The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-01-23
SKI-JLIMpING CONTESTS TO MARK NORWAY'S FESTIVAL.

! 1 Norwegians are celebrating this year the centenary of the independ- ence Of their country, and a feature of the festival program will be a great ski-running and ski jumping ltouInament. beginning today and cul- | minating in the big annual jumping contest for the Scandinavian cham pionship, held on the snow-cIaa slopes of Mount HoImenkoIlen. near Chris tiana, the capital. Skiing is the na- tional pastime of Norwegfans. and. to a lesser extent. that of Sweden and Denmark In many respects 1t lis the most spectacular and exciting Of winter sports, and it has many devotees on this side of the Atlantic, especially tnaCanada, Minnesota, Wis Iconsin and Michigan. Incidentally. the worlds record for the longest standing jump was established about a year ago by an American, Ragnar omtvedt, Of the Norge Ski Club of Chicago, who Jumped 169 feet at ronwood. Mich, in the 1913 tourna- ment of the National Ski Association. It is not merely as a competitive sport, however, that ski-running en ' joys vogue in Norway. The ski is native to Norway. and men. women and children of ali classes, from the King and Queen down to the hunlb- lest peasant. find hea1thful recreation in this highly developed form Of snow shoe. At the age of three or four the average Norwegian youngster makes his first acquaintance with
 
 ity or extreme age can rob him Of his allegiance. King Haakon and Queen Maud. and their ten year old son, Prince OIav. have taken up with great enthusiasm the national pas time of their adopted country and little O1av is as good as the best of the boys of his age.
 The best type of Norwegian ski Is made of hard wood and is from four to eight feet in length. The width is no greater than the sole of the shoe, and the thickness only about a. fourth Of an inch. The ski must be firmly attached to the foot. because any swerving due to looseness might be disastrous. Skis have we'll been call ed wooden wings,s' for the Norwegian can cover great distances across coun- try, either on new snow or. the beaten roads, at a tremendous speed and with comparatively little fatigue. A ski trip of from forty to sixty miles, without resting is not considered 9 remarkable performance.
 Ski-running over road or across a country comparatively free from steep hills and obstacles is one thing, and ski-jumping on mountain sides is quite another. The Morse children early acquire the art of balancing and guiding. and they are as much at home on skis as the youngsters of other countries are on ice skates or. roller skates. Ski-jumping, however, is matter of long practice and steady nerves and unlimited courage. Going, down a steep hill or mountain at ex- press train speed, where trees and rocks and other obstacles are con stantly to be lodged, is a perform ance which can be successfully ac-s complished only when the Jumper has all his wits about him. Even the best of the ski Jumpers get an occasional fall, and only presence of mind en- ahles them to escape serious injury. Although the modern ski is a com parative1y recent invention, skI-run-i ming has been an accomplishment of the Norwegians and other northern peoples since history began.