It's almost time to activate the ski jumps.
For the first time since the 2012 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, the ski jump facilities at Whistler Olympic Park (WOP) will be put to use and some of North America's best jumpers are ready to take flight.
The training camp portion of the event started on Saturday (March 24) and will last until Friday (March 30), with the championship events taking place on Saturday (March 31).
The event is hosted by the Callaghan Winter Sports Club (CWSC) and will see 26 Canadian athletes, 11 U.S. athletes and two ski jumpers from Germany get big air.
With the strong structural similarities between the ski jumps at WOP and those constructed in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Games, the event has attracted some big names. The star-studded Canadian field begins with MacKenzie Boyd-Clowes, Canadian record holder in ski flying, and continues with the talented Canadian women's team.
Renowned for their dedication to the sport, the Canadian women's team played a pivotal role in establishing women's ski jumping as an Olympic sport for the 2014 Winter Games. Not to be missed is Taylor Henrich, 16, of Alberta, who made history by becoming the first Canadian woman to compete in an Olympic Ski Jumping competition at the Youth Olympic Games this past January in Innsbruck, Austria.
Also in attendance will be a German team coach and two athletes -Pascal Bodmer and Martin Schmitt. Schmitt has won numerous Olympic and World Cup medals in individual events and as part of the German team. This includes being a member of the silver-medal-winning team in the team ski jumping event in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. He has a significant following around the world and will be a highlight of both the training and competition at WOP.
During the competition, a free pancake breakfast prepared by Whistler Cooks will take place on Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. at the bottom of the ski jumps. A $2 donation is suggested to benefit Callaghan Winter Sports Club.
For full event details visit, www.whistlerolympicpark.com.
