Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Grasshopper Camp #2-BIG success and an ADVENTURE!


Photos: Lake Placid, Winter 2010


July 9-11, 2010 LAKE PLACID, NY-




Caleb Gilbert and Arenal Hruby once again made the trek to the "epicenter" of the Eastern ski jumping universe, Lake Placid...perhaps the title will shift 3.5 hours southeast next February when SWSA hosts the Junior Olympics?!




Nevertheless, both Team SWSA members were treated fantastically by their NYSEF hosts. Our nordic brothers and sisters could not have been more supportive or welcoming. Caleb and Arenal were certainly part of the wolf pack from the second they got out of the car.






With the thought of nordic combined on the horizon this winter, the SWSA athletes did dry land training with roller skis. Beyond the absolute fun of it, they learned technique and balance from the NYSEF nordic coach.






Arenal took the next step and laced up jumping boots! Putting the buckled ones away, she made her first jumps, building more and more confidence each time. Look out Eastern ski jumpers this winter, again! Caleb decided to push the envelope and uncorked a few big jumps to be really proud of. On Sunday morning he earned a few special awards for his final jump on Saturday. A "get well" card and a m&m toy filled with candy. Background---he took a tough tumble on his last jump and ended up visiting with some old and new friends at the ER. THANK you Lake Placid for your great care! Nevertheless, he is wearing his sling as a badge of ski jumping honor and courage.






The SWSA jumpers love their sport and can't wait for the snow to fall. There is HUGE anticipation with the soon to be finished new jump and the thrills of the 2010-11 jumping season ahead in Salisbury, CT. CONFIDENCE is so important in any sport...these two got it!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Grasshopper Camp #1, Lake Placid Report June 2010











Leaving the comfort zone of Salisbury is not easy yet the warmth we encountered from our northern neighbors at the first of three Lake Placid Grasshopper Camps pleasantly surprised Peter Gilbert and myself, Andes Hruby. We are the parents of young 8-year-old jumpers:
Caleb Gilbert and Eve Arenal Hruby now in their third year of competition.

Before departing for the camp one of the main obstacles was making sure our children had head to toe coverage and would not get skin "burns" on the turf-like plastic grass. We altered two old bright red SWSA suits from adult length to fit Caleb and Eve Arenal.

The week before we arrived at the Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex they refurbished the Jump itself adding three feet and removing the plastic and replacing it with tiles. Imagine slipping on wet tiles floor? The sheets of plastic were now hard sheaths of porcelain. The room for error in landing decreases by a significant margin. The Landing hill, which we usually see as a large slope of butter cream frosting is now covered with layers of long hard hula skirt grass but it is surprisingly short and narrow. After skiing down the hill you rapidly reach the edge of real grass. When your skis touch true sod it means you have two options: tuck or face plant.

Team SWSA was not alone on perfecting the face plant. There were an astounding amount of wipe outs, face plants and catapults on to the
grass: complete with the lawn and mud getting stuck in every mechanical crevice of bindings, goggles, and helmets. I was lucky enough to stand next to Ms. Martina Lussi (mother of the well known Lussi jumpers) who soothed my chronic cringing and assured me their technique would improve. Lussi explained that snow is forgiving and plastic grass with the pasture ahead will certainly take the skin off your hands and the seat out of the suit if a controlled landing was not mastered. Skill, technique, and control would be absolutely necessary before any attempt to launch off the slick wet porcelain tiles. It is clear why the Lake Placid crew wins the cash at Target Jumping. The immaculate precision needed to jump and maintain control from the jump on to the grass and then come to a succinct stop exceeds the challenge of jumping onto the cushion of expansive snow.

Our SWSA kids kept their spirits up due to the talented and enthusiastic NYSEFF coaching team. By the end of the day they were able to swim in the extreme freestyle pool and regain some confidence as the other competitors from clubs in and around the Northeast have grown to recognize them by name. Peter Gilbert and I found a similar effect when we headed out to dinner and the Bliss Parents recognized us and encouraged their son Andrew to come to our table and speak to the kids about jumping.

By the third day our kids geared up and took on competition from the high bar launch. The endless enthusiasm and support of Dave Mc Cahill and the presence of a woman and competitor Tara Garaghty-Moats (a SWSA cup winner and record holder) helped every step of the way.
Although Peter Gilbert and I were ready to sit back and enjoy the ultimate slip and slide we were called to the hill to Judge. Our head judge was Jay Rand Jr. once he realized we were from SWSA he emoted with wonderful memories of the Snow Ball and had nothing but generous things to say about his experiences in Salisbury. He is a former Olympian and spoke of how he (and his daughter) still have their Satre Hill cups (awarded to them by Roy Sherwood) displayed in their home. I later found out they won the silver bowls so often SWSA had to retire them.

As her parent I could see Arenal had improved dramatically but when Jay Rand Jr, commented she had a clean jump with style I burst with pride. Caleb Gilbert and Arenal Hruby might not have jumped the furthest but they each exhibited control, technique, and flair in the air!

Arenal has asked me to make her a "training regime" so when she returns to Lake Placid for Grasshopper Jump Camp 2 she is ready to make progress and not be hindered by her sore muscles. I know we are busy on the hill at home in Salisbury: wading through concrete, steal beams, and meetings. The snow feels a long way off from the summer sweat and mosquitoes, but for us now as the grass grows thicker our vision has changed. Jumping for our kids is no longer just a winter sport.

Check back for an update when three of our officials go North again to Lake Placid and see if the jumpers can get higher then the fireworks on the fourth of July.

Andes Hruby-Segalla