KEVIN BICKNER
Norge Ski Club
US distance record-holder @ 244.5M
In the early days of being a ski jumper, when I learned about what YouTube was, I remember sitting around with my friends and teammates watching old ski jumping videos and getting excited about how cool ski flying was. We would watch dozens of national and world records. One that really stood out to me was Alan Alborn’s video of jumping 221.5 meters in Planica in 2002. I thought about how cool it would be to jump that far and what an amazing feat it must be to hold the US national record.
Fast forward 10 years, and I find myself sitting at the top of the ski flying hill in Vikersund, Norway. It was a windy Sunday, and Stefan Kraft had just set a new world record the day before. I had been hovering around 200 meters all weekend, but I was hungry for a new personal best. I was a little nervous watching athletes being taken off the bar much more frequently than in your average event. Finally, it was my turn to hop on the gate. I tried breathing deeply to calm my nerves, but it did little to help. As the clock ticked closer to the 45-second limit, I, too, thought I would be moving back to the starting gate. Then suddenly, with just a few seconds left, the light turned green. It caught me a bit off guard, but I saw the wind flags pointing up the hill, and I knew this was the golden opportunity for a far jump. Nerves turned to adrenaline, and I slid off the bar with two things on my mind: push off the takeoff as hard as you can and pull your body forward until you feel lift.
Having a good ski flying jump is like nothing else in this world. You feel such a tremendous buildup of pressure under your skis until you feel as if you are gliding forward, not down. It’s an unstoppable force that makes you feel like you will never land! And with 10 seconds of airtime, you can actively process those thoughts.
I immediately knew this jump was not like the previous one I had that weekend. With significantly more height and pressure under my skis, I fought the whole way to stay on top of it. It was not the most graceful flight, but that didn’t matter. I came into the landing with a deep squat to make sure I could stick that landing. The excitement was overwhelming, and I knew I had just accomplished one of my biggest dreams in the sport. A few seconds later, the scoreboard had confirmed it. 244.5 meters! Nothing (not even a crash) could ruin that day.
It’s been an honor to hold the US national distance record, and I’ve taken much pride in it. But just as I discussed with Alan 9 years ago, there comes a time when every record needs to be broken. It shows not only progress in the sport, but also in the country. I genuinely hope there’s someone who grew up watching my jump on YouTube who is getting ready to accomplish their dream of taking the national record, maybe even joining the 250 club. I’ve enjoyed my time holding it, but nothing would make me happier than to see the next generation showing what they’re capable of in the coming years and pushing the sport even further!
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
