Local Park City Nordic Ski Club (PCNSC), Women’s Ski Jumping (WSJ) and U.S. Ski Team athletes were jumpin’ and jammin’ as they competed in the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club’s (SSWSC) Jumpin’ and Jammin’ Competition and Community Party at Howelsen Hill over the Fourth of July weekend in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Sixty of the nation’s best Nordic combined and ski jumping athletes soared off of the plastic HS75- and HS45-meter jumps.

Most consider ski jumping to be a winter sport, but these athletes have a rigorous training schedule all year round. They jump through the spring and summer months, landing on watered down turf. They continue to travel and compete all year long all across the country.

Macey Olden, PCNSC, and Owen Wither, SSWSC, won the HS45 U12 competitions. Tess Arnone, SSWSC, and Stephane Tremblay, ASJNC, won the HS45 U14 event. Hana Schrock, SSWSC, and Tremblay took first in the HS75 U16 jump. Anna Hoffman, Fly Girls, and Dean Decker, SSWSC, won the HS75 U18 contest. Logan Sankey, WSJ, and Nathaniel Mah, of Canada, won the HS75 senior class event.

Alan Alborn, a former Olympian who currently holds the North American distance jump record of 221.5 meters and Park City local Sarah Hendrickson, an American Olympic ski jumper, coach the Fly Girls.

Park City athletes included: Macey Olden, Emily Campbell, Mia Vinding, Sophia Nester, Samantha Macuga, Kailey Bickner, Zach Selzman, Wes Campbell, Ben Loomis, Stephen Schumann, Bryan Fletcher, Taylor Fletcher, Tucker Hoefler and Jared Shumate.

Women’s Ski Jumping USA launched Fly Girls in the spring of 2014, an innovative athlete development program and branding initiative. It’s designed to recruit and retain young female ski jumpers into a sustainable pipeline from which the highest-caliber athletes will one day be selected to join the National and Olympic teams. All of the women on this team placed in the top rankings for U16, U18 and senior women’s classes over the weekend at the Jumpin’ and Jammin’ Competition.

Park City will be hosting the annual North American Jindro Mayer Springer Tournee and U.S. Large Hill Ski Jumping & Nordic Combined Championships in July at the Utah Olympic Park. Athletes from across the nation will gather together to compete on the large hills, and in running and roller skiing events. For more information visit UtahOlympicLegacy.org.

The Women’s Ski Jumping USA Fly Girls are hosting a fundraiser on July 28 at the Julie Nester Gallery to help raise funds to support the athletes on their development journey to the national team as well as the Olympics. For more information on attending or supporting the fundraiser, please contact Amy Macuga at 435-962-0916. For all the photos from Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club’s Jumpin’ and Jammin’ Competition and Community Party visit pointproductions.net.

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"The best direction for WSJ-USA is one that best serves the athletes," said Peter Jerome, interim president of Women’s Ski Jumping USA. "I am pleased that USSA will be taking responsibility for the national women’s ski jumping program, including the employment and contracting of our two national team coaches, Alan Alborn and Vasja Bajc, and our partnership with [the Utah Olympic Park] for our development coach, Lindsey Van. WSJ-USA will focus our organizational efforts on cultivating and supporting development programs and athletes — with an emphasis on the successful Fly Girls development program. This expanded partnership is a clear win for both organizations and will increase operational efficiency, while simultaneously addressing the specific needs of a wider range of athletes and athletic abilities."

Women’s Ski Jumping USA’s Fly Girls program recently concluded its second summer development program and will continue to operate and be funded directly by WSJ-USA.

Members of the WSJ-USA board look forward to working with USSA to expand fundraising efforts and solidify back office operations to raise visibility of the sport in the U.S. market.

"Women’s Ski Jumping USA has done a remarkable job in raising awareness for the sport across the U.S. and in providing a foundation for the women athletes leading up to their Olympic debut in Sochi," said USSA Executive Vice President, Luke Bodensteiner. "We greatly respect the organization’s new focus in looking to the future with an emphasis on development through Fly Girls. Together we feel that the right next step for the program is to more actively integrate with the existing systems of USSA, while working jointly to raise money to support the program."

USSA is providing direct athlete support to ski jumpers Nita Englund (Florence, Wisconsin) and Sarah Hendrickson (Park City), who have achieved national team criteria. Additional women’s ski jumping athletes may be competing on the World Cup tour and will be able to continue to take advantage of the elite level coaching provided through the program.

The top U.S. ski jumping athletes will next be in Lake Placid, New York, Oct. 10-11, for the Flaming Leaves Festival, which features the normal hill event of the U.S. Ski Jumping Championships.

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"I am obviously very happy with my result today," said Hendrickson. "After my strong training in Planica this past week I was really confident going into this comp. I woke up Friday morning with low energy, which was frustrating, but I knew I had to push through. After horrible training jumps in the morning, I had to take a step back and really dig deep for the night comp. My first jump was mediocre, but my last was one of the best I’ve had. I’m a little upset with my landings, but I guess that comes from having had few jumps on a large hill. It’s an amazing experience to jump here and I’m hoping we have more large hills in the future because I know we are ready.

"For those who watched, all the girls wore red arm bands in honor of Deedee [Corradini]. Her favorite color was red and we wanted to show our appreciation towards her and her efforts to get women’s ski jumping to where is it today. She will be greatly missed and has taught all of us women to fight for what’s right."

U.S. Visa Women’s Ski Jumping teammate Jessica Jerome placed 11th in the competition, soaring 120.5 and 116.0 meters in her two jumps and scoring 220.5 points. Nita Englund placed 23rd with jumps of 108.0 and 108.5 meters and 178.9 points. Tara Geraghty-Moats placed 28th with jumps of 103.0 and 104.0 meters and 165.3 points.

"Jumping the big hill for the final event is always fun," commented Jerome. "We had great conditions and beautiful weather. I had one good jump, but my second one wasn’t what I am capable of. Personally, I had a pretty mediocre season, but my jumps got better toward the end, so I guess I’m happy with finishing on a higher note."

"I am very pleased with this 2014-15 season," said Head Coach Alan Alborn. "We have had some significant and positive changes to staff, as well as to the team roster due to post-Olympic restructuring. Our World Cup team, which was made up of veterans and rookies alike, proved capable of meeting the demands by securing four spots in the top 30 of the World Cup overall. This was not an easy task for newcomers Nita Englund and Tara Geraghty-Moats. Sarah Hendrickson has regained her confidence and her love of the sport after many ups and downs. She stepped on the podium three times with her best being second place in the final event of the season.

"Furthermore, I am pleased with our development initiatives, despite the minimal FIS Continental Cup schedule. We sent two athletes to World Junior Championships — one of whom is a direct result of our Fly Girls program that was started in Summer 2014. I look forward to a very productive summer for our Fly Girls and our World Cup team. Thanks to all of our supporters, sponsors, fans, and behind-the-scenes pillars."

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According to her family, Corradini died at her Park City home after a battle with lung cancer at the age of 70.

"Deedee Corradini brought great passion and perseverance to her pursuits," said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association President and CEO Tiger Shaw. "She was a difference maker for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City and later instilled a pioneering spirit into women’s ski jumping that led to its successful Olympic debut and international success of U.S. athletes."

Women’s ski jumping made its Olympic debut in Sochi. Since its debut as a global sport within the International Ski Federation, American athletes have won two of the four World Championships held. Lindsey Van (Park City) won the initial Championship in 2009, with Sarah Hendrickson (Park City) taking gold in 2013. Hendrickson also won the season-long World Cup title in 2012. The women just competed in the World Championships in Falun, Sweden, where Hendrickson and Jessica Jerome were in the top 10.

Corradini worked closely with the USSA, the sport’s national governing body in America, to help pursue Olympic status and in the continuing quest to provide funding to ski jumping.

She was the past president of the distinguished International Women’s Forum. She was a Senior Distinguished Fellow in Urban Studies at The Richard W. Riley Institute of Government, Politics and Public Leadership at Furman University, and senior vice president of Prudential Utah Real Estate. Corradini is the only female mayor of Salt Lake City, serving from 1992-2000, and former president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Details about the celebration of her life will be released soon. Friends and supporters are urged to email their thoughts and condolences to Women’s Ski Jumping USA at wsjusainfo@wsjusa.com for inclusion on a public memorial page at http://wsjusa.com.

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"I haven’t worked as hard as I’ve ever worked these past 18 months," said Hendrickson. "The physical is there, but the mental side is a huge part of this sport and I am actually very happy with my sixth place today. It is better than most of my results this whole season. The conditions didn’t cater to my jumping style, but that is how ski jumping is. The wind was quite fair considering where we are. Having a far jump is what I love about ski jumping. That is what I have to take away from today and build on it."

U.S. Visa Women’s Ski Jumping teammate Jessica Jerome soared 86.5 and 90.5 meters to secure her ninth-place finish with 219.4 points.

"Tonight was great," commented Jerome. "It is notoriously windy here, but it calmed down for us, and we had a very fair competition. On the first jump, the first part was okay, but I have also been working on not being too aggressive and killing the effect and I did exactly what I have been trying not to do. On the second round, I did what I was supposed to do and I went four meters farther! I was happy with the second jump."

Nita Englund, who has had a remarkable 2014-15 World Cup season, placed 12th and Tara Geraghty-Moats placed 18th in her first World Championships. 2014 Olympic Gold Medalist Carina Vogt won the competition with jumps of 91.5 and 92.0 meters and 236.9 points.

"I was a little disappointed with how I performed, because I didn’t really do my best," said Englund. "The whole week I struggled with my timing and it was difficult to let the flight develop because I was just late on most of my jumps. That was the biggest issue, honestly. I let the pressure get to me."

"Although we had a rather tough day in Falun, along with Austria, we were the only team with four athletes among the top-20," said Head Coach Alan Alborn. "We are up against the strongest nations, with resources so much greater than ours. The reason these women continue to be successful is because of their passion and fighting American spirit."

On Sunday, Feb. 22, Hendrickson and Englund participated in the Normal Hill Mixed Team event contributing strongly to Team USA’s seventh-place finish with 789.3 points. Englund soared 94.0 and 87.5 meters in her two jumps, while Hendrickson flew 98.5 and 94.0 meters. The German team comprised of 2015 World Champions Carina Vogt and Severin Freund, along with Richard Frietag and Katharina Althaus, won the 11-team competition with 917.9 points.

"Technically [my jumps] were a little bit better, but the wind conditions were a lot better for me today," Hendrickson said about the mixed team event. "I had a blast. I think that I had the farthest jump of the day [among both men and women], so that is really exciting. My thoughts are with Nick Alexander — he had an amazing jump, just trouble on the landing. I think it is awesome to be with the World Cup men and I hope it will be an Olympic event in the future."

The women will next compete in Oslo, Norway, on March 14 and 15 at the World Cup competition.

"We have one more Big Hill competition in Oslo and I love jumping Big Hill," said Nita Englund. "It should be good and I am excited about it. The Big Hill at Holmenkollen is legendary and is at sea level. There is a lot of pressure so it should be tons of fun."

Hendrickson is also excited about the next World Cup.

"I haven’t been doing a lot of training on large hills because of my knee, but I am ready for [Holmenkollen] and I am ready to have a good result there," she said. "My goal is to win. I won there two years ago and I am ready again."

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On Saturday, Hendrickson secured her podium finish by soaring 86.0 and 87.0 meters in her two jumps and scoring 237.1 points. Teammate Nita Englund placed 12th, with jumps of 83.5 and 83.0 meters and 224.2 points. Tara Geraghty-Moats placed 17th on Saturday, flying 80.0 and 85.0 meters and scoring 215.2 points. Abby Hughes placed 20th. Sara Takanashi of Japan took first place with jumps of 88.0 and 90.0 meters and 248.5 points.

"I am really, really happy with today," said Hendrickson, who suffered a serious knee injury in August 2013. "I can’t even begin to explain how much weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I needed this for myself — the confidence and contentment with all the hard work that I have put in. It’s been a long road to get to this place today, and I can only smile."

"Today my nerves got the best of me," said Englund. "I learned that it is best to jump calmly and normally — and I did neither today. It was a baby step back, but tomorrow is a new day."

Hendrickson repeated her podium performance on Sunday, soaring 89.0 and 88.0 meters and scoring 243.8 points. Nita Englund improved her performance with a 10th-place finish on Sunday, flying 86.0 and 84.5 meters and scoring 228.6 points. Tara Geraghty-Moats finished 23rd with jumps of 81.5 and 82.5 meters and 210.0 points. Daniela Iraschko-Stolz of Austria and Sara Takanashi tied for first place.

"The wind conditions were challenging," said Abby Hughes. "There were mostly tailwinds. However, I am happy that we are continuing to have a very high level of competition and that I am able to stay close in the field!"

"I am happy with the weekend, but I think that the girls had more in their legs," said travel coach Vasja Bajc. "I am really happy for Sarah that she finally stepped over the border and regained her confidence. This result will make her even stronger. Nita had problems with timing of take-offs and Tara had problems with her landing. Abby had some good jumps, but needs to increase the number each competition. I hope the athletes can get some refreshment time before their departure to Falun, so that that they can present themselves there in their best performance."

The athletes will travel next to Falun, Sweden, for the World Championships. The women’s competition will take place on Feb. 20 and the mixed team competition will take place on Feb. 22.

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"I was really happy with my fifth-place finish on Saturday and felt a big improvement in my confidence compared with the competition in Lillehammer," said Hendrickson. "The wind was a bit of a factor on Saturday, but was much more challenging on Sunday. Personally, I felt that my jumps were technically really good, so I am looking forward to the next World Cup competitions."

Her teammate on the U.S. Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team, Nita Englund, placed 20th on Saturday with jumps of 85.5 and 79.5 meters, but moved up to 11th place on Sunday with jumps of 86.5 and 85.5 meters, a career best.

"I am having a great time in Japan and I feel that my jumping is getting closer. My results are beginning to reflect all my hard work," commented Englund. "The conditions were difficult during the entire weekend, but I just kept trying to execute normal jumps and overall it worked pretty well."

Jessica Jerome placed 13th on Saturday with jumps of 93.0 and 85.0 meters and 12th on Sunday with 87.0 and 86.0 meters, illustrating the intense competition that has been building in women’s ski jumping since inclusion of the sport in the Sochi Olympics last year.

"Sapporo has once again challenged the team and athletes with adverse and changing wind conditions this weekend," said Head Coach Alan Alborn. "Although the conditions were more challenging than normal, Nita Englund walked away with her career-best result, alongside strong performances from Sarah Hendrickson and Jessica Jerome. Tara Geraghty-Moats captured her first World Cup points after returning to the sport after several years off due to a serious knee injury. There is room for improvement, as the season is still early leading into Falun in February. These trips to Japan will always be difficult for our team due to the amount of travel required to get to Japan and then immediately fly off of a ski jump. The competition next weekend in Zao, Japan, should offer a more-level playing field, since all the athletes will have acclimated to Japan’s time zone."

With a home-country crowd for support, 18-year-old Sara Takanashi of Japan soared to first place on Saturday with jumps of 97.0 and 98.0 meters and took first again on Sunday with jumps of 87.0 and 97.0 meters.

The competition was held under partly cloudy skies and varying wind speeds, with 49 athletes competing. The athletes indicated that wind gusts and shifts were a significant factor during Sunday’s competition. The conditions were frustrating since each jumper experienced different wind speeds and, despite wind compensation points, tracking the wind conditions for each jump was difficult.

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"I’m content with the way this competition went," said Hendrickson. "I had some issues in training that knocked me on my heels mentally, so I was relieved to just have normal jumps. Each one was a step in the right direction, so I am focused on the positive aspects. I am excited to get back home, rest, and evaluate some things. A lot has changed since last year’s competitions, including teammates, team dynamics, coaches and staff. Everything is for the better — it’s just a matter of time to get into the rhythm again."

U.S. Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team members Nita Englund, Nina Lussi and Tara Geraghty-Moats were also among the field of 44 jumpers in the competition. Englund, 22, finished 13th in Friday’s competition, with jumps of 87.0 and 87.5 meters. However, judges disqualified Englund on Saturday, citing regulation SCE1, and determining that she was too light for her skis.

Lussi, 20, finished 21st on Friday and 22nd on Saturday, with consistently strong jumps of 81.5 and 84.0 meters on Friday and 81.5 and 82.0 meters on Saturday. Geraghty-Moats, 21, improved on her Friday 24th-place finish (79.0 and 85.5 meter jumps) to finish 13th on Saturday with jumps of 88.0 and 86.5 meters.

The team’s travel coach, Vasja Bajc, was satisfied with the team’s performance in this early season competition.

"Of course, we have things to work on," he said. "But, all things considered, we are headed in a good direction and I strongly believe that the next event results will be on a higher level. Each athlete is not only reflecting on the positive points from this weekend’s event, but also is thinking about weak points to improve upon. We are looking forward optimistically, building a strong team, setting clear goals, and being proud of each individual’s good result, no matter who achieves it."

Several members of the U.S. Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team will be returning to the U.S. for holiday time with family and additional training. The team will next compete in the World Cup competition in Sapporo, Japan, Jan. 10-11.

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Sarah Hendrickson of Park City, the current World Champion, finished ninth by following her first 89-meter jump with a strong second jump of 96.5 meters. Jessica Jerome, also of Park City, finished 11th, improving upon her first jump of 87 meters with a second jump of 92.5 meters.

"I was rather frustrated with today," commented Hendrickson. "My training jumps went really, really well, but my competition jumps were not as good for me technically. My nerves got the better of me. Granted, I haven’t competed in a World Cup in over a year, but it is hard for me to not be performing at a higher level."

Nita Englund of Iron Mountain, Michigan, finished 18th in the field of 30 jumpers that qualified.

"I am excited for my first World Cup points, and I thought it was a great start to the season," said Englund. "The conditions were challenging because there was a lot of tailwind today. There were also a few surprises in the results. I am looking forward to more competitions this winter!"

Team members Tara Geraghty-Moats of West Farlee, Vermont, and Nina Lussi of Lake Placid, New York, did not qualify for a second jump.

"All in all, this was a good day in Lillehammer, Norway, with light snow and wind coming from behind. As a somewhat rookie team, the athletes performed pretty well, with Nita Englund scoring her first World Cup points and Tara Geraghty-Moats qualifying for her first-ever World Cup," said Head Coach Alan Alborn. "Sarah Hendrickson had a good day, coming back to her first World Cup in more than a year and executing three solid jumps, with her third jump being her best. Jessica Jerome performed consistently and strongly in this opening World Cup event. The team will now have a few days of training to polish their skills before competing in next weekend’s Continental Cup in Notodden, Norway."

Slovenian Spela Rogel won the competition, with strong jumps of 93.0 and 99.0 meters. Daniela Iraschko-Stolz of Austria (95.5 and 97.0 meters) and Sara Takanashi of Japan (93.5 and 97.0 meters) rounded out the podium, finishing in second and third place respectively.

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