GH CAMP #3-Putting It All Together!

It was time for the last summer road trip to Lake Placid. Caleb Gilbert was resting in Maine after taking a tumble during the last camp and outsoaring his fellow competitive campers. The paparazzi did catch him secretly training on his pogo stick while jumping over a lobster obstacle course! The SWSA crew missed the Gilbert family and their energy but the rest of us made ourselves ready for the last challenge.

For Arenal Hruby her mission was to feel comfortable in Jumping Boots and Jump Skis. She had been working diligently on the landing hill but had not yet felt the security in herself to tackle the 18 Meter jump. We were lucky enough to have superb weather and a lot of dedication from her coaches. A new assistant on the scene was Zach Daniels of the Eastern Junior Olympic team. Zach was also the last person to jump from the SWSA wooden tower, which is currently being replaced for the US Junior Olympic Ski Jump and Nordic Combined 2011 competition. The high-energy support, and female go-go mojo, of Tara Garraghty-Moats with Dave Mc Hahill's tactics for technique created the right combination and momentum for Arenal to feel secure and jump with her new equipment.

And JUMP she did! Eve Arenal broke her own personal best record and soared 14 meters (about 45 feet!) into a neat controlled tuck landing. This is double her last performance at the 2010 SWSA Jumpfest. She made her club proud by overcoming the butterflies in her stomach and taking on newfound wings. All the NYSEFF Grasshopper Camps proved to be a fantastic training ground for style, technique, and true progress: for the mental game and full flight training! Not to mention the great friendships everyone made. We all await the snow eagerly and look forward to new journeys and the evolution of the young SWSA crew. Just jump it!

New Links Added and Other August News!

Ski jumping websites and results links have been added to the blog. Send suggestions for other relevant/cool pages.

The results links show the great progress and success that Team SWSA had during the 2009-10 season.

Can't wait for a great 2010-11 season.

One more Grasshopper Camp on the horizon, August 13-15. Good luck to the SWSA jumpers heading north.