August 24, 2003 – (Calgary, AB) – The sun may be shining with temperatures in the upper 20's, and there may be no sign of snow on the ground, but Canada's ski jumping and nordic combined athletes are in full swing.  More than 50 of Canada's top ski jumpers from the grassroots to elite level will be competed in a field of 80 athletes in the Fifth Annual Springer Tournee ski jumping competition against the United States, August 21-22, 2003 from 2 p.m. – 8 p.m, at CODA's Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.

Modeled after similar duo country clashes in Europe, the Springer Tournee pits the top jumpers from Calgary's Altius Nordic Ski Club against Park City's National Sports Foundation Ski Club. Athletes at all levels compete in two events in Park City, Utah before completing the competition with the final two events in Calgary, where a champion will be crowned on each of the four jumps being used at the Canadian Ski Jumping Training Centre. Canada currently leads in just one of the four events, but will be looking to fly above its counterparts and land on the top step of the podium by Friday, Aug 22.

Each of the Canadian jumpers who finished 10th in the team portion of the World Junior Ski Jumping Championships last year will be flying the Canadian colours this week including Greg Baxter, Stefan Read, Andy Osadetz and Dominik Bafia.

Calgary's Altius Nordic Ski Club and Park City's National Sports Foundation Ski Club created the Springer Tournee to assist with athlete development. Ski jumping year-round is crucial for Canadian athletes to excel on the world stage. To accomplish this, various jumps at Canada Olympic Park are fitted with specially designed porcelain in-runs and a plastic landing hill that simulates snow once it is wet. Canada's athletes take advantage of this facility in Calgary as summer ski jumping has become so popular that it is now included in the overall annual ranking lists.

Jason Myslicki of Thunder Bay, Ont. will go into the record books this weekend as Canada's first full-time representative on the World Cup circuit when he competes in a nordic combined Grand Prix Series event on Friday, August 22 and Sunday, August 24 in Villach, Austria.

Myslicki, who has been competing on the World Cup B circuit, gained entry onto the World Cup circuit this summer and will be looking to be the first Canadian in the last decade to compete at the next Olympic Winter Games in nordic combined.

World Cup nordic combined athletes compete in the Grand Prix Series during the summer months to prepare for the winter season. The event combines summer ski jumping with inline skating to replace cross-country skiing.