International
Masters Ski Jumping
Old Boys -- Still at it, after all these years!

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CONTENTS

A Brief Introduction to Masters Ski Jumping

Imagine this scene -- you approach a complex of ski jumps, half a dozen or more jumping hills of different sizes, the sparkling snow carefully groomed, decorated with flags and banners. Old Boys at Steamboat Scores of athletes in one piece jump suits brighter than the banners trudge up through the snow and stand in groups of two or three, conversing, stretching, and waiting for their moment to zip down the track and launch into the air. As you come up close, you notice that these skiers are not teenagers, many are a little gray around the temples or bald on the top, and they converse in a half dozen different languages. This is the annual International Masters Championships in Ski Jumping (IMC) and the lean, fit athletes range from youngsters in their thirties to octogenarians.

Zakopane jumping hills Masters ski jumping is not a new idea, but these championships reflect a new level of organization. The first Championships were held in Lake Placid NY in February of 1990. Subsequent editions of the IMC visited Odnes NOR, Swanstein SWE, Kuopio FIN, Hurdal NOR, Zakopane POL (photo at right), Steamboat Springs USA, Sundsvall SWE, Perm RUS, Otepaa EST, Rognan NOR and Rovaniemi FIN. To establish a presence in central Europe, IMC came to Harrachov CZE, returned to Zakopane, then visited Reit im Winkl GER, Villach, AUT and Kranj SLO .

Murphy Bakke The IMC was the brainchild of Earle Murphy (left) of Lake Placid and Guttorm Bakke (right) of Jessheim, Norway, who also established an international committee for Masters ski jumping to coordinate IMC and other activities. This Committee has representatives from the U. S., Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Estonia, Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria and Australia, and seeks interest from all ski jumping nations.

Many ski jumping competitions around the world, including several national championships, recognize a Masters class. In addition, several nations hold separate age group national championships, usually on smaller hills. The Duluth Ski Club's annual Souvenir Booklet lists U.S. National Masters (formerly Veterans) champions starting in 1935. Norway is the cradle of ski jumping and has led the way in Masters jumping. In 1905 for the first time, the old timers had their own class in Holmenkollen, for those over thirty; that year, the oldest competitor was 70 years old. In 1997, the Norwegian Veteran Club celebrated its fiftieth anniversary.

Masters Ski Jumpers -- Other Times and Other Names

Age group competition goes back to the earliest days of ski jumping, and through the decades many different terms have been used in the U.S. to refer to the oldest class of competitors. The Senior class was replaced with Veterans, then the present euphemism, Masters. Any of these is more dignified than Geritol class, and surely preferable to survivors. Perhaps the most appealing is the Norwegian term Gamle Gutter, literally Old Boys. It reminds us that ski jumpers at any age must be playful and young at heart.

Other International Masters Events

Harrachov, in the Czech Republic has hosted an annual Master competition for more than two decades. In fact, for some time, before joining the IMC family, they thought of their event as the World Championships for Masters, and one year they advertised their oldest jumper, Kurt Brausse of Germany, as the oldest active ski jumper in the world. You can read a report and results of the 22nd Harrachov Masters competition from the year 2000.

For several years, the IMC Committee has contemplated organizing a summer event, and they finally did in the summer of 2006. [ See report ]

How to Start Ski Jumping

Ski jumping in the U.S. is a club based activity, and ski jumping clubs welcome both adults and children who think that they would enjoy this exciting sport. These clubs usually have some second hand jumping equipment on hand (some old Cadillacs, some Edsels) which beginners may borrow.
Adult beginners usually progress faster than children, sometimes negotiating large hills after only a couple of years. A few fine athletes starting the sport as adults have eventually tried out for the U.S. Olympic Team. Others spend many enjoyable seasons simply jumping smaller hills maintained by their own clubs.
Want to try it? Here are two links to sites listing all ski jumping clubs in the
eastern U.S. and in the midwestern U.S.

Two other web sites, both based in Germany, deal with Masters and IMC:

Alex's German IMC Site (also with English)
Manuela's Masters Site (In German)

 

Australia Austria Canada Czech Republic Estonia Finland France Great Britain Germany Hungary Italy Latvia Norway Poland Russia Slovenia Slovakia Sweden Switzerland Ukraine USA

International Masters Ski Jumping Committee

At the Committee meetings during the 2013 IMC in Russia, a new IMC Board was chosen. It has a new structure as it consists of three members without titles. It has no Chairman or President -- no ranking. Rather it will work as a small committee.

 

The Three Members of the IMC Board:

   
Manuela Steinki -- Germany
(e-mail) msteinki@aol.com
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Stein Arne Hoel -- Norway
(e-mail)
stein.hoel@hotmail.com
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Klaus Günther -- Germany
(e-mail) ak-guenther@t-online.de
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Other Titled Delegates:    
This may change with the new committee structure

Direct technical questions to:
Alexander Diess - Austria
[Technical and Facilities Expert]
(cell phone) +436641469545
(e-mail) alexander.diess@aon.at
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Conditions and Safety
Guttorm Bakke
Bjormoen 16
2050 Jessheim, Norway
(phone)+47 63 97 14 27
(cell) +47 92 68 59 48
(e-mail) ggbakke@portalen.no
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Technical and Organization:    
This may change with the new committee structure

Organization and communication:
Jason Weller
(e-mail) british_imc_team@yahoo.co.uk
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Webmaster
Don West
9 Addoms St.
Plattsburgh, NY, USA
(phone) (518) 563-7604
(e-mail) westdc@plattsburgh.edu
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Representatives of the Nations:            
Please let us know if any reprentatives have changed.
Norway NORWAY
Ole Eldar Kjølen
Bøvn.44
1389 Heggedal
Norway
(phone) 31286054 (Norway)
(e-mail) ole_kjolen@hotmail.com
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Norway NORWAY
Per Ole Vik
(phone) 90 97 08 39 (Norway)
(e-mail) per.ole.vik@ebnett.no
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USA USA
Tim Denisson -- Past Chmn
118 Applewood Court
Cheyenne, WY 82009 USA
(phone) 307 634-6066
(fax Sep to May) 307 771-2609
(e-mail) tdenisson@yahoo.com
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USA USA
Don West
9 Addoms St.
Plattsburgh, NY, USA
(phone) (518) 563-7604
(e-mail) westdc@plattsburgh.edu
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Sweden SWEDEN
Lars Englund
Hanebo kyrkväg 49
S- 82391 Kilafors
Sweden
phone numbers:
(Mobile)+46 703354405
(Home) +46 278-650303
(Work) +46 278-650800
(fax at work) +46 278-651161
(e-mail) lars@kilaforsemballage.se
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Sweden SWEDEN
Pietro Nilsson
Vasavägen 214c
192 69 Sollentuna
Sweden
(phone) 0046707624910
(Fax) 004687624947
(e-mail) pietro.nilsson@banverket.se
(e-mail) pietro@mail.ip-only.net
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Finland FINLAND
Veijo Stranden
Finland

(direct) 358 5 6230045
(GSM) +358 500 552381
(Fax) 358 5 8871147
(e-mail) veijo.stranden@pp.inet.fi
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Finland FINLAND
Erkki Ahtiainen
Kaarlenkatu 7 A
67100 Kokkola
Finland
(GSM phone) +358 400 504606
(fax) +358 6 8224683
(e-mail) erkki.ahtiainen@pp1.inet.fi
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Russia RUSSIA
614097 Russia, Perm
St Podlesnay, 3b
Sergey Tcherviakov
phone home 7 (342) 222-0787
phone/fax work 7 (342) 229-2475
(GSM) 7 9027989929
(e-mail) imc-sj-nc@yandex.ru
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Russia RUSSIA
Russia 107082, Moscow
st., F.Engelsa, 26-20
Airopetov Felex
phone home (495) 221 0809
phone work (495) 221 0644
(fax) (495) 221 0645
GSM 7 9161883401
(e-mail) afa1940@yandex.ru
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Russia RUSSIA
Konstantin Grigoryev
(e-mail) Grig@vispb.ru
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Ukraine UKRAINE
Valeri Savin
(e-mail) Gukov.vladimir@rambler.ru
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Germany GERMANY
Kurt Brausse
Linsenholerstrasse 1a
98529 Suhl, Germany
(phone) +493681700672
Germany GERMANY
Swen Lengwenus
(e-mail) swen-lengwenus@gmx.de
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Austria AUSTRIA
Klaus Sölkner
Burgtorsiedlung 261a
8786 Rottenmann
(phone) 00436502841971
klaus.soelkner@lkh-rottenmann.at
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Austria AUSTRIA
Freddy Lemmerer
Flurweg 2
A-8940 Liezen
(phone) +43/699/12203788
(web) www.fitfourfun.at
(e-mail) info@fitfourfun.at
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Estonia ESTONIA
Kair Tammel
Eesti Kahevõistluse
       ja Suusahüpete Veteranide Klubi
Trummi 14 D Tallinn, Estonia 12617
(phone) +372 672 6443
(fax) +372 672 6443
(cellphone)+372 503 6251
(e-mail) kairtammel@hot.ee
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Canada CANADA
Slavomir Kardas
310 Catherine St.
Thunder Bay, Ontario
P7E 1K6, Canada
(phone) 807.622 1509
(fax) 807.623 2622
(e-mail) skidoze@shaw.ca
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Great Britain GREAT BRITAIN
Alan Jones
Göteborg, Sweden
(phone) 0046 704384511
(e-mail) alan.jones@tele2.se
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Great Britain GREAT BRITAIN
James Lambert
43064 HÄLLINGSJÖ
Sweden
(phone) 0046 702177447
(e-mail) jumbozalambert@yahoo.com
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Hungary HUNGARY
László Molnár
9730 KOSZEG
Rajnis u. 5.
Hungary
(mobil) +36-30-9571-506
(phone) 0036 94/ 563-122
(fax) 0036 94/563-123
(web) www.skijumping.hu
(e-mail) skijumplaszlo@t-online.hu
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Czech CZECH REP.
Stanislav Slavik
512 46 Harrachov 257
Czech Republic
(phone) ++420 432 529536, 529787
(fax) ++420 432 529536
(mobile ph) ++420 603 470113
(e-mail) camping@harrachov.cz
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Slovenia SLOVENIA
Kristof Gaspirc
A. Vavkna 9
4207 Cerklje
Slovenija
Phone: +386 41 521 721
(e-mail) kgbar2002@yahoo.com
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Australia AUSTRALIA
Tony Mihelcic
(phone) +61 4 0856 0274
(fax) +61 3 9749 5728
http://home.iprimus.com.au/tonymihelcic
(e-mail) tonymihelcic@iprimus.com.au
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Switzerland SWITZERLAND
Ralf Schnyder
CH-8840 Einsiedeln
(phone) +41 55 412 82 57
(phone) +41 79 828 74 48
(e-mail) ralf.schnyder@bracker.ch
(e-mail) ralf.schnyder@bluewin.ch
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France FRANCE
Christian Remy
(e-mail) chremy.88@orange.fr
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Honored Emeritus Members:            

Norway NORWAY
Co-Founder
Guttorm Bakke
Bjormoen 16
2050 Jessheim, Norway
(phone)+47 63 97 14 27
(cell) +47 92 68 59 48
(e-mail) ggbakke@portalen.no
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USA USA
Co-Founder, First Chairman
Earle Murphy
1090 Farmingdale Rd.
Jackson, NJ, 08527, USA
(phone) (732) 730-6287
(cell) (757) 272-3456
(e-mail)Eprofmurphy@aol.com
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Norway NORWAY
Past Chairman
Alf-Tore Haug
(work phone) 47.915.95110
(home phone) 47.381.66108
(fax at work) 22 68 63 53
(e-mail) athaug@online.no
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