Curator’s note: When Scott Halvorson’s Big Nansen story mentioned Doug Lantz having a ski jumping song that a) got sung in outruns across the East and b) referenced the big Berlin (NH) jump, I had to find it. Doug was quick to respond, but with bad news: There wasn’t a recorded copy of it anywhere. Well, we remedied that. Now it’s in the permanent record of the Story Project archives! Thank you, Doug!
DOUG LANTZ
Brattleboro (VT) and Newport (NH) Outing Clubs
doug.j.lantz11@gmail.com
https://vimeo.com/1146728122
Standing on the takeoff of a ski jump, 27 degrees, a little breeze, while trying to keep a guitar in tune. Some might say a strong possibility for failure, but “not in our world!” Just like ski jumping, sometimes you hit it, and sometimes you make it work… get the best out of it. We did!
Short version… sometime in the early 1960’s, six brothers were living in Brattleboro, VT. Alan Sargent walked into my dad’s store. They started talking about family, and the next thing you know, the brothers were going to Memorial Park for under-the-lights ski jumping lessons twice a week. It was love at “first flight.”
It became part of our lives, weekends traveling to different ski jumping communities like Bear Mt., Lake Placid, NY, Rumford, ME, Lebanon, Hanover, NH, Salisbury, CT, and more—a wonderful, tight-knit community.
Fast forward- I self-taught myself to play a ukulele and “started telling stories to music.” Ski jumping was a huge part of our lives, so why not a song, and this is what I came up with. A catchy tune from the 60s with a slight twist.
It’s always a great day when you make someone smile or do something that makes the world better. Thanks for being part of a fun day!
You can also Venmo this year! To donate, find us at @usaskijumping
Or send a check to:
USA Ski Jumping
PO Box 982331
Park City, UT 84098
