World Cup
Titisee-Neustadt, Germany: Opening Super Team Event
The weekend launched into action on Friday with the first of three Super Team events scheduled for this winter season. This relatively new format of a team event features two initial rounds for all teams, followed by a third round of jumps for the top eight teams. Representing the USA were Erik Belshaw and Tate Frantz, they advanced to the final round. The duo ultimately secured an 8th-place finish.
On Saturday, the entire team successfully advanced through the qualification round, earning spots in the competition. Erik Belshaw, Kevin Bickner, Casey Larson, Andrew Urlaub, and Tate Frantz represented the USA in the event. Frantz stood out as the only athlete to progress to the second round, finishing in 27th place. Belshaw narrowly missed the cutoff, placing 31st, while Bickner finished 33rd, Larson 47th, and Urlaub 48th.
On Sunday, once again, Frantz stood out, advancing to the second round and concluding the weekend in 26th place. Bickner finished in 38th, Belshaw in 42nd, and Urlaub in 48th.
Zhangjiakou, China: Jones Secures New Personal Best
Paige Jones, Annika Belshaw, and Sam Macuga took to the HS106 hill in Zhangjiakou, China, over the weekend. Jones kicked things off with a strong qualifying performance, earning 33rd place and advancing to the competition round, where she delivered a standout effort to secure a new personal best, finishing 24th overall.
Day 2 brought even more success for Jones, as she jumped to achieve another personal best, finishing in an impressive 22nd place. Belshaw and Macuga also made their mark, qualifying for the competition round, with Macuga finishing 37th and Belshaw in 40th, rounding out a weekend.
Both the women’s and the men’s teams will head to Engelberg, Switzerland, for their next World Cup, December 20-22.
ICOC/COC/FIS Cup
Notodden, Norway: Two Top-10 Finishes for Johnson
There was a strong USA presence in Notodden, on the HS98, over the weekend, with five girls on the starting list: Josie Johnson, Sandra Sproch, Estella Hassrick, Kaija Copenhaver, and Jamay Windgard. Notably, it marked the first international competition for both Copenhaver and Windgard, an exciting milestone in their careers.
Three of the athletes secured top-30 finishes on both Friday and Saturday, with one achieving a top-10 result on both days. On Friday, Hassrick placed 24th, Sproch 23rd, and Johnson an impressive 8th. The success continued on Saturday, with Hassrick finishing 25th, Sproch 22nd, and Johnson once again in the top 10, taking 9th place.
USA was represented in the FIS Cup in Notodden, as well, by Maxim Glyvka, our sole male athlete in the competition. Glyvka delivered consistent performances, finishing 57th and 56th over the weekend.
Ruka, Finland:
Decker Dean competed solo on the HS142 hill in Ruka this weekend, delivering a determined performance. On Saturday, he finished 44th, improving his results on Sunday with a solid 37th-place finish.
