LILLEHAMMER, Norway (Dec. 4, 2016) – The key to setting up a good nordic combined finish is a strong jump. Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) got that jump Sunday in Lillehammer, soaring to 22nd on the HS138 meter hill then winding his way through the pack to finish ninth.
 
Germany’s Eric Frenzel and Bjoern Kircheisen finished 1-2. Joergen Graabak of Norway was third.

Fletcher flew 129 meters on his competition jump to stand 22nd. Ben Berend (Steamboat Springs, CO) went 126 meters and was 27th.
 
“Today was definitely a better day for me," Fletcher said. “It's taken some work on my competition routine but today that work has paid off.”

In the cross country event, Fletcher moved up quickly in the 10k leg, finishing 1:22 out with the sixth fastest leg. Brother Taylor Fletcher ended up 26th, moving up from 48th in the jump by posting the fastest cross country time.
 
It was Bryan Fletcher’s best finish since finishing seventh in Seefeld, Austria last January.

“In the race I had another good ski,” Fletcher added. “It was a hard fight to the end and I am happy to finish this first block of competitions with a 9th place. I am now looking forward to Ramsau in two weeks.”
 
The tour now takes a break before resuming in two weeks at Ramsau, Austria.
 
QUOTES
Bryan Fletcher
Today was definitely a better day for me. It's taken some work on my competition routine but today that work has paid off.

In the race I had another good ski. It was a hard fight to the end and I am happy to finish this first block of competitions with a 9th place. I am now looking forward to Ramsau in two weeks.

RESULTS
HS138m Gundersen Start
 

LILLEHAMMER, Norway (Dec. 3, 2016) - World champion Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT) made a strong return this weekend as she came back after a nearly 15-month absence to the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup. Hendrickson was 11th Friday and eighth Saturday. Japan's Sara Takanashi swept the wins.

Hendrickson had been injured in the summer before the 2014 Olympics. She made several comebacks but took a break after the 2015 season for more follow-up surgery, taking her time to come back as strongly as possible.

"Yesterday was so much fun," said Hendrickson. "I cannot put into words how amazing it felt to be back with a bib on. I honestly thought the day would never come as I wanted to give up so many times."

While she didn't challenge for the podium in her first weekend back, she did jump into the lead in the first round Saturday, stepping into the familiar leader's box for a period of time.

Friday she jumped 84.5 and 90.0 meters. Saturday she stepped it up to 94.5 and 89.0.

Hendrickson's immediate goal is getting comfortable back on the tour and making incremental improvements.

"With an 11th and eighth, I'm really content but hungry for more," she said. "Technically I have some improvements to make so there is space for me to go up the results. The knee held up really well and I'm anxious to get to Russia to compete again!"

The tour now heads to Nizhny Tagil, Russia for a pair of events. 

RESULTS
Dec. 2 - HS100 meter 
Dec. 3 - HS100 meter

RUKA, Finland (Nov. 25, 2016) - The snow-covered nordic center at Ruka is ready to go for this weekend's FIS Nordic Combined World Cup opener. The USA will have a field of three for the two days of competition, including Bryan and Taylor Fletcher, plus Ben Berend (all Steamboat Springs, CO).

As the season opens, German Eric Frenzel is looking for an unprecedented fifth straight title.But he will be challenged by a young Norwegian who surprised with his strength in the summer Grand Prix, Jarl Magnus Riiber.

Step by step, Sarah Hendrickson crawled her way up the towering 134-meter Olympic ski jump – lungs burning, every muscle aching. It was ironic. Here was a world champion ski jumper not soaring quietly through the air, but rather punishing her body in September’s Red Bull 400 by climbing up the ski hill in Park City.

Amidst the pain, her mind fast forwarded to her return to ski jumping, just weeks away.

“The Red Bull 400 was a blast,” said Hendrickson. “It was a really good test for my knee. I have always had an endurance itch side so it’s really fun for me to do sponsor races like this every once in a while – and it’s definitely a new angle of the ski jump. But I like flying down it a lot more.”

Sarah runs up the ski jump at the Utah Olympic Park. (Tom Kelly)

As she powered her way to the top of the jump, for a fleeting moment her thoughts went back to that day in summer 2013 when her world changed after a training crash in Germany.

“I feel like the last four years has been more or less recovery,” said Hendrickson. “I haven’t gotten a chance to do what I do in a long time, and that is really frustrating. Looking back to when I won all those World Cups and the World Championship, I hadn’t battled any injuries and I just want to be able to stay healthy again.”

For much of the last few seasons, Hendrickson’s time has been spent at the USSA Center of Excellence – sweating and toiling every day, a smile on her face and a look of determination in her eyes.  

“For me, staying motivated comes from the roots,” she said. “Why did I start the sport? What do I love about it? I had some really hard days his time around and, no doubt, quitting came up on a daily basis. But something inside me kept me going.”  

Training for the upcoming season.

Hendrickson, now 22, has packed a lot into her short career – 13 World Cup wins, a World Cup season title and the 2013 World Championship. Still, she’s far from finished.

“I feel like I have more to accomplish in this sport and I couldn’t walk away happy right now,” she said. “Every day I grew stronger, either mentally or physically – those are the things I love to see. I have learned so much about myself when getting hurt and although frustrating, it will help me later in life.

“But I want to fly again.”

In mid-October, she took to wing once more, heading to Slovenia where the lower elevation air would give her more of a cushion to test her knee. And she sought the solitude of Planica, to escape attention as she made her first tentative jumps. 

Sarah looks at her 2013 World Championships medal. (U.S. Ski Team-Sarah Brunson)

“It was a huge mental game for me,” she said. “There was a small part of me that actually thought I might never ski jump again. I was scared like I have never been scared before.”

Hendrickson had actually been cleared to jump three months earlier. But she wanted more time. “I had, and still have, a lot of trust issues I’ve had to overcome with this injury.”

It started out rough – it just takes time to get the knee accustomed to the new forces. Finally, she started to feel good.

“I’m really satisfied,” she said. “Technically my jumps were some of the best ever.”

After Planica, she headed to Germany to exorcise some demons on the big hill at Oberstdorf – where the injury trail began in August 2013. Now, she’s home and getting ready once again to join the tour when it opens in Lillehammer, Norway this December.

Sarah's recent jump in Oberstdorf.

On the World Cup tour, she’ll see some news faces as well as a familiar nemesis in Japan’s Sara Takanashi.

“Women’s ski jumping is growing a lot,” said Hendrickson. “Sara is still really good and very hard to beat. I will try to focus on myself and go from there. I have a new weapon on my mental side these days – few people have gone through what I have gone through and that can help me on the hill for those high-pressure days.”

It’s a World Championship season and less than 15 months to the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang. Her goals will come in time, and expect them to be nothing less than winning. But she also knows she was away from the jump hill for 18 months. This will be a building season.

Still, she knows her ability and what she can still accomplish, as well as having a secret weapon in her quiver.

“I am here because of my passion for ski jumping. And that can get you really far.”

LAKE PLACID, NY (Oct. 9, 2016) - Tara Geraghty-Moats (W. Fairly, VT) withstood a challenge from hometown favorite Nina Lussi (Lake Placid, NY) to win her first U.S. title, taking the normal hill event at the U.S. Ski Jumping Championships on the HS100 meter jump in Lake Placid.

In the opening round, Geraghty-Moats soared 92.0 meters with Lussi five meters back. Geraghty-Moats flew 102.0 meters in the final round, to 100.0 for Lussi.

Junior Gabby Armstrong (Lake Placid, NY) won her first championship medal, finishing third.

“I couldn't have dreamt of a better day to win my first national title,” said Geraghty-Moats, who left biathlon a few years ago to focus on ski jumping. “It was a gift to put on a good performance for everyone here in the east that has helped me get to this level. I felt good all weekend, but not 100 percent satisfied with my takeoff until everything clicked for my last jump.” 

It was a homecoming for Lussi, who has been basing her training in Slovenia this summer, along with Geraghty-Moats and Nita England (Florence, WI).

“The Flaming Leaves Festival has always been one of my favorite competitions,” said Lussi. “This was a great weekend not only because it served as a chance for me to come home and see my family, but also for a great battle for the national title. Tara and I have jumped against each other on this hill for as long as we can remember. In the second round, we both landed at and over 100 meters which was pretty awesome! It's going to be interesting to see what the winter has in store for us.”

It was an important event for Women’s Ski Jumping USA bringing both veterans and juniors together on the Olympic jumps.

“We had a great week in Lake Placid for the annual Flaming Leaves event,” said Women’s Ski Jumping USA Coach Blake Hughes. “The weather was a little interesting during the event and the jury and competition management did an excellent job ensuring we had a safe and fair competition."

Hughes was pleased with the performance of Geraghty-Moats and Lussi, who staged a strong battle for the title, as well as young Armstrong.

“This was a great result for Gabby and a positive showing to the development of the next generation of young talent for the ladies team,” he added.

“Flaming Leaves Festival is always an exciting event, with the NYSEF competition as a fun prelude to Sunday's national championships,” said Armstrong. “It was great to compete with all my friends and teammates on my home hill, and the favorable conditions on my last competition jump, both the wind and the hometown crowd, capped off my summer season.” 

“I’m happy with my level of training this summer and very excited to get back to the World Cup this winter,” said Geraghty-Moats. “My biggest challenge this winter will not be on the hill, but off, in terms of finding enough funding to finish out the season, as my team is currently not funded.”

The women head back to final training before the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup tour opens Dec. 1-3 in  Lillehammer, Norway. The USA will be led by Geraghty-Moats, Englund and 2013 World Champion Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT), who is expected to return to competition.

RESULTS
U.S. Ski Jumping Championships, normal hill

LAKE PLACID, NY (Oct. 9, 2016) - Will Rhoads (Park City, UT) put down two towering jumps to win his second U.S. title of the season. Rhoads, who won the large hill gold on his home hill in Park City, took his third U.S. crown, winning the normal hill championship on Lake Placid’s HS100 meter hill.

Rhoads opened the day with a 101.0 meter jump, just a half meter more than Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, IL), but building an eight point lead. Mike Glasder (Cary, IL) stood third. In the final round, Rhoads put down a sensational 106.0-meter ride to seal the win over Bickner, who took silver with a 95.5 final round jump. 

"Today was great for me as snagged my third national title, first one on the small hill!" said Rhoads. "The wind conditions were a bit tricky during the competition, but I had three solid jumps that landed me on top of the podium. It is nice to continue gaining momentum as the summer has progressed and I am looking forward to the upcoming winter season!" 

Kevin Bickner jumped to second place at the U.S. Championships. (USSA)

Junior Casey Larson (Cary, IL), a Norge Ski Club teammate of Bickner and Glasder, moved up to take bronze with a 100.5 meter final ride. Larson also took bronze on the large hill in Park City last July.

“It was a pretty interesting competition today,” said USA Nordic Coach Clint Jones. “After yesterday, it appeared that Mike Glasder was going to be the man to beat today, but the rest of the field seemed up to the challenge. Will was very happy to repeat his performance from the large hill championships earlier this summer and is continuing to build confidence heading into the winter.”

Casey Larson took third. (USSA)

The U.S. Ski Jumping Championships were a part of the Flaming Leaves Festival in Lake Placid. Jumpers are wrapping up fall training and hope to move on snow next month before the opening of the World Cup season.

“I am very excited with the level of our team heading into the winter,” added Jones. “The entire group has made some big improvements over the summer, and today's competition was a great example of that. Our team is really looking forward to carrying this level into the winter season.”

RESULTS
U.S. Ski Jumping Championships, Normal Hill 

LAKE PLACID, NY (Oct. 6, 2016) – National titles will be on the line this weekend at the U.S. Ski Jumping Championships Sunday, Oct. 9 at Lake Placid’s Olympic Ski Jumping Complex on the HS100 meter hill. The event is a part of Lake Placid’s traditional Flaming Leaves Festival with a warm-up competition on Saturday.

The normal hill U.S. Championship follows on the heels of the large hill event held this past July in Park City, UT where Will Rhoads (Park City, UT) and Jessica Jerome (Park City, UT) took titles.

The men’s and women’s titles are expected to be hotly contested. Returning to defend their first-time U.S. titles from a year ago will be the Norge Ski Club’s Mike Glasder (Cary, IL) and Nita Englund (Florence, WI) of the Kiwanis Ski Club in Iron Mountain, MI.

Rhoads, who won his second straight large hill title this summer, is coming off a top-five finish in a FIS Continental Cup in Klingenthal, Germany last weekend, as well as a point-scoring Grand Prix. Norge Ski Club jumper Kevin Bickner (Cary, IL) has also had a good summer with a pair of top-10 finishes on the FIS Summer Grand Prix. A wild card could be teen Casey Larson (Cary, IL), the bronze medalist from the large hill U.S. Ski Jumping Champs who went on to score Continental Cup points in Finland in August.

The women’s field will see a battle between Women’s Ski Jumping USA veterans Englund and Tara Geraghty-Moats (W. Fairlee, VT), both of whom have been training in Slovenia this summer. Local favorite Nina Lussi (Lake Placid, NY), who has also been in Slovenia, is also expected to be a contender after taking silver a year ago.

Englund had a strong weekend in September at the FIS Summer Grand Prix in Chaikovsky, Russia with a pair of top 10s, including a fourth-place finish. Geraghty-Moats also had a solid event in Russia with two top 15s.

The Flaming Leaves Festival, which begins at 10 a.m. ET both days, features a wide array of live music plus a barbecue and a full weekend of fun mixed with ski jumping. U.S. Championships in ski jumping are traditionally held during the summer and fall on all-season jumps, such as Lake Placid. Ski jumping is one of the few winter sports that can be conducted in summer with virtually the same type of competition as in winter.

The Championship is jointly organized by the New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF), the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA).

U.S. SKI JUMPING CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE
Flaming Leaves Festival – Lake Placid, NY
Saturday, Oct. 8
10:00 a.m. – Flaming Leaves Festival opens
12:00 p.m. – Trial Round NYSEF HS100 meter USSA ski jumping competition
1:00 p.m. – NYSEF HS100 meter USSA ski jumping competition
Afternoon – Live music

Sunday, Oct. 9
9:30 am – Trial round HS100 meter U.S. Ski Jumping Championships
10:00 a.m. – Flaming Leaves Festival opens
11:00 a.m. – U.S. Championship HS100 meter competition round (two jumps) begins
Afternoon – Flaming Leaves Festival continues featuring live music, barbecue and more

HIGHLIGHTS

• Lake Placid HS100 meter Olympic ski jump will be the site of the U.S. Ski Jumping Championships normal hill event Sunday, Oct. 9.
• The U.S. Championship is a showcase event of the Oct. 8-9 Flaming Leaves Festival with top ski jumpers from around American vying for U.S. Championship normal hill titles.
• A close competition is expected for both men and women.
• Mike Glasder and Nita Englund are back to defend titles. Glasder will be challenged by large hill titlist Will Rhoads and Kevin Bickner, while Englund will see challenges from teammates Tara Geraghty-Moats and hometown favorite Nina Lussi.

TOP SKI JUMPERS
MEN
Will Rhoads, 21, Park City, UT (Park City Nordic) – Will Rhoads won his second straight large hill U.S. title this past July on his home hill in Park City. Just last weekend he was fifth in a FIS Continental Cup in Klingenthal, Germany – his second best finish ever in the stepping stone tour to the World Cup. A day later he was 24^th in a FIS Summer Grand Prix – his first point-scoring finish at the World Cup level.

Kevin Bickner, 20, Wauconda, IL (Norge Ski Club) – Kevin Bickner continued his move up the international ladder this summer with two top-10 FIS Summer Grand Prix finishes, including a seventh in Hakuba, Japan and eighth in Einsiedeln, Switzerland against strong World Cup-caliber fields. He finished second to Rhoads in the large hill U.S. Championships in July.

Mike Glasder, 27, Cary, IL (Norge Ski Club) – Mike Glasder will return to defend the first-time U.S. title he won last year in Lake Placid.

Casey Larson, 17, Cary, IL (Norge Ski Club) - Teen Casey Larson broke through with a bronze medal in the large hill U.S. Championship in July, then scored his first-ever Continental Cup points with a 26th in Kuopio, Finland a few weeks later. Last season was pivotal with a sixth-place finish in the Youth Olympic Games at Lillehammer, Norway.

WOMEN
Nita Englund, 24, Florence, WI (Kiwanis Ski Club) – Wisconsin-native Nita Englund moved up to become an international contender two seasons ago. A year ago she finished third in the FIS Summer Grand Prix. This summer she based her training in Slovenia, missing the large hill U.S. Championship in July. She grabbed a pair of top 10s, including a fourth, in the Chaikovsky, Russia Grand Prix.

Tara Geraghty-Moats, 23, W. Fairlee, VT (Lebanon Outing Club) – Former biathlete Tara Geraghty-Moats came back to ski jumping last season in a big way, working her way onto the World Championship team and scoring a top 20 and turning in a top-10 World Cup finish in her debut season. She took bronze in the large hill U.S. Championships in August.

Nina Lussi, 22, Lake Placid, NY (New York Ski Educational Foundation) – Nina Lussi grew up on the Olympic jumps in Lake Placid. A year ago she took gold on the large hill and silver on her home hill for the normal hill U.S. Championships. She is returning home after training this summer in Slovenia. In September she scored a pair of top-10 finishes at a FIS Cup in Germany where she a part of the Fly Girls summer tour.

QUOTES
Clint Jones, USA Nordic men’s domestic coach
This weekend should be very close on the men's side. Kevin Bickner, Will Rhoads, Casey Larson and Mike Glasder have all had a great summer of training and competition. It will be interesting to have them all in Lake Placid competing against each other. Kevin and Will are the favorites to take the win, but Mike is the defending U.S. champ on the same hill, so he will be a threat as well. We also can't count out Casey. He has been training at home in Illinois for the last month and could surprise the rest of the team!

Will Rhoads’ finishes last weekend were definitely a confidence booster for him. He missed a majority of the summer competitions because of a wrist injury, so it was important for him to have some solid results before the start of the winter. The fifth place in the Continental Cup is his second best career result. But, the following day in the Summer Grand Prix event he placed 24th, which was probably equally important. This was his first time scoring World Cup-level points, so, it was a great weekend for him.

Alan Alborn, Women’s Ski Jumping USA domestic coach
This year Women's Ski Jumping USA will have a small field represented in Lake Placid, but some noteworthy athletes including Nita Englund and Tara Geraghty-Moats who are coming home from training in Europe all summer and just fresh off of the summer Grand Prix in Russia with promising results. 

Nina Lussi will be also joining the crew after spending all summer training with the club in Slovenia. She was most recently at the FIS cup in Hinterzarten, Germany with the Fly Girls team. It will be a strong competition on the historic Lake Placid jumps.

Robert Lazzaroni, USSA Nordic Program Director
The Flaming Leaves Festival is a spectacular time to be on the Olympic jumps in Lake Placid. Both the top U.S. men and women have had strong results this summer and we expect a close competition and a fun festival weekend for fans.

Ted Blazer, President and CEO, Olympic Regional Development Authority
We’re extremely happy to be hosting these ski jumping national championships. Lake Placid has had a long and proud history in the sport. Because of Lake Placid’s commitment to the sport and its facilities, we’re excited to see the continued growth in ski jumping and the development of these athletes, many of whom may someday compete in the Olympics.