Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-03-26
WONDERFUL SKI JUMPING.
Leap of 155 Feet in Norway Champ
iOnships.

lOnShlpS.
The national ski championship in
Norway wound up the winter
sport abroad and some wonderful
records were made. The meeting
took place at Holmenkollen, near
Christiania, under wretched weather
conditions, and this prevented the
performances being still better. In
the event called the hoprend, or
jumping competition, one of the
contestants cleared the astonishing
distance of 155 feet, but the leap
will never go on the books, for the
jumper stumbled and fell as he
alighted. The championship was
won by seventeen year old boy
named Elinor Jensen, with a jump
of 1913 feet.
The king and queen of Norway
were present at the championship.
The veteran, or senior contest was
the first on the programme. At a
given signal the first man left the
summit, reached the ledge, jumped
and landed on the clammy snow
below, which, checking his speed
for a moment, gave him a jerk suf-
ficient to topple him over and sent
him whirling in lump to the bot
tom of the slope. The next jumper
Jared little better, and out of a
string of twenty only six managed
to keep their legs. In class one
there were nineteen competitors and
they did somewhat better. The men
were much younger, though they
were in every respect as good jum-
pers as their seniors, and besides
they had the advantage of being
much more 1.-the and supple. Their
average age was about Is against
35 for the veterans.
There were fifty-three on the line
for class two, and of these nineteen
made standing leaps. The best of
the lot was Magnus Konow, and his
distance was SO feet, very fine
jump, considering the condition of
the slope. Out of an entry of 125
in class three which was for youths
between is and 81 years, only forty
eight put in an appearance. Nine
teen of these made standing leaps.
In the second round the jumpers
did much better, for in the veteran
class seven men made standing
jumps, and eleven in class one,
fifteen in class two and fourteen in
class three. 1t will thus be seen
that out of 14O competitors fifty
three made standing leaps in the
first round and forty-seven in the
second.
1t is declared by the jumpers that
the slope at Holmenkollen is eX-
ceedingly difficult and the condi-
tions against big performances Ac-
cording to the experts at ski jump
ing, the length of the leap depends
on various circumstances, such as
the length of the track above the
ledge from which the jump is
taken, the form of the ledge itself
In relation to the slope, the angle
Of the under rum" or portion of
the run below the ledge. and the
Of the snow. The greater
the angle below the ledge the great
er the length of the jump, as all
are made on the
slope itself. 1t Is for this reason
that bigger jumps are always made
at Solberg than at Holmenkollen,
there being, it is said, an advantage
Of fully five feet. The slope at
is one of the best in Nor
way, and there is a very fine run
at Brummendalen, where on Febru-
airy 16 man cleared 120 feet.
For some time past there has
been question as to the longest
jumps in the world; that is, real
jumps where the
Jumper kept his feet after alighting.
The following list shows the top
notch performances since 1898:
1898, Torjus Hemmestvedt, Red
Wing, U. S. A., 1913 feet: 1898, Cato
Aal and Sven Solid, Solberg, Chris
.iania, 1881 feet; 1899, Asbjorn
and Martin Hansen, Solberg. |
107 feet; 1900, Olaf
Tanberg, Solberg, Christiania, 116k
eet: 1902, Paul Nesjo, Trondhjem,
100 feet; 1902, Nils Gjestvang. Mo-
T. Klokkerstuen, Skarphedin. Tele-
100 feet; Klas Bergen,
Telemarken, 113 feet: |
iregar BO, Skarphedin, Telemarken,
10 feet; Sveinung Bo, Skarphedin, |
122 feet; Amund Ind !
aeggen, Skarphedin, Telemarken,
25 feet: Ole Tjonna, Skarphedin,
1875 feet; Sveinung
laase, Skarphedin, Telemarken,
2S feet; X. o. Elka, Skarphedin,
1870 feet; 1906. Left |
Berg, Zweisimmen, 1913 feet; 1906,
Die Margseth, Red Wing, U. S. A.,
IA feet; 1908, Lars Hogeved, Mo-
Ium, 120 feet; 1908, Einor Jensen