TOM BICKNER
CEO, USA Ski Jumping
Norge Ski Club
Park City, UT
As we kick off the 14th Annual Story Project, I would first like to share my ski jumping journey, which eventually led to Board Chair and CEO. It started over 20 years ago while living in the Chicago suburbs. A neighbor asked if my family wanted to join them to watch the Norge Ski Jumping competition in Fox River Grove. Like most people in my circles, I watched ski jumping once every four years during the Olympic broadcasts, thinking, “that’s cool, they’re crazy,” and then forgetting about it for another four years.
But to see it in person… that sounds exciting, so of course we said yes! Norge Ski Club has been putting on a competition every year for more than 125 years! We were among thousands of spectators who showed up to watch the competition, and you could feel the excitement in the air. We watched the young children pop off 5- and 10-meter jumps, and the progression of age and hill size as they launched themselves off the 20M, 40M, and then the main attraction, the 70M jump. It was exhilarating to witness this in person, but when my almost 9-year-old son Kevin pointed out the “Learn to ski jump” tent, I was shocked when he said he wanted to become a jumper! His first coach, Oleg Glyvka, built his confidence and encouraged him to reach his potential. That was the start of it; Kevin was immediately hooked, and his younger sister Kailey followed soon afterwards.
At Norge, I soon realized it was not a sport where you dropped your kids off and then picked them up after practice. This was a “parental participation” sport. You were immediately welcomed into the Norge family and handed duties, tasks, yard work, or whatever else was needed to keep the massive grounds functioning. From there, I would segue into coaching the little ones and officiating. It was this participation that connected our family to the sport. We participated with other families not only at the club but also by traveling throughout the Central Division to competitions in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. Meeting other families in the sport and watching our children develop lifelong friendships around the country. As the jumping progressed, so did the travel to places like Steamboat Springs, Lake Placid, and Park City. The more we participated, the more connected we became to the families and the love of the sport.
As Kevin progressed, his second coach, Scott Smith, took him to the next level to two Junior National Championships. When Kevin was 16, he made the National Development Team and was asked to live and train in Park City. Not wanting to leave him on his own at such a young age, the family packed up and moved to Park City to give it a try. It was then that I became involved with the National Organization and served various roles on the Board. The memories and participation continue.
We now have one of the strongest teams in decades working in partnership with Team Norway. With the World Cup season just getting started, we already have seven athletes in the World rankings (4 men and 3 women), a record for the USA! The future is bright for our team, but your participation is crucial to reaching our best results ever!
With our Story Project Fundraiser starting today, your participation and donation help connect you further to our great sport, athletes, staff, families, fans, and supporters. So please join us in this Olympic year and make this the most successful Story Project Fundraiser in 14 years!
