WSJ USA Press releases
VISA Women’s Ski Jumping Team ends COC season with top rankings
March 9, 2010 – The VISA U.S. Women’s Ski Jumping Team placed three in the top 15 overall in the 2009-10 International Ski Federation Continental Cup, ranking the team second just behind Germany, which placed four jumpers in the top 15. 
Fifteen-year-old Sarah Hendrickson took sixth overall in her first full COC season, even though she missed a few competitions due to school responsibilities. Hendrickson also took bronze at the FIS Nordic Junior World Championships in Hinterzarten, Germany in late January — the first American jumper to earn a medal at the Nordic Junior Worlds.
Alissa Johnson finished ninth and Jessica Jerome took 12th overall capping off a tough emotional season for the two veterans who saw another Winter Olympics go by without women’s ski jumping being included in the Games. Team member Abby Hughes finished 25th. World champion Lindsey Van did not compete internationally this season, opting to work on healing some nagging past injuries.
“This season, for the team, I think we were set on doing a little better than we had on a whole, but we have high expectations,” Jerome said. “The fact that Sarah held on to sixth in her first full year of competing on the tour — despite missing some comps — was phenomenal.”
Jerome, reigning national champion, is optimistic about this summer’s COC tour and said they’ve heard rumors that the next winter season has the potential for great venue stops given that it’s another Nordic World Championship year. The 2011 Worlds is set for Oslo, Norway Feb. 26-March 6 and marks the second time women’s ski jumping is on the program.
The VISA team finished the winter COC season in Zakopane, Poland and Zao, Japan in early March with six top-10 finishes over four days of competition. Jerome took sixth in Zakopane and a 10th in Zao; Johnson took 10th each in Zao and Zakopane; and Hendrickson placed ninth in Zao and Zakopane.
Johnson, who said her legs felt like chewing gum after four days of airplane travel, was pleased with her top-10 finish in Zakopane. “I have always had issues in Zakopane but this was by far the best I have ever jumped here so I am happy with that. Technically I felt like I had better jumps than the results show, which is a positive thing for me. Last year I struggled to even make the cut so being 10th felt really good for me,” Johnson said.
The next COC tour starts up again in late spring/early summer. As part of their continued effort to grow the sport, members of the VISA Women’s Ski Jumping Team are planning a Summer Friendship Camp in Park City, Utah for developing young female jumpers across the nation and they have invited the Russian Women’s Ski Jumping Team to attend. The 2014 Olympic Winter Games will be in Sochi, Russia and hopes are high that the International Olympic Committee will add women’s ski jumping to the program.
For more information on the Summer Friendship Camp, please go to www.wsjusa.com.
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Hendrickson podiums; Johnson, Jerome post top-10s in Villach COC
Feb. 14, 2010 – Sarah Hendrickson of the VISA U.S. Women’s Ski Jumping Team finished on the podium in third place Sunday in a Continental Cup event in Villach, Austria. On Saturday, Hendrickson managed a fifth place on the same hill, and the team as a whole registered five top-10 finishes over the two days of competition.
"All in all, I would say it was an awesome day for the U.S. team. Three girls in the top 10 (on Saturday) is huge for us,” said Alissa Johnson, who finished sixth Saturday and 12th on Sunday. “It was a fun day for all the girls even though you could tell the Olympics were still lingering in the back of people’s heads.”
Johnson, in fact, will be in Vancouver later this week supporting younger brother Anders as he competes in qualifications for the men’s Large Hill ski jumping event at the Olympics. This is the second Games in which Alissa Johnson will cheer for her brother while she isn’t allowed to compete.
In Villach, Hendrickson continued her spectacular Continental Cup season with Sunday’s podium. The 15-year-old from Park City, Utah, recorded jumps of 91.5 and 90.5 meters on the HS-98 hill, finishing with a score of 232 to place behind Germany’s Ulrike Graessler and Austria’s Daniela Iraschko in second-place. Hendrickson currently sits in sixth place in the Continental Cup standings, but is just 1 point out of fifth, heading into the next stop March 1-2 in Zao, Japan. Hendrickson, Johnson and Jessica Jerome will all make the trip.
Jerome, meanwhile, bounced back from a subpar performance last weekend in Slovenia with a pair of top 10s in Villach. Her second jump Sunday of 87.5 meters was a big improvement over an opening effort of 79.0 and resulted in an eighth-place finish. Saturday, she’d finished in ninth place.
“I had a pretty hard weekend in Slovenia. This was definitely a relief,” Jerome said. “This hill was a lot better, and we had a few days of practice after last week that allowed me to take a step back and work on a couple of things.”
Johnson jumped consistently in Slovenia with a pair of top 10s, but her sixth-place showing Saturday in Villach was her best Continental Cup result in more than a month.
“I had a great day (Saturday). I felt really comfortable on the hill and I felt like I was able to concentrate really well,” Johnson said. “I was really satisfied with the way my first jump went (89.5 meters). I could feel right off the take-off that it was worlds better than my trial jump. My second jump was all right but didn’t have the same feelings as my first. However, I was able to hold my ground and stay in 6th. It was satisfying knowing that I could put two good jumps together.”
Jerome said she’s looking forward to returning home to Park City after spending the better part of the past two months in Europe.
“Being in Europe always feels longer than it actually is, but I’m mostly going to try and remember the good feelings I had, technically speaking, in my jumping and hope I can take that home before heading to Japan,” she said.
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U.S. women ski jumpers invite Russian peers for training camp
Feb. 12, 2010 — The VISA Women’s Ski Jumping Team and its foundation, Women’s Ski Jumping USA, have announced a special event this summer for women ski jumpers.
Members of the team have invited the Russian Women’s Ski Jumping Team and its developing athletes and coaches to participate in a “Summer Friendship Training Camp” in Park City, Utah in June 2010 at Utah Olympic Park — home of the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Games and site of the jumps used in the 2002 Games.
The U.S. Team and WSJ USA, want to see the sport continue to flourish by presenting this camp for their peers — the athletes who will be hosting the 2014 Games in Sochi. The camp also will be open to developing young ski jumping girls throughout the U.S. as well as other elite international ski jumpers.
“This will be a wonderful opportunity for fellowship and will show the world how ready these women are to showcase their skill and talent as elite ski jumpers,” said Deedee Corradini, president of WSJ USA.
WSJ USA will provide accommodations for athletes and coaches for this unique and fun training opportunity.
Download pdf of women's ski jumping Sochi 2014 brochure.
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Women Ski Jumpers present during Olympics
Feb. 1, 2010 — Representatives of the 15 women ski jumpers who launched the unprecedented human rights lawsuit to participate in the 2010 Olympics will be available for interviews Feb. 11-14 in Whistler (Feb. 12) and Vancouver (Feb. 13).
To schedule an interview for the above, call Deborah Folka at 604-312-8384.
In addition, Alissa Johnson, who is ranked 11th in the world and is a member of the VISA Women's Ski Jumping Team, will be in Whistler to support her younger brother, Anders Johnson, as he competes in the qualifications for the Large Hill ski jumping competition. Alissa will be there Feb. 18-20. This is the second Games in which Alissa Johnson will cheer for her ski jumper brother, while she isn't allowed to compete.
For an interview with Alissa Johnson, contact Vic Method: 801-543-5872 or vhmethod@hotmail.com
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