World-class jumpers invade Fox River Grove for ski tournament
The Norge Ski Club's juniors made a strong showing at this weekend's 105th Winter Ski Jumping Tournament.
The junior competition was just a part of the tournament, held at the Fox River Grove club. The international competition is a "Five Hills Tournament," with athletes hailing from Norway, Poland, Russia and Finland. Several local athletes also competed, from such areas as Fox River Grove, Barrington and Crystal Lake.
A.J. Brown, of Fox River Grove topped the J1 class, with a long jump of 75 meters, a little more than three meters off the hill record.
Kevin Bickner, of Wauconda, took third. Two other members of the club, Connor Jacobsen of Crystal Lake and Casey Larson of Barrington, finished 9th and 11th, respectively.
All four will be headed to the Junior Olympics in Steamboat Springs, Colo. in March.
For the four of them, Norge has been their field of dreams.
"It is my hometown jump, so I'm really used to it," said Jacobsen. "I like how far you can go with it."
"It is one of my favorites," said Bickner. "You can go far."
On Sunday, elite U.S. and international athletes competed in a United States Ski and Snowboard-sanctioned "SuperTour" contest. At stake were national ranking and cash.
Athletes also participated in a Long-Standing contest where skiers determined who could fly the furthest without falling.
The Europeans dominated the adult classes, with one jumper even approaching the 70-meter-hill record of a little more than 78 meters.
Bickner's father, Tom, said, "The weather has been great," with perfect conditions for the competition."
Larson's father, Guy, was part of the crew that prepared the five hills for the competition. All but the 40-meter hill were available.
Led by their hill captain, Norge Coach Scott Smith, the crew worked virtually around the clock. making snow, turning it into ice and cutting the tracks.
Larson said the weather cooperated.
"You really couldn't have planned it better," he said.
He added that the weather was just cold enough, saying 25- or 30-degree temperatures would have been too warm. But, luckily for the jumpers, temperatures dipped into the teens last week.
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