The 21-year old, whose grandfather immigrated from Norway, is a hopeful for the U.S. Olympic Team. He was one of 61 jumpers in the tournament that has been held every year since 1905. Starting from an almost 10 story high scaffolding jumpers soared to wild cheers from a crowd of more than one thousand people on Sunday. Evan Bliss of Lake Placid, New York, took home the gold medal with jumps of 74 and 77 meters. (252 feet)
“The jumpers get a huge adrenaline rush out of it, and the large crowd is here because they want to see if someone falls,” said Patricia Fisk, Chairperson of the 100th Year Committee. But she is not afraid for her own son who is competing in the tournament, even though at one time a jumper died from head injuries he sustained after falling. “The accident was in the fifties before they started wearing helmets. Statistically you are more likely to get hurt playing football than from ski jumping, said Scott Immens, President of Norge Ski Club, hosting the event.
81-year old honorary member of Norge Ski Club, Leif Howelsen, flew in from Norway to attend. His father, Carl Howelsen, founded the club and built the first ski jump a hundred years ago. “Two weeks after the Union between Norway and Sweden was dissolved in 1905 my dad and other Norwegian immigrants came together and founded Norge Ski Club,” Leif Howelsen said.
Carl Howelsen’s ski jumping amazed people so much that he quit working as a mason in Chicago and started jumping full time – at the circus. He spent the year of 1907 touring the U.S. with Barnum & Bailey, ski jumping over elephants. He then moved to Steamboat Springs, built another ski jump and continued enlisting people in the sport.
An entire century after Norwegian immigrants started building ski jumps the sport is still attracting new recruits. Proud of his father's legacy Howelsen spoke to the young jumpers before the 100th tournament started. “Carl would have embraced you in gratitude for keeping alive the values the club was founded on. To keep an unbroken tradition for one hundred years is impressive,” he said.
Watch for extended story in News of Norway. For a free subscription click on link above.