Women's Ski Jumping USA

Last updated

Women's Ski Jumping USA is a non-profit organization responsible for the operational funding and support of the U.S. Women's ski jumping team. The organization administers funding for coaching, travel, training, equipment and development programs.

Contents

Each year, based on established criteria, the top women in the United States are named to the VISA women's ski jumping team. Working with the United States Ski and Snowboard Association, Women's Ski Jumping USA prepares the top women in ski jumping for national and international competition.

Mission

The mission of Women's Ski Jumping USA is to administer a successful and sustainable women's team and to grow participation in the U.S. women's ski jumping program by facilitating national development efforts that produce the best women ski jumpers in the world. WSJ USA aims to remain an influential voice in advocating equality for women in sport.

History

Women's Ski Jumping USA was incorporated in 2003 as a 501c3 non-profit based in Park City, Utah. It was created with the goal of providing leadership and financial support to the rising number of accomplished women ski jumpers. The mission has always involved attaining equality for women in the sport, allowing them to compete alongside their male counterparts at the highest levels, including the Olympic Winter Games. The VISA Women's Ski Jumping USA team has experienced notable success with back-to-back FIS Nations Cup victories in 2012 and 2013 and two FIS World Champion athletes; Lindsey Van (2009) and Sarah Hendrickson (2013). [1]

Funding

Funding for Women's Ski Jumping USA comes from corporate sponsors, private donations, events, fundraisers and grants. Proceeds go toward training and competition expenses of the athletes on the team.

Olympics

On April 6, 2011, the IOC announced that women's ski jumping would be included in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The women will be compete in one event, the normal hill competition, even though men compete in three events. Women's Ski Jumping USA continues to advocate for equality for women in the Olympic Games. [2]

Although women have been jumping for over 100 years, they have not been allowed to compete in the Olympic games until the upcoming games in 2014. It is every young athletes dream to one day compete on the Olympic stage but this was not an option for women ski jumpers until recently. In 1991 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled that all future Olympic Sports must be opened to both genders but this sanction excluded the original sports at the inaugural Olympic Winter Games in 1924, which included ski jumping.

Women originally were not allowed to jump at the Olympics because it was thought that their bodies could not handle the sport. In 2006, the IOC turned down the International Ski Federation's (FIS) recommendation to include women's ski jumping in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver because the sport lacked "universality," even though there were more countries and elite woman participating in ski jumping than some other Winter Olympic sports for women.

Related Research Articles

Nordic combined Winter sport combining the events of cross-country skiing and ski jumping

Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first ever Winter Olympics in 1924, while the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup has been held since 1983. Many Nordic combined competitions use the Gundersen method, where placement in the ski jumping segment results in time (dis)advantages added to the contestant's total in the cross-country skiing segment.

Ski jumping Skiing winter sport

Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final score. Ski jumping was first contested in Norway in the late 19th century, and later spread through Europe and North America in the early 20th century. Along with cross-country skiing, it constitutes the traditional group of Nordic skiing disciplines.

1960 Winter Olympics Multi-sport event in Squaw Valley, California, US

The 1960 Winter Olympics were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort in Squaw Valley, California, United States. The resort was chosen to host the Games at the 1956 meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Squaw Valley was an undeveloped resort in 1955, so the infrastructure and all of the venues were built between 1956 and 1960 at a cost of US$80,000,000. The layout was designed to be intimate, allowing spectators and competitors to reach most of the venues on foot.

United States Ski Team

The U.S. Ski Team, operated under the auspices of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), develops and supports men's and women's athletes in the sports of alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, cross-country, ski jumping, and Nordic combined. Since 1974 the team and association have been headquartered in Park City, Utah.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard

U.S. Ski & Snowboard, formerly known as the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, is the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding. Founded in 1905, the organization provides leadership and direction for skiers and snowboarders from over 400 member clubs. The association is headquartered in Park City, Utah.

Lindsey Van American former ski jumper (born 1984)

Lindsey Marie Van is an American former ski jumper who has competed since 2002. Van won a gold medal in the inaugural women's ski jumping event at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec and has a total of eight Continental Cup victories in her career.

Jessica Jerome American ski jumper

Jessica Anne Jerome is an American ski jumper who has been competing since 2000. She started ski jumping at age of 7, and in 2001 became a Junior Olympic champion. She holds the honor of being a three-time national champion. In 2006, she finished third in the Continental Cup, behind Anette Sagen and Lindsey Van.

U.S. Snowboarding

U.S. Snowboarding, the snowboarding arm of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), is committed to the progression of snowboarding by providing athletic programs, services, and competitions for male and female athletes of all ages, coast-to-coast.

Sarah Hendrickson American retired ski jumper (born 1994)

Sarah Catherine Hendrickson is an American retired ski jumper. She won the inaugural women's World Cup season in 2012, finished runner-up in 2013, and won an individual gold medal at the 2013 World Championships.

Great Britain at the 2014 Winter Olympics Sporting event delegation

Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, from 7 to 23 February 2014. The British team was made up of athletes from the whole United Kingdom including Northern Ireland, whose athletes may have elected to hold Irish citizenship, allowing them to represent either Great Britain or Ireland. Additionally some British overseas territories competed separately from Britain in Olympic competition. A total of 56 athletes competed in 11 sports making it the biggest contingent that Great Britain had sent to a Winter Olympic Games for twenty-six years.

Fighting Gravity is a documentary produced by Virginia Madsen for Empire 8 productions and Screen Sirens. The documentary screened in 2009 and followed 15 passionate women athletes' fight for their sport's inclusion in the Olympic Games. These 15 ski jumping athletes fought for their right to compete in their sport in the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. Starting in the Olympics in Chamonix in 1924, the Winter Olympics have always held ski jumping competitions but restricted to men.

<i>Ready to Fly</i> (film) 2012 American film

Ready to fly is an American documentary by William A. Kerig following the true story of the fight of American women's ski jumping athletes Lindsey Van, the rest of her U.S Women's Ski jumping Team members, Jessica Jerome, Alissa Johnson, Abby Hughes, Sarah Hendrickson and many other elite ski jumping athletes around the world to be part of the Olympic Winter Games. It was first screened during the 2013 Banff Mountain Film Festival.

Ski jumping competitions took place on 20–27 January 2013 in Liberec, Czech Republic, as the part of the 2013 FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships. This competition falls under the governing body of the International Ski Federation.

Participation of women in the Olympics

The rate of participation of women in the Olympic Games has been increasing since their first participation in 1900. Some sports are uniquely for women, others are contested by both sexes, while some older sports remain for men only. Studies of media coverage of the Olympics consistently show differences in the ways in which women and men are described and the ways in which their performances are discussed. The representation of women on the International Olympic Committee has run well behind the rate of female participation, and it continues to miss its target of a 20% minimum presence of women on their committee.

Poland at the 2018 Winter Olympics Sporting event delegation

Poland competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from 9 to 25 February 2018. It was the nation's 23rd appearance at the Winter Olympics, having competed at every Games since their inception in 1924. The Polish team consisted of 62 athletes in 12 sports, which is the largest ever Polish team, surpassing the 59 athletes that competed in 2014. Polish ski jumpers won one gold and one bronze medal, earning the 20th place at the medal table.

Turkey at the 2018 Winter Olympics Sporting event delegation

Turkey competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, from 9 to 25 February 2018. The Turkish team consisted of eight athletes, competing in four sports, including ski jumping for the first time.

Estonia at the 2022 Winter Olympics Sporting event delegation

Estonia competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from 4 to 20 February 2022. Estonian team consisted of 26 athletes.

Poland at the 2022 Winter Olympics Sporting event delegation

Poland competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from 4 to 20 February 2022.

Ski jumping at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held at the Snow Ruyi hill in Zhangjiakou, China. The events were held between 5 and 14 February 2022.

Logan Sankey is a ski jumper on the United States Women's National Ski Jumping Team.

References