Here’s why there are some Squamish kids in Slovenia.
Sea to Sky Nordics young people get the opportunity to train on summer jumps in Planica.
Five young people Sea to Sky Nordics club athletes are currently in Planica, Slovenia, conclusion of 10 days of summer ski jumping.
The local youth, ages 10 to 16, teamed up with a few others from across Canada for the chance to literally reach new heights.
lla Boa, Ethan Bell and Sofia Aragon from Squamish and Dyllon Crawford and Tyler Sopp from Whistler joined three ski jumpers from Calgary and one from Toronto for the trip.
Nigel Lauchlan of the Altius Ski Club in Calgary leads the group.
(Squamish coach Taylor Henrich, a two-time Olympian in Nordic combined, did not make the trip due to a flight cancellation.)
This trip was an important milestone for corridor athletes.
Planica has seven ski jumps and an aerodrome, which enables Canadians to train during the summer and improve their jumping skills.
Rick Smith, president of the Sea to Sky Nordics Club, told The Squamish Chief it was a fantastic experience for everyone involved.
Smith noted that there are no more opportunities for summer jumps in Canada.
Jumping infrastructure in Calgary, a legacy of the 1986 Olympic Games, was exhibited a few years ago.
“There are no summer jumps in Canada, except for our little eight-metre jump at the old park in Squamish,” he said. “There, we do introductory work on ski jumps with the children. And then we have to wait until winter before we can jump with them.”
Until this trip.
“They probably had double the amount of jumping they do in a single winter at home in … 10 days,” Smith said.
“We jumped every day; we didn’t have a day off.”
The summer ski jumps in Planica have runs made of stainless steel and ceramics. Competitors land on artificial turf.
There are 15, 30, 45, 60, 80, 90 and 120 meter jumps. Planica and a 240-meter airfield. That means athletes fly 15 or 30 or 90 meters in the air.
“It’s been tremendous progress for each of our kids,” Smith said when he arrived at his hotel on July 18 as the group wrapped up its time in the hills.
“We insisted that everyone start on the 15-foot hill, even though each of them had jumped 40 feet in the snow in the winter,” Smith explained.
The young athletes were at the summer jumps for the first time.
“They feel different when you land and even when you’re going down on the final drive,” he said.
Each of the athletes advanced to the 30-meter jump.
Two younger athletes remained at this height, while the rest advanced to 45 or 60 meters. Two young men jumped on an 80-meter hill. Smith said he didn’t want to name who jumped what because all the kids did so well and deserve equal recognition.
“You know, ‘awesome’ is so overused that it’s appropriate here,” he said.
Jumpers wear wetsuits, helmets and gloves for protection on artificial turf in case of a fall. This is the same gear they wear in the winter.
An additional advantage of the trip is that the young people had the opportunity to spend time with the Canadian women’s ski jumping team and their coaches, who train in Planica all year round.
The Canadian contingent also got to visit the region a bit.
For most, it’s their first time in Europe, Smith said.
For example, they traveled to Italy for pizza the night before Smith spoke with the Squamish boss.
They also went to Austria to jump on other nearby hills.
Protected from world events
Smith noted that the group had to take world events into account when raising funds and planning this trip.
If they had known that COVID-19 would rise again worldwide or that the Russian invasion of Ukraine would continue throughout their trip, they might not have gone. But luckily, the crew remained free of the disease, COVID-19, and the war is still far enough away that they are protected from it.
But that doesn’t mean the conflict hasn’t humbled them, Smith noted.
“Here are Ukrainians jumping with us,” Smith said.
“Our kids said to them, ‘Well, aren’t you afraid to be here?’ And the Ukrainian children … said, “No, no. We are very happy to be here – to be outside our country now.” It was very interesting for the Squamish kids.”
Home again
In other Nordic Sea to Sky Corridor news, work has begun on a 35-metre ski jump at Squamish Sports Legacy Park.
It was part of a package of benefits for nearby development.
“By next summer, we’ll be jumping on this ski jump for all Squamish,” Smith said. “It’s a 30-degree slope. We’ll build the rest next spring. And these kids can’t wait to jump on a 35-foot summer ski jump in their own town next summer.”
Smith noted that representatives of the Sea to Sky Nordics are involved in talks about a possible Olympic bid for Vancouver 2030.
“Our contribution was quite important, because we will coordinate this aspect of things if the 2030 project is successful. And so part of our request is that if the offer is accepted, Nordic will remain a legacy. sports in this corridor. And that would obviously mean that all four Nordic sports would get more funding, which includes another jump in the corridor, a 60m jump, to add to the 35 we’re building next summer.”