COLERAINE — Do you know what a high school freshman sounds like speeding down a giant hill and flying farther than the length of a basketball court? Listen:
That was Kaija Copenhaver of the Ishpeming, Michigan Ski Club jumping on the 70-meter hill at Mount Itasca on Saturday. That jump was 40 meters. She was one of 16 skiers on the big jump, representing seven clubs in the Central Division Championships.
Families traveled from Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois to watch jumpers big and small. In total, 10 clubs competed including four from Minnesota: Minneapolis, St. Paul, Cloquet and Itasca.
Flying 40 meters may sound daring, but Itasca Ski and Outing Club Coach Sue Kavanagh announced at the meet that some jumpers were frustrated by their short distances.
“Kids may not go down as far as usual partly because, with this El Nino effect, we are having to jump on our porcelain track, versus an ice track that goes a lot faster,” she said over the loudspeaker Saturday.
Mount Itasca is also one of the few ski hills in the Central Division with snow, Kavanagh said — possibly the only one. The strange winter has affected all types of skiing in the state. Mount Itasca’s alpine side had a rough season after losing important visitor days to rain. And the Brainerd Nordic Ski Club announced Sunday that it had to cancel the 50th Lumberjack Jaunt.
Ski jumpers competed on Mount Itasca’s five other hills on Sunday, ranging from a 40-meter jump to an ice ridge just a few inches tall. The sound of a jumper younger than six years old coming down the 8-meter ramp isn't much different than the big hill — just less hang time and a softer landing.
For the oldest skiers, the season is not quite over. Four Itasca jumpers and three from Cloquet qualified for Junior Nationals earlier in the season, which will be in Alaska next week.