasder 38th in Vikersund on Friday in a field of 80 jumpers, but on Saturday Glasder finished a solid 23rd; teammate Chris Lamb also made the final round in 30th. Friday’s winner was Germany’s Max Mechler, followed by Poland’s Jan Ziobro and Germany’s Marinus Kraus. On Saturday, Norway’s Johann Andre Forfang won, with Austria’s Manuel Poppinger 2nd and Kraus 3rd. Nita Englund placed 7th Saturday and 5th Sunday in Örnsköldsvik SWE. US teammate Nina Lussi was 10th Saturday and 8th Sunday. The field was small, but it included a number of strong jumpers from the rapidly improving Russian team, as well as Finland’s top jumper and several emerging German athletes. Russia’s Irina Avvakumova was a double winner; Finland’s Julia Kykkaenen earned a 2nd and 3rd. This weekend was the finale of the women’s Continental Cup series for the 2013 season. Maurer, Bickner, Mattoon, Bohlmann, Good Win US Jr Titles in Minneapolis Individual Results: Jumping Nordic Combined (NC) Elimination Team Results: Jumping NC Photos by Kris Edlund ... click to enlarge L-R: J2 women, J2 men, J1 men, XC women, XC men MORE PHOTOS Manon Maurer, representing the Intermountain Division (IMD), won the class J2 Women’s title at the Junior National Championships in Minneapolis Thurs 2/28. Elizabeth Wallace of Central Division (CEN) was 2nd, and Sabina Gasienica (CEN) was 3rd. Kevin Bickner (CEN) took top honors in Men’s J2, with Miles Lussi of the Eastern Division (EAST) 2nd and Ben Loomis (CEN) 3rd. In Men’s J1, three Central Division athletes filled the podium ... Nick Mattoon 1st, Brian Wallace 2nd, and Christian Friberg 3rd. The individual XC championship was held Fri 3/1. Natalie Bohlmann of the Rocky Mountain Division (RMD) won the Women’s title; Kathleen O’Connell (RMD) was 2nd, and Alissa Pollard (CEN) was 3rd. Jasper Good (RMD) won the Men’s title, followed by Ben Loomis (CEN) and Colton Kissell (IMD). Group photo of all competitors by Kris Edlund ... click to enlarge An elimination competition was held Friday evening. The field of 54 jumpers was split into two groups of 27 based on last night’s distances. The top group was designated Class A and the bottom group made up Class B. Each class was cut in half after the first three rounds, and that left four jumpers in each group for the fourth and final round. Matt Doyle (EAST) topped the B class at 69.5 meters. Kevin Bickner, yesterday’s championship winner, took A honors with 81.5 meters, just short of the hill record. Team competition in both ski jumping and Nordic combined were held on Saturday. The women’s J2 title went to the CEN #1, Sabina Gasienica and Elizabeth Wallace. The men’s J2 title went to CEN #1; team members included Casey Larson, Trevor Edlund, Ben Loomis, and Kevin Bickner. The CEN #2 team of Tyler Hutchins and Brian Wallace captured the J1 men’s title. RMD captured both the women’s titles in team XC. The women’s RMD #1 team consisted of Kathleen O’Connell and Natalie Bohlmann, and the RMD #1 men’s team included Nicholas Madden and Jasper Good. Poland’s Stoch Wins FIS World Championship; Prevc 2nd, Jacobsen 3rd US athletes qualify for field of 50, but don’t make cut to final round of 30 ... Results: Thurs 2/28 Poland’s Kamil Stoch flew 131.5 and 130 meters, scoring 295.8 points, to capture the FIS Large Hill World Championship in Val di Fiemme ITA on Feb 28. Slovenia’s Peter Prevc had two flights of 130.5, but received slightly lower technique marks to finish second with 289.7 points. Norway’s Anders Jacobsen jumped 129 and 131 meters, and finished just six-tenths of a point behind Prevc. The top seventeen had scores over 270, and the entire final 30 scored more than 250. As a point of reference, it’s a good day for a ski jumper when they exceed 240 points on any hill. The level of performance here was amazing. The USA’s Anders Johnson and Peter Frenette didn’t make the final round, finishing 39th and 50th. Nick Alexander 11th & 21st in Wisla POL Continental Cup Feb 23-24 Back from injury when he finished on podium in Neustadt Jan 26 ... Results: Sat 2/23 Sun 2/24 USA Ski Jumping’s Nick Alexander spent a month recovering from a knee injury, missing several events, but came back in fine form to score an 11th on Saturday and 21st on Sunday in Wisla POL. Teammates finished as follows ... Chris Lamb 41st & 35th, Nick Fairall 49th & 56th, Mike Glasder 55th & 53rd. USA Finishes 6th in FIS Mixed-Team Championship Sun Feb 24 Japan wins, followed by Austria, Germany, Norway, France, USA, Italy, Slovenia ... Results: Sun 2/24 The first-ever FIS Mixed-Team championship was held today on the on the normal hill (K95, HS106). Sarah Hendrickson and Jessica Jerome teamed with Anders Johnson (37th yesterday in men’s comp), and Peter Frenette. The Russian Federation and Czech Republic didn’t make the final round. Takanashi Wins Twice, Hendrickson 2nd & 3rd in World Cup Feb 16-17 US has 5 in top 13 Saturday, and 3 in top 7 Sunday Results: Sat 2/16 Sun 2/17 standings Sarah Takanashi topped Sarah Hendrickson on Saturday in Women’s World Cup action in Ljubno SLO. Coline Mattel of France was 3rd. Two more Americans made the top 10, with Jessica Jerome 6th and with Lindsey Van 8th. Two more were in the top 13, with Alissa Johnson 12th, and Abby Hughes 13th. Takanashi won again on Sunday, with Mattel edging Hendrickson by 1.5 points for 2nd. Van placed 5th and Jerome 7th, with Johnson 19th and Hughes 22nd. Takanashi has now clinched the 2013 World Cup title. Congratulations, Sara! Next event is World Championships in Val di Fiemme ITA. Women’s individual competition will be Feb 22, mixed team Feb 24. For more on the US Women’s team, visit their website: www.wsjusa.com Additional coverage via Berkutschi, link at right. Chris Lamb Wins TWICE in Brattleboro FIS Cup Feb 16-17 Japan’s Yamada 2nd & USA’s Fairall 3rd BOTH DAYS Results: Sat FIS Pepsi Sun FIS juniors American jumpers looked good in the first day of FIS Cup competition in Brattleboro VT, to the delight of a crowd estimated at 2300. Chris Lamb was the winner with jumps of 96.5 and 88 meters, scoring 243.5 points. Japan’s Yuya Yamada was 2nd, and Nick Fairall grabbed the last podium spot for the Americans. Oldrik Van Der Alst of the Netherlands was 4th, with the USA’s Mike Glasder and Nick Mattoon 5th and 6th. Another Dutch jumper, Ruben de Wit was 7th, and the next four places went to Americans ... Brian Wallace, Christian Friberg, Andrew Bliss, and Trevor Wert. There were also competitors from Slovenia, Canada, and the Ukraine. Saturday’s action also included the Pepsi Challenge for junior athletes. Luke Daniels was the winner in the men’s competition, and Nina Lussi topped the women’s class. Updated US Cup standings will be based on FIS Cup results from Saturday; will be published soon! The same three athletes were in the same positions on the podium on Sunday, but it was a big distance show between Lamb and Yamada. Lamb flew 98 and 94 meters, scoring 263.5 points, and Yamada went 94 and 96.5, good for 259.5. Fairall and Mattoon tied for third place, followed by four more Americans ... Glasder, Friberg, Wert, and Andrew Bliss. Dutch jumper Oldrik Van Der Aalst finished 9th, with two Americans, Alex Haupt and Kevin Bickner tied for 10th. L-R: Yamada, Lamb, Mattoon, Fairall ... Tom Bickner photo, click to enlarge Emilee Anderson won Sunday’s junior women’s event, while Matt Doyle captured the win in the junior men’s class. Vist these websites for more info ... US Men’s team site: www.usaskijumping.org US Women’s team site: www.wsjusa.com Freitag Wins Individual Ski Flying Competition in Oberstdorf Sat Feb 16 American Anders Johnson 37th Results: Sat 2/16 Sun 2/17 (team comp ... no US athletes) Germany’s Richard Freitag put together flights of 209 and 206.5 meters on one of the world’s biggest ski jumps, in Oberstdorf GER, to take the top podium spot in men’s World Cup ski flying on Feb 16. Norway’s Andreas Stjernen was 2nd, and Austria’s Gregor Schlierenzauer placed 3rd. Anders Johnson of the USA finished 37th. His teammate Peter Frenette came up a half point short in quailifying, so wasn’t in the field. Norway won Sunday’s team competition ahead of Austria and Slovenia. No Americans participated. The US men will be in action on Feb 23, 24th, and 28th at the World Championships in Val di Fiemme ITA. More info on men’s team site: www.usaskijumping.org Takanashi Wins Twice in Women’s World Cup in Zao JPN Feb 10 Seifriedsberger 2nd twice, Hendrickson 4th & 3rd ... Results: comp 1 comp 2 standings Wind prevented jumping in Zao on Saturday, so two competitions were held Sunday. Sara Takanashi was a double winner in front of her enthusiastic fans, with Austria’s Jacqui Seifriedsberger second in both comps. Germany’s Carina Vogt nailed her first podium of the season in 3rd, while Sarah Hendrickson of the USA placed third. It was a good weekend for the USA, as Jessica Jerome 5th and 6th, Lindsey Van 7th and 8th, and Abby Hughes 20th and 16th. Takanashi leads Hendrickson in the standings 937 to 707, with Seifriedsberger 3rd at 697. Jerome is 10th and Van 11th in overall standings. More at WSJUSA Next Women’s World Cup is in Ljubno SLO Feb 15-17 Bjerkeengen and Semenic Get COC Wins in Iron Mountain Feb 9-10 Semenic wins TWICE ... Results: Saturday 2/9 first comp second comp Sunday 2/10 Frederik Bjerkeengen of Norway won the first competition of two on Saturday; he flew 137.5 and 135 meters, rolling up 290 points. Slovenia’s Matic Benedik scored 277.5 points on jumps of 138.5 and 127 meters to take the second spot on the podium. Felix Schoft of Germany placed 3rd with 265.5 points on flights of 128 and 137 meters. Nick Fairall was the only American to make the final round, and he finished 29th ... one spot ahead of the last jumper in the final round, Anze Semenic of Slovenia. Click image to enlarge crowd photo FIS had moved up the start time on the first competition, in order to conduct a makeup comp for one cancelled earlier in Lahti FIN. Semenic, who’d finished at the bottom of the final round a few hours earlier, blasted out flights of 133 and 136 meters to claim the win with 281.7 points. His teammate Benedik was second again, this time with 266.4 points on jumps of 134 and 126.5 meters. Austria’s Thomas Diethart was third, only 2.2 points back at 264.2. No US athletes made the final round. Sunday’s meet was scheduled for afternoon, but incoming bad weather caused FIS and the Kiwanis Ski Club to move the competition to 10:00 a.m. It was warmer and a bit foggy, but the two-round competition was completed in about two hours. Semenic once again claimed the top spot (138.5, 129.5, 275.4), while another Slovenian, Andraz Pograjc, took 2nd (128, 124.5, 252.5), and Benedik tied for 3rd with Germany’s Felix Schoft, each scoring 251.5 points. Americans Nick Fairall and Chris Lamb were 28th and 29th. SEE OUR EXTENDED NEWS PAGE FOR PREVIOUS STORIES & FEATURES ... GO >>>