Illustration by Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA).
Recently, the best ski jumpers in the country gathered in Lake Placid for the Flaming Leaves Festival. The festival serves as the U.S. Senior National Championships for ski jumping and Nordic combined. All six Husky ski jumpers and nordic combiners competed, including Max Fey ‘28, Islay Sheil ‘28, Duncan Van Dorn ‘28, Eli Larkin ‘27, Henry Loher ‘26, and Jack Kroll ‘26.
The weekend would be a challenge for all as the inconsistent wind conditions led to long delays, making for long days at the hill. “My results weren’t quite what I was hoping for. Throughout the weekend, I had a tough draw with my starting position. I was the first boy to jump each day. Every time there was a delay in the girls’ comp in front of us, I would already be getting ready and had to stop and reset. I also had pretty unlucky wind conditions as it got better later in the round. Considering that, I had alright jumps. Definitely a lot to take away from this one,” Jack Kroll ‘26 said.
“I was happy with the results over the weekend,” Eli Larkin ‘27 said. “I worked hard this weekend. Also, this event prepared me well for our next competition in Colorado that is coming up soon. I can only hope to get better results for the year. Overall, the event was fun, and everyone was having a great time,” Larkin added.
Not only was the Festival a chance to compete, but also a chance to catch up with other ski jumpers from around the country. “My favorite part was being able to see my friends from around the country because I don’t get to see them much,” Islay Sheil ‘28 said. “The event was fun because there were a lot of people and a lot of food trucks and other things happening,” she added.
“It’s rare that all of these athletes are in one place,” Kroll said. ”Many train in Europe, and we only see each other once a year. Also, getting to work with the National Team coaches is always a highlight,” Kroll added.
Nordic Combined USA athletes’ photo. Photo by Seth Rothchild Photography.
Overall, Northwood athletes did pretty well at U.S. Nationals. On Saturday, the highlights were Larkin finishing 10th and Fey 15th. For Nordic combined on Saturday, Fey finished 7th and Van Dorn 10th. On Sunday, all athletes finished in the top 30, with Loher in 8th, and Larkin in 12th. Additionally, Sheil got 16th. For Sunday’s 10k in Nordic combined Fey finished 7th.
