Park City, Utah (December 9, 2024) – Casey Larson, Tate Frantz, Kevin Bickner, Andrew Urlaub, and Jason Colby represented the U.S. men’s ski jumping team this weekend, competing on the HS134 hill in Wisła, Poland.
The weekend got started on Friday for training and qualification. Unfortunately, Colby crashed on his first training jump. He left the outrun walking but was taken to the hospital after further evaluation raised concerns for the need for medical attention. Colby has since returned to the United States for surgery to repair a collarbone injury and is expected to be back on the hill in about a month. We are wishing him a swift and full recovery.
Larson was the only U.S. jumper to advance to the competition, but it wasn’t without its challenges. During Friday’s heavy snowfall, Larson struck a blower while he was going down the inrun. The blower was being used to blow the snow out of the tracks in between jumpers. This incident resulted in a less-than-ideal jump. However, due to this unexpected issue, he was granted a re-jump for his qualification. Larson seized the opportunity, delivering a strong effort that secured his spot in Saturday’s competition. He finished in Saturday’s competition in 41st place.
The team had a stronger showing on Sunday, with Larson, Frantz, and Bickner all advancing to the competition. Frantz delivered the best result of the day, finishing 33rd, while Bickner placed 42nd and Larson 47th.
The men’s team will head to Titisee-Neustadt, Germany, for their next World Cup destination next weekend, while the women’s team will head to Zhangjiakou, China.
Results: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/event-details.html?sectorcode=JP&eventid=55869&seasoncode=2025
Zhangjiakou, China: Two Top-20 Finishes for Decker Dean
Decker Dean and Bryce Kloc started in the Continental Cup on the HS106 in Zhangjiakou, China.
Decker delivered a solid and consistent performance throughout the weekend, advancing to the second round of competition on both days. He secured 19th place in Saturday’s event and repeated the same strong result on Sunday. Kloc was not far behind, finishing in 33rd on Saturday, but unfortunately, he was disqualified on Sunday.
Results: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/event-details.html?sectorcode=JP&eventid=57194&seasoncode=2025
