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What is Ski Jumping?
Ski jumping is a sport where the athlete skis down an “inrun” with a take-off ramp, which is the jump, trying to travel as far as possible. The skier is measured based on length and style. The skis used are quite wide and long. (260 to 275 centrimetres).
Ski Jumping Olympic Event History
Ski jumping is one of the first ski competition events. Norway held winter celebration events that included ski jumping competitions starting as early as the 1870s and ski jumping was included in the first Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix in 1924.Since the sport started in Norway, it’s no surprise that the Norwegians won every gold medal and five bronze medals in the Olympic Winter Games from 1924 to 1952.The large hill competition was introduced at the Innsbruck 1964 Winter Games.
The Evolution of the V-style Position
With the great desire to jump further, in 1985 V-style was innovated, where the skier holds his skis in a V-shaped position (instead of parallel) while in the air. The Swedish ski jumper, Jan Boklov, created this style; albeit, it was not favourable accepted at first. Most other skiers laughed at Boklov and he was penalized for his eccentric style. It seems that Boklov was miles ahead of his time, as a closer investigation proved that the V-style produced 28 per cent more lift.
How Ski Jumping Works?
The skier skis down a long ramp, known as the in-run, and then launches off into the air at speeds of up to 95 kilometres per hour. A very well-timed takeoff is determined by the athlete’s technique. After the takeoff, flight takes place and then landing. If the skier lands beyond the K point, it is considered dangerous and points are lost based on how far beyond this point the skier landed.The scoring is based not just on the length, but also the style of the jump.
- The length score is calculated from the K point. A jump up to the K point is awarded 60 points. Each metre beyond in multiplied by 1.2 for the large ramp and x2 for the normal ramp.
- The style score is determined by 5 judges awarding a score out of 20. The highest and lowest scores are ignored and the middle three are added together. Points from the jumps are used as time advantages for the cross country race.
Types of Ski Jumping Events in the Olympics
- Individual Normal Hill Event: Beginning before the day of the competition, the normal hill individual event starts with a qualification jump. The 15 best ski jumpers from the World Cup are pre-selected and are not required to participate in the qualification event. All other skiers must be in the top 35 to qualify. On the day of the event, there are two sets of jumps. The first set has 50 skiers (15 pre-qualified and 35 qualified) and the best 35 from this set will go to the final round. The second set starts with the lower performing athletes starting first and the top ski jumpers for the end.
- Individual Large Hill Event: With the exception of the event being on the large hill, this event follows the same format as the normal hill individual event.
- Team Large Hill Event: In this event, a team is made up of four members and there are two competition sets. In the first set, one team member from each team jumps. Then, the second team member from each team jumps. Then the third, followed by the fourth. In the second set, only the top eight teams from the first set compete. As in the individual events, the lower performing skiers start and the best skiers go last. The team with the best total score over all eight jumps wins.
Ski Jumping in the 2010 Whistler Olympics
The ski jumping event is scheduled to be in the 2010 Winter Olympics starting February 12th to 22th, 2010. The competition will be held in the brand new Whistler Olympic Park in Callaghan Valley located 18 kilometres southwest of Whistler on the Sea to Sky highway.
Utah is known throughout the world as being home to the best powder snow anywhere. The light fluffy snow that falls in the mountains of Utah is unique to the region. Most snow is wet and heavy, when compacted it forms ice and is slushy to drive on, but Utah snow is different. Light flakes, of what is termed powder, is a dryer snow that does not have the weight of the heavy slushy snow falls of the East Coast. The powder makes a snow pack that is unbeatable for creating perfect ski conditions and perfect conditions means the Utah ski resorts are packed with plenty of people.
Each year millions of visitors flock to the slopes of Utah mountains to ski the perfect run on the perfectly formed powdered snow. With each new snow fall skiers race to the top of the mountain to be the first to glide through the white powder. Because of its consistency, skiers a buried above their knees in a light dusting of snow as they slalom down the hills and runs of Utah ski resorts.
Resort destinations in Utah attract skiers from around the world who come to ski on the greatest snow on earth. The US Olympic ski team is headquartered in the mountains of Utah and spends their winters practicing on the slopes of the states many resorts. During the summer the team travels to Switzerland where the snow capped mountains of the Alps enjoy welcome skiers year round. Meanwhile back in Utah the ski resorts host many activities over the summer months with rides and downhill events that can be enjoyed where it is winter or spring.
The Nintendo Wii allows people to get up and moving from the couch instead of sitting there like a bump on a log. Wii Sports games make this especially fun, so I have created a list of the top ten Wii Sports games, to help you choose better.
Wii Fit – This game has over forty activities and mini games that will keep you moving. It is very fun and you can easily get your daily exercise this way.
vWii Sports – This is the pack of sports games that came with the Wii. Bowling is especially fun.
Wii Ski – The balance board from Wii fit is used in this game to ski through the fourteen different courses in this game.
Super Swing Golf – This game makes it fun to swing the remote like a real golf club while trying to hit the ball around obstacles
Top Spin – Tennis is very fun to play either alone or with friends. Unfortunately, this game does not have an online playing feature, but it is great for Wii parties.
Hooked – This fishing game is really fun and you can work your way up the ranks from amateur fisher to pro.
Summer Sports – Seven games to choose from including Lawn Darts, Badminton, Volleyball, Mini Golf, Basketball, Horse Shoes and Croquet.
Tiger Woods Golf – Quite possibly the best and most fun golf game ever. This game can even help you improve your real life game.
Madden NFL – if you love football then you will love this game. You can play like a pro no matter what your skill level is.
Active Life Outdoor Challenge – A great game for the outdoorsman in you. Mine carts, log jumping, river rafting and more makes this a great game.
Here is a preview of what I consider to be some of the best players on the Olympic Basketball Team for the United States going into the Beijing Summer Olympics. Also, this article is focused on basketball cards of the players. Chris Paul is an energy player and can be counted on to consistently play with a high level of enthusiasm and energy. Chris Bosh is also going to be counted on to spark the team. Mentioning the Olympic basketball team without Kobe Bryant would be incomplete. Dwayne Wade is another top competitor on the team. More of the players will be mentioned in another article, make sure to bookmark our main site page and check for future articles in our forum accessible through there.
Chris Paul is going to contribute well to the U.S. team. He is one of the best young players in the game and started playing professional basketball in 2005-06. He has quickly developed into a top 15 player (if not better) in the league and has helped lead the New Orleans Hornets into the playoffs. Chris Bosh is a talented member of the U.S. Basketball Summer Olympics 2008 Team that is headed to Beijing, China for the olympic games. He was a rookie in 2003-04 and has evolved into quite a player. He will serve in a backup capacity as he is not as experienced as the senior members of the team. Look for him to provide frontcourt support and to be an intimidating presence in the low post both on the offensive and defensive sides of the court. His basketball cards are highly sought after. His rookie card from 2003-04 Topps Chrome is very affordable, and his autographed and game worn jersey cards are not that much more expensive. He has proven his ability to succeed in the NBA, and his card values stand to gain if he can continue to get better and better.
Kobe Bryant is a leading member of the United States Olympic Basketball Team heading into the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. He will be counted on for scoring, leadership and overall poise. His rookie year was in 1996-97. He is a favorite among collectors. As a rookie, he came in and slowly established himself as a great player. He has continued that and is now one of the top NBA players who, along with Shaquille O’Neal lead the Los Angeles Lakers to more than one NBA Championship with Phil Jackson as the coach. During the Olympics, look for Kobe Bryant to be among the leaders in scoring and to provide some lessons in maturity to some of the younger players. It is great for the team to have a player that has played for so many years yet that is still at the top of his game. Listed below are some relevant posts on this thread for Kobe Bryant rookie cards and for a picture of a Kobe Bryant basketball card.