JOHN KUSZ
Copper Peak
Ironwood, MI
I started ski jumping when I was about four or five years old. My dad and his brothers were all ski jumpers, and I just loved the thought of it. My dad built me a little jump, but first he built the landing for me to practice on. It was hard at to turn those big skis, but I really flew the first time, and I was so proud of myself and so happy. Jumping off Copper Peak was always a dream of mine because I could see it from Wolverine Ski Hill where I practiced. I would always look out at Copper Peak and think “Someday, someday”. In 1978, my dream came true.
The USA coach asked me if I would like to ski fly and I said, “Yes I do”, so my buddy Dave and I got to go off Copper Peak. We climbed all the way up there, but Dave was a little afraid of heights, he’s usually pretty talkative but he was so quiet, which made me nervous too. He went before me, and when he got the flag that it was all clear at the bottom, he looked at me, jumped out, and went down down, down, and flew. He was screaming that he was so happy that he did it when he landed.
Next it was my turn, and I went off the very top of the whole scaffold so fast. I hit the takeoff higher and flew farther than I ever had before. I was so excited when I landed. Dave and I decided to go to a bar and celebrate our bravery, but the coach came up to us and said, “Oh no, get back up there and do it again.”
I ended up going off Copper Peak 25 times. I opened my eyes a couple of times, and it was so fast and such a big hill. It means so much to me that Copper Peak will open again, it brings back so many good memories for me and it will be so good for the community. It’s so exciting that it will be the largest ski jumping hill in the world that can jump in the summer and have the world record for summertime distance on plastic.
My plans are to help out wherever is needed when Copper Peak re-opens for ski jumping. I hope that I will find a spot up in the judges stand. I told Charlie Supercynski to put two little tables in the judges’ stand and put a fridge nearby so we can have a couple of beers and watch the tournaments together. It was a dream come true to jump off Copper Peak, and I am looking forward to seeing other ski jumpers’ dreams come true.
