U.S. ski jumping kicks off in Fox River Grove

This weekend, Fox River Grove will be the hot spot for anyone curious about ski jumping and roller ski racing. And if you’re already a fan, it’s something you don’t want to miss.

Norge Ski Club will be hosting the U.S. Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championships Saturday, while its annual special jumping tournament will take place Sunday. Training starts at 9 a.m. Friday.

At least 60 ski jumpers are expected to participate, including about 20 to 24 who will compete in the Nordic Combined, which consists of ski jumping and a race on roller skis, Norge Ski Club board member Gene Brown said.

Among the athletes expected to participate are U.S. Olympic medalists Billy Demong and Johnny Spillane, and top Canadian athletes.

This is the first time in nearly 50 years that Norge has hosted the U.S. championships, and the first time it has organized a road race for the Nordic Combined, Brown said.

“This has taken a lot more preparation that a normal tournament simply because it’s a U.S. national competition. We are used to hosting sanctioned competitions, but this involves the best athletes in the county, and it involves national rankings for the athletes.”

The club has arranged to fly in officials from all over the country, including judges and members of the International Ski Federation. Every detail had to be planned and analyzed to comply with national and international rules, Brown said. About 60 to 80 volunteers worked to organize the event.

“We’re extremely pleased at how things are going, and obviously we are just praying for good weather,” he said.

All but one of the five members of the newly named Visa Women Ski Jumping Team will be participating in the competition, said coach Alan Alborn, a former member of the U.S. ski jumping team.

Women’s ski jumping will be featured as an Olympic sport in 2014, the first time in the history of the Olympic Games. That has greatly energized the team, and hopefully spectators too, Alborn said.

“I think it’s going to be terrific. I’m excited about it, mostly because it’s around a bunch of population and it’s easy accessible. It should draw a lot of interest from the crowd, which is great for the sport,” he said.

Barring extreme weather like lightning or heavy winds, the tournament will take place rain or shine, Brown said.

Schedule

Norge Ski Club, 100 Ski Hill Road in Fox River Grove, hosts the U.S. Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championships Saturday and Sunday.

Friday:

9-11 a.m. Open jump training on all hills

10 a.m. Soft closure of road course, local traffic only at 10-15 mph

10-11 a.m. Official training for Nordic combined road course

11 a.m. Road reopens to all traffic

2-5 p.m. Official training for K70 jumping

Saturday:

9-11 a.m. Small hill competition

11 a.m. Gates open

12-3 p.m. National K70 jumping competition

4 p.m. Hard closure of road course to all traffic

4-5 p.m. Road race for national Nordic combined

5 p.m. Entertainment, bonfire, music by OCD

5:15 p.m. Road course reopens to traffic

Sunday:

9-11 a.m. Open training for K70 jumping

11 a.m. Gates open

12-4 p.m. Annual K70 Norge special jumping tournament