Showing posts with label WSJUSA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WSJUSA. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 10

Let Women Jump

Our subject this week blogs and websites. With the Olympics about to begin, I'd like to highlight a new website for you all to check out. (Well, okay, it's not new; it's redesigned.)

Here's the link: wsjusa.com

And here's the story: During the 2006 Olympics in Torino, I was researching women's ski jumping for my book, SASS: THE FINNISH LINE, and happened to contact the kind people at Women's Ski Jump, USA for help. Until that time, I hadn't realized that women ski jumpers were not allowed to compete in the Olympics. I couldn't believe it. What century were we living in? Since that time, I've had a chance to meet the athletes featured in this MSN piece (below) and watch them in action. Sadly, I've also watch them have to fight for the right to be included in competition for the 2010 Vancouver games. They fought hard. They fought fair. But once again, the IOC voted not to include a women's ski jumping event this year. For some of the athletes - such as world champion Lindsay Van who holds the hill record at Whistler, where the Olympics will be held - the decision may have killed any hope of Olympic competition. For the sport, it means a sad lack of sponsors and a shrinking number of new athletes willing to give ski jumping a try, considering that they may never get to compete in their sport on an Olympic stage.

The website features a petition you can sign to show your support for the women jumpers. Please sign it if you feel so inclined.

You can read more about the bid for a women's jump event in today's WSJ article here.

Here's the MSN video:

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