When ski jumper Michael Glasder landed the top spot on this year’s U.S. Olympic men’s team, he not only redeemed himself but also helped make history for a ski club in far northwest suburban Fox River Grove.
Glasder had barely missed qualifying for the past two Winter Olympics, so his victory in Sunday’s Olympic trials at age 28 was especially sweet. Glasder is the first jumper to qualify for the Olympics from the century-old Norge Ski Club, but he likely won’t be the last — two or three other jumpers from Norge have a good chance to make the four-man team.
The club’s dominance of U.S. ski jumping may seem sudden, but members say it is the product of years of effort by a dedicated team of athletes, coaches, parents and volunteers. The club from the flatlands took over a mountain sport thanks in part to the sports’ roots in the immigrant Nordic culture of the Midwest.
The sport often gets handed down from generation to generation. Many of the athletes are sons or daughters of former jumpers. Still, it takes a certain kind of athlete to hurtle off a 150-foot high ramp at speeds of up to 60 mph, then sail through the air for a distance of more than a football field.
“Someone who has a lot of energy and a little bit of wildness to them, a little bit of a thrill-seeker,” explained club board member Carrie Krueger. “But it’s also the years of hard work, climbing those stairs over and over again, trying to perfect their scores, the dedication and the training.”
The Norge Ski Club was founded in 1905 by Norwegian immigrants and is one of the oldest continuously operated ski groups in the country.
The U.S. used to be more competitive internationally in ski jumping, but that faded until recent years when boosters have worked to revive the sport, said Guy Larson, a Norge parent and club member.
About a decade ago, members took down their old ski jump, built up the hill, bought a jump tower from Ely, Minn., and re-welded the steel trusses together to help their site hit the big time. The club hired professional coaches, led by Scott Smith, recruited young athletes, bought a van to drive the kids to tournaments and formed a governing board.
As with any sport, they succeeded by building an organization with structured training to develop skilled athletes, Larson said.
“It’s such a cool thing to have this right here in our backyard,” Larson said. “These kids would not be (on the verge of the Olympics) if they didn’t start when they were 6, 7 or 8 years old.”
Glasder is the son of a former ski jumper, and his uncle helps coach the Norge jumpers, the best of who graduate to the national team. Asked what his making the Olympics meant to him, Glasder told NBC, “It’s huge. I just barely missed the last two Olympics. I stuck it out, worked hard, and I can’t wait for Pyeongchang (South Korea).”
Kevin Bickner of Wauconda, who also trains at Norge, actually has had the best season so far of any U.S. skier. Last year, he set a U.S. distance record with a jump of 244.5 meters, according to the U.S. Olympic team website.
And Norge clubmate Casey Larson of Barrington, a top-10 finisher in last year’s Junior World Championship, and A.J. Brown of Fox River Grove are also contending for a spot on the team, club members said.
Cara Larson, Casey’s sister, also trains at Norge and is a member of the junior national team.
Club spokesman Charlie Sedivec credited part of Norge’s success to having successful tournaments that raise funds to send its athletes to Europe for World Cup competitions.
Members are ecstatic over Glasder’s win and will celebrate Tuesday night in their clubhouse at the foot of their jumping hill.
“We’ve never done this before,” Sedivec said, “so people are pretty excited.”
Twitter @RobertMcCoppin
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