Catching a little air in Fox River Grove

With age comes wisdom, and organizers of the annual Norge Ski Jump Tournament in Fox River Grove said they wised-up when scheduling this year's event.

"We're not competing with the NFL playoffs or the Super Bowl this year," said Guy Larson, a spokesman for the competition. "We got smart this year."

The competition, which is in its 103rd year, attracts ski jumpers from across the globe.

Ski jumpers aged 15 and younger were vying Saturday for positions on the Central Division Junior Olympic Team to compete against qualifying Junior Olympians from across the country in Ishpeming, Mich., in March.

Meanwhile, today's competition brings aspiring Olympic hopefuls from across the country to compete in the SuperTour Event. Olympic hopefuls are competing for cash and point standings on the 70-meter hill.

Organizers said they expected about 5,000 people to attend the two-day event.

"We are glad it wasn't last week, but we needed that cold to get the hills ready," Larson said. "We have perfect weather and hill conditions. We are expecting a huge turnout (today)."

The perfect conditions were a turnaround from last year's competition when unseasonably warm weather forced organizers to spend a week making their own snow to coat the hills.

Saturday's competition drew more than 400 people to North America's oldest ski continuously operating jumping organization.

Master's division jumpers took on the 20- and 40-meter hills, while juniors competed on the 5-, 10-, 20- and 40-meter hills.

"The air is the best part," said Elizabeth Wallace, 12, from St. Paul, Minn. "Getting the air feels like you are flying."

Seeing someone else fly off the 70-meter ramp is what piqued Mike Reust and Ann Maxwell's interest.

"I just want to see them fly," Maxwell said. "It seems unbelievable to jump off that thing. It is something I consider extreme, and it is right in our backyard."