For the first time since the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the ski jump facilities at Whistler Olympic Park (WOP) will be up and running.
It's all thanks to the National Large Hill Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championships taking place from March 24 to April 1.
We've been working with Ski Jumping Canada, Nordic Combined Canada and Own the Podium to help put this event on, said John Heilig, Callaghan Winter Sports Club (CWSC) member and Nordic Sport Manager for Whistler Sport Legacies . They've put resources into us operating the jump for the training camps and the competitions that take place from March 24 to April 1.
Heilig said that members of the Canadian national ski jumping team, the Canadian national Nordic team, the Canadian women's ski jumping team, American athletes and possibly competitors from Europe will take to the skies during the event.
There will be training sessions every morning and the competition portion will be exactly the same as the Olympics, he said. It's all the same jumps but it will be a smaller field of about 40 athletes or so.
He said it should be a good training opportunity for the women ski jumpers, who will make their debut at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.
Women will be a fairly significant component of the participation here, he said. A lot of the driving force behind this while training camp and competition is to try and get the Canadian women as prepared as possible for 2014. In reality, the women are driving this training camp.
According to Heilig, female ski jumper Taylor Henrich and Toronto native Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes are two athletes to watch at WOP. Henrich finished fifth at the Youth Olympic Games in January and placed 17th at the Junior World Championships last month. Boyd-Clowes competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics and had the best Canadian finish at a World Cup event since 1991 when he placed 13th at an event in France last summer.
Heilig said it should be nice to see the jumps in use for the first time in over two years.
Over the last two years we haven't put the resources into operating them, he said of the jumps. If you look at cross country skiing for example, it has a recreational component so it's easier to say we're preparing the trails for 1,000 people rather than the 20 or so for ski jumping. The cost per athlete for ski jumping can be expensive.
The competitive portion of the event takes place on March 31, with ski jumpers hitting the ramp from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with spectators welcome. The CWSC is looking for volunteers to help out with the competition and those interested can contact [email protected] for more information.
In addition to the competitive side, the CWSC has re-introduced its flight school to help introduce the sport to newcomers. For the next three Saturdays, Heilig will instruct a group of newbie's on how to jump, fly and land on a small ramp nearby the real jumps. Drop-ins are welcome and those interested are urged to contact the club details.
For more information on the CWSC, visit www.callaghanwintersportsclub.com.
