STONEY'S CORNER
by Larry Stone, NYSEF/Eastern Jumping Coach

We have a great wave of jumpers coming into their own and this summer saw Evan Bliss and Nicholas Fairall qualify in Europe for Continental Cup competition through the new FIS cup system. It was a great boost for ski jumping in the East to have Men’s and Women’s Continental Cups here in Lake Placid. The Eastern ladies of Tara Geraghty-Moats, Faye Stratford and Nina Lussi showed that the East has talent. It looks better and better for the women for inclusion into the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 and we support and wish them well in their quest for Olympic recognition.

Nick Alexander and Chris Lamb have shown progress this summer and Jonathan Kling saw some serious challenges this summer in the Saturday series. Peter Freire showed himself to be the top Eastern dog in Nordic Combined as Willy Graves stepped up to train with the Nordic Combined team in Park City. We also saw some improvement from the next wave of Alex Madden (right), Colin Delaney, Fuzzy Bliss, Peter Frenette and Cooper Dodds. We should be very appreciative of this summer series put on by Dan Warner and company as it is a good forum for athletes to get some competitive experience and also earn some money towards their training expenses. Thank you ORDA.

We wish Billy Demong, Brian Welch, Jed Hinkley and Carl Vanloan and all the Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined athletes good luck in their preparations for Torino.

This winter brings the Junior Olympics back to the East and we will be supporting Lebanon’s efforts to put on this annual event. At the same time it is sad that Gunstock has been unable to get their program up and running and we hope that they will be able to get their site back up as a vital Eastern jumping center. Lebanon has stepped up to the plate, however, for J.O.’s and should put on a good event led by the enthusiasm of ”the Cannon Ball” and Tom Dodds.

I would like to thank all the Eastern supporters for their hard work in the summer/fall season especially Marianne Fairall for her efforts in the silent auction at Flaming leaves and her other organizational work as well as the Summer Saturday Distance measuring team of Paul and Lisa Kling.

See you on the hill and ‘til then keep your tips up!

Eastern Division prepares for Junior Olympics
Host cities Lebanon & Hanover, New Hampshire

Locals Jon Farnham (Chief of Hill), Tom Dodds (Chairperson, Organizing Committee and Treasurer), and Marianne Fairall (Team Leader) look to hold high level competitions for all North Americans. For information on volunteering tasks contact Tom Dodds at Thomas.m.dodds@hitchcock.org. [ E-mail Tom now ]

History Made Again at Storrs Hill!
Lebanon Jumpers Just Keep Extending Their Records

After Further Review . . . we find that Ryan and Dan were scooped by Spencer Knickerbocker (right) of the Brattleboro Outing Club. Ryan writes: "Turns out Spencer beat Dan and me to the punch and we didn't find out about it until last night. He jumped the 15 meter jump in Brattleboro last Friday. I guess he was the first person in the east to jump this winter. Way to go! That definitely shows some determination."

 

While the snow may not, probably won't, last with the warmer temperatures forecast for early this week it was a nice break from the never ending jumping on plastic that has brought Storrs Hill Ski Area in Lebanon, New Hampshire to its newest milestone.

Next week, December 4-10, 2005, will mark both the 100th consectutive month, as well as the 52nd consectutive week of ski jumping at Storrs Hill. Currently, it is believed that no other ski jump in the world has ever accomplished the feat of jump 100 consectutive month, yet alone 52 consectutive weeks. At the present time, no other jump around the world, as far as is known, jumps 12 months out of the year. Park City jumps closed on March 13th and reopened on May 25th. A few jump sites have put together 12-24 months in the past but due to budgetary constraints or weather complications their streaks have always come to a grinding halt.

Storrs Hill is run by a non-for-profit organization and has a great staff heading up the ski jumping program. With the dedication to helping out the jumpers that Jon "Cannonball" Farnham, a jumper himself, and ski jumping coach at Storrs Hill, it has made this feat very feasible. Having diehard ski jumpers, like Ryan and Dan, does also help out.

As I sat in the Eastern Officials meeting last week reflecting on the program here in the East, some very apparent thoughts came to mind. There has been a lot of discussion between various people about FIS points, how events are run, who's going where and doing what, and how our jumping and combined programs are doing. Well here is my take on where the "East" is at. After all East meaning the Eastern division are in charge of our program. Officials, coaches,organizers,volunteers,athletes, parents and other interested parties. Being an Olympic year there has been the anticipation of who will be making the two teams for Torino. I got to thinking as to how this all comes about. It really takes everyone to be firing on all cylinders. The organizers need to host good events, the coaches need to coach, the snowmakers need to blow snow, the judges need to judge well and so on.

As I looked around the room that morning I saw that most of the people in it were doing one if not more of those tasks. It may not seem to significant at the time but all of these things must work in harmony for our program to work. Eastern sets goals for our programs. The pinnacle is medals at the Olympics!! The "East" will be proud when all of the rosters come out for the various teams this year and our athletes will be sprinkled through out them. Be aware that these jobs you do for this division make a difference and that "WE" are doing great work!! It shows in the results. A legacy has been laid down for many generations. "WE" are carrying it on. Keep one foot in front of the other. Thanks

Eastern Ski Jumping/NC Personality profile

The Legend

Personality Profile of Larry Stone

It’s tough to try and follow a legend. There’s nothing you can do but work really hard and realize the shadow in front of you is very broad. The legend has stories in that shadow, too many stories to know where to begin.

He grew up in Salisbury, Connecticut ski jumping at the age of seven with the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA). He attended Williams College where he continued his domination in ski jumping with the Eastern NCAA. He was Northwood Academy Head Ski Jumping Coach in the late 1960’s where two Olympians arose from his program, Jay Rand being one of them . His peak as an athlete came in the early to mid-seventies where he also was Head Ski Jumping Coach with SWSA. After a music stint based primarily in Texas, Larry returned to Salisbury to again coach for about 10 years. In the late 80’s, Larry came to NYSEF where he began his career as NYSEF Head Ski Jumping Coach. Then he was the U.S. National Ski Jumping Team Coach for several years, took a job coaching in Park City, Utah for bit….only to return to NYSEF in 1996 where he has been coaching the Ski Jumping Program ever since.

Larry Stone has done it all. He wakes up early in the morning, takes a deep breath, throws on his trail shoes, drinks a cup of coffee and becomes the soul of ski jumping for another day. When his Toyota Tacoma rumbles into the Mckenzie Intervale Ski Jumping Complex, there arrives a coach; a man preparing to teach the sport of ski jumping to yet another wave of athletes; another wave of athletes dreaming of skiing “the big”, dreaming of skiing on the US Ski Team, dreaming of going to the Olympics. And you know what? He gets them there. He produces high fliers, he produces Olympians and World Champions too. He is the heart of ski jumping. He keeps it alive by always being there, always the father figure for so many athletes willing to sweat and bleed for the love of ski jumping. He has gone through countless, truly countless sessions that were supposed to finish at 5:30 and he is still there with wanting kids and questioning parents until 8 at night. And with a quick look at his watch, he rushes off to a Ski Club meeting that won’t let him see his home for hours to come.

And he laughs. Athletes that came from under his wing out traveling for the Olympics, World Championships, World Cup, Continental Cup, or even a New Hampshire Dion Cup come to him with stories of long rides, wins, huge air, and bad crashes and losses. He always has that smirk on his face when you tell him a story. That smirk that gently tells you… “Yeah, that happened to me once too.” Actually, it probably didn’t happen to him once…. it probably happened to him two or three times. The man has seen things. Lots!

He’s a rancher, a husband to an amazing wife, and a father to two beautiful daughters. And he’s still a musician too. When the mike unplugs from his electric guitar and the audience is going savage below him…he is not heading to the bar for a late-night cocktail, he is going to bed to rest up for another day coaching ski jumpers early the next morning. And believe me he is always on time for that 8:30 am warm-up game of soccer. Ouch. Like I said, it’s tough to try and follow a legend.

Matt Cook

Summer Training Camps
What it takes to get ready for Game Day

Eastern athletes chill during a June training camp on Chicago’s new K70

 

Six Nordic Skiing Legends Inducted into the

Vermont Ski Hall of Fame

Years ago, when I was a little kid in Wisconsin, as I eagerly read everything I could find about skiing, I met certain family names over and over in Eastern skiing, including Townsend, Broomhall, Dunklee and Chivers. Now I have lived in the East for forty years and have had the pleasure of meeting members of all these illustrious ski families. I count Eastern jumping judge Ted Chivers as one of my best friends, and I have gotten to know his dad, Warren Chivers on several occasions.

On October 22 of this year, ninety year old Warren Chivers was inducted into the Vermont Ski Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Putney School. In the Class of 2005, Chivers joined Fred Harris, builder of Brattleboro's Harris Hill, Bill Koch, Olympic XC medalist and recreational ski jumper, and three cross country greats: Martha Rockwell, John Caldwell and his son Tim Caldwell. This list had so many connections for me that I just had to be part of the celebration.

Fall colors were still brilliant as I drove across the Green Mountains on Saturday afternoon, but rain came on during the evening. The guests assembled to honor the first batch of Nordic inductees was a who's-who of Nordic skiing in the East. Much of the emphasis was on cross country, but most of the old competitors present had also been ski jumpers who competed in College or Prep school in a period of four-event skiing and Skimeister awards. While many of the guests hadn't jumped the big hills in Brattleboro or Berlin, they had competed on the numerous small jumps that dotted New England years ago.

Master of Ceremonies Peter Graves called on presenters who introduced the inductees and gave a rundown of their skiing accomplishments, and each honored guest received a lapel pin and a big plaque to be hung in the Hall of Fame in Stowe.