SKI JUMPING
2010 Fun Comp in Nordic Combined
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Time: Practice jumping 12:00 - 1:30 pm, Competition begins at 2:00 pm
Cost: $25
All kids are invited who have experience jumping from years past and are part of the NSAA. Spread the word! Our competition will include jumping, sprint and possibly a "team" race if we have enought interest.
Jumping will be judged on style (assertiveness at take off, movement into air, airflight, and landing) and distance. The results of the jumping will determine start times for the x-c sprint, which will be two laps around the outrun area (competitor's choice, classic or skate skiing). Our competition will be followed by an awards ceremony (and I'll get pizza again if there's interest)!
I'd suggest that our Jr. Nordic Combined-ers bring their x-c gear once or twice to practice the sprint course before or after practice jumping.
I'm looking forward to our fun comp!
Reach for the Sky!
Coach Dan 350-1941
What is Nordic Combined?
Throughout Norway in the 1800s, skiers gathered each winter for a series of ski carnivals – essentially small competitions with a little popular entertainment thrown in.
A small group of these winter athletes specialized in both cross-country skiing, which demands endurance and strength, and ski jumping, which requires physical strength and technical control. These athletes were considered the very best of all the carnival athletes.
Competitors have competed in Nordic combined individual events since the first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix, in 1924. The team event was introduced at the Calgary 1988 Winter Games, while the sprint event joined the Olympic Winter Games at Salt Lake City in 2002.
How It Works
In the Olympic Nordic combined events, competitors compete in individual, sprint and team events. The jumping portion occurs first followed by a free technique cross-country race. The break between the jumping and the cross-country race can be as little as 35 minutes or as long as a few hours.
Known as a “Gunderson” or pursuit start, in each of the events, the results of the jumping generate the starting seed for the cross-country race that follows seeing the second and subsequent athletes begin seconds or even minutes after the best jumper. Using pack-racing strategies, the athletes cluster into “trains” that chase down other “trains’” of athletes. The winner of the Nordic combined event is the first athlete across the cross-country finish line.
Individual
This event consists of two jumps on a “normal hill” (flights of about 105 metres in length) followed by a 15-kilometre cross-country race.
Sprint
The sprint event format is similar to that of individual except that the athletes jump on a “large hill” (flights of about 140 metres in length), complete only one ski jump and race a shorter, 7.5-kilometre cross-country course.
Team
In Nordic combined, a team is made up of 4 athletes with each taking two jumps on the large hill. The results for each team member are added together and the team with the highest combined score begins the cross-country race first. The 4 athletes then complete a 4 x 5-kilometre cross-country relay race with the winner being the team who crosses the finish line first after the completion of four laps.
Photos by Tobben Spurklund at JO's in 2004
|
