The mens ski jumping team has had an extremely successful European competition trip. All four members of the team achieved personal best results for their respected levels of competition.
Leading the pack was by far Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes with an perfect FIS Cup record with two wins, followed by 2 exceptional Continental Cup results in Courchevel, France (4th & 2nd). These are the best results for Canada in the Continental Cup Circuit. He then backed up his great jumping by qualifying for the Grand Prix in Hinterzarten, Germany as 26th. Mac will now compete this week in two more Grand Prix events in France and Switzerland before heading home.
The rest of the team (Eric Mitchell, Dusty Korek & Matthew Rowley + Gregor Linsig) arrived home happy. Eric had his first win in a FIS Cup event in Szczyrk, Poland after a one round competition and this is what he told skijumping.pl “It would have been nice to make a second jump because I really like this hill here. Last week Mackenzie won and now me, that’s a good sign for Canada. We began to take the sport more seriously and now that shows in the results.” Eric also placed 11th, 9th & 11th in the 3 other FIS Cups putting him 3rd in the Overall Ranking for the Summer FIS Cup Series behind Mackenzie who is leading.
Matthew Rowley and Dusty Korek had a very successful international trip, it was their first real chance to see FIS competitions and they did it with style. Matt placed 14th & 16th in Szczyrk while Dusty placed 17th & 27th. It is great to once again have a team that can all compete together.
The last Thursday & Friday in July was great for the Men’s Ski Jumping Team. Coach Gregor lead his athletes Matt R, Dusty K, Eric M & Mac B-C to some great results in Germarder France. The first FIS Cup all members of the team walked away with points (Top 30 Finish) Matt was 17th (Personal Best), Dusty & Eric were 10th (Personal Best) & 11th respectively, and Mac walked away with the Win!
On Friday Mackenzie stood at the top of the podium again showing he was clearly the most dominant athlete in the field. Eric was also in the top 10 as 9th.
Now the guys are heading 6 hours south to the Olympic City of Courchevel where all four will compete in 2 Continental Cup Events. Assuming their German GPS provides appropriate directions!
Stay Posted.
Messages from Ski Jump Canada on the IOC Dessision to add Women’s Ski Jumping to the 2014 Olympic Program
We are absolutely thrilled with the news given by the IOC today to allow ski jumping into the Olympic Winter Games.
Ski Jumping Canada has developed a core of very strong women’s ski jumpers that can challenge the best in the world, and we believe can have a direct impact on Canada’s medal count in 2014 and beyond.
The impact of this decision extends well into the future. Introducing the discipline to the Olympic program will not only help advance women in sport, but specifically help Ski Jumping Canada in its long-term athlete recruitment goals to ensure Canada remains one of the top countries in the world for the sport.
Canada has been an active supporter of the development of women’s ski jumping over the years, and we pushed for the inclusion of women in the 2010 Games in Vancouver. Now we are in a position to put that disappointment behind us and look forward to seeing women welcomed as competitors in Sochi. This is huge day for the advancement of the sport.
This season, approximately 100 women will compete in FIS ski jumping events around the world, including 30 who are top-tier athletes from 11 countries. The Olympic Winter Games will be strengthened with these exceptional skiers, as will the Olympic Movement in Canada and grassroots interest in high performance sport.
We look forward to working with our partners, including Own the Podium and the Canadian Olympic Committee to recruit and develop medal winners for Canada.
Ski Jumping Background
Ski jumping, which has been contested at the Olympic Winter Games since 1924, was the sole winter discipline that remained men-only (its position in Nordic combined makes that sport also men-only). In the past decade, the quality of women’s ski jumping has risen dramatically. The first FIS Continental Cup series launched in 2004-05, and the International Ski Federation is set to introduce the first World Cup series for ladies in the 2011-12 season. Women competed for the first time at the World Championships in 2009 in Liberec, Czech Republic.
Good Work Girls
Anna Aylwin and Beth Gnatiuk from the Canadian Sport Centre along with Trevor Morrice and Ted Bafia from Ski Jumping Canada pose for picture after the conclusion of the 6 week Ski Jumping talent identification camp held at Winsport and the University of Calgary. We began with about 50 young female athletes and ended up with 13 very talented young women who have all shown potential to be future Canadian Ski Jumpers.
Congratulations:
Taylor Henrich Places 18th at WSC Debut
Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes Places 39 in WSC LH
HS134m Oslo
Oslo, Norway will be the host city for the 2011 World Championships and it will be a very special one seeing as Norway is where these sports were born. Canada will be represented in both the Men’s and Women’s events by two top athletes; Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes and Taylor Henrich. All the long, hard training sessions they have been doing with their coaches Gregor Linsig and Ted Bafia have been leading up to the biggest highlight of the season.
Click to enlarge photos
Taylor and Coach Bafia are currently in Ramsau, AUT for two Continental Cup competitions where Taylor placed 22nd and 20th. This follows up to her pair of 11th place finishes earlier in the season. Taylor is now ranked 37th in the world and can head to Scandinavia for her World Championship debut with confidence. With over 1200 spectators expected Taylor will be participating in the biggest event in the history of Women’s Ski Jumping.
Meanwhile on the Men’s side Coach Gregor is with Mackenzie finishing up his preparations for the World Championships with a special training camp being held in Park City, Utah. This is a very familiar training location and will allow him to take many training jumps on a large hill, this will be of huge value going into the Holmenkollen Arena. Mackenzie was awarded the chance to represent Canada at this season’s biggest event because of his fantastic results in both the Continental Cup (7th, 11th, 13th & 11th) and also in the World Cup with 28th & 29th place.
HS106 Oslo
A look back to the 2009 World Championships in Liberec, CZE shows that the now retired Katie Willis & Nata de Leeuw placed 19th & 11th respectively. While on the guys side also retired Stefan Read placed 42nd on the Normal Hill. Mackienze is the only one with World Ski Championship experience and he placed 46th on the Large Hill in Liberec.
The mens ski jumping team has had an extremely successful European competition trip. All four members of the team achieved personal best results for their respected levels of competition.
The rest of the team (Eric Mitchell, Dusty Korek & Matthew Rowley + Gregor Linsig) arrived home happy. Eric had his first win in a FIS Cup event in Szczyrk, Poland after a one round competition and this is what he told skijumping.pl “It would have been nice to make a second jump because I really like this hill here. Last week Mackenzie won and now me, that’s a good sign for Canada. We began to take the sport more seriously and now that shows in the results.” Eric also placed 11th, 9th & 11th in the 3 other FIS Cups putting him 3rd in the Overall Ranking for the Summer FIS Cup Series behind Mackenzie who is leading.
