PARK CITY, UT – Reigning World Champion Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) will lead a team of six U.S. ski jumping athletes at the International Ski Federation’s 2011 Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo, Norway Feb. 25 – Mar. 5. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) announced the World Championship Team that qualified through the Continental Cup circuit on Tuesday.
Van will be joined by four fellow Women’s Ski Jumping USA athletes, all hailing from Park City, at the top of the ski jumping hill as they soar off the jump to open the Championships on Feb. 25. Among these athletes are Continental Cup standout Jessica Jerome and up-and-comer Sarah Hendrickson. With Van as the defending champion, the U.S. was able to name five athletes to compete in Oslo.
“The women have proven that they can be on the podium in any competition and Lindsey has a real opportunity to defend her World title,” said USSA’s Nordic Program Director John Farra. “In addition to Lindsey, both Jessica Jerome and Sarah Hendrickson have had outstanding seasons. This will be a very competitive U.S. women’s team.”
Jerome, who has been at the top of the women’s circuit for many years, has a win and three podiums this season. She was sixth at the 2009 World Championships and has been going head-to-head with Van all season. Sitting side-by-side, Jerome and Van are in third and fourth in the overall Continental Cup standings.
Hendrickson comes to World Championships having earned her second Continental Cup win earlier in the season. She also led the Continental Cup for the first series of early season competition in Europe.
Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, NY) will be the lone American man at World Championships. The 2010 Olympian is coming into the event strong. After finishing second in a Continental Cup in Sapporo, Japan, Frenette scored the best U.S. World Cup finish in over seven years with an 18th .
“Peter has had a bit of a breakthrough year and we are looking to continue his development and education as an athlete,” said USA Ski Jumping Coach Clint Jones. “He has shown that at any moment he is capable of long jumps that can compete with the best in the world.”