October 11, 2016 (Lake Placid, NY) – Will Rhoads (Park City, UT) put down two towering jumps to win his second U.S. title of the season. Rhoads, who won the large hill gold on his home hill in Park City, took his third U.S. crown, winning the normal hill championship on Lake Placid’s HS100 meter hill.

Will Rhoads, shown here jumping in Park City, won his third U.S. title in Lake Placid on Oct. 9 © USSA

Rhoads opened the day with a 101.0 meter jump, just a half meter more than Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, IL), but building an eight point lead. Mike Glasder (Cary, IL) stood third. In the final round, Rhoads put down a sensational 106.0-meter ride to seal the win over Bickner, who took silver with a 95.5 final round jump.

“Today was great for me as snagged my third national title, first one on the small hill!” said Rhoads. “The wind conditions were a bit tricky during the competition, but I had three solid jumps that landed me on top of the podium. It is nice to continue gaining momentum as the summer has progressed and I am looking forward to the upcoming winter season!”

Kevin Bickner jumped to second place at the U.S. Championships. (USSA)

Junior Casey Larson (Cary, IL), a Norge Ski Club teammate of Bickner and Glasder, moved up to take bronze with a 100.5 meter final ride. Larson also took bronze on the large hill in Park City last July.

“It was a pretty interesting competition today,” said USA Nordic Coach Clint Jones. “After yesterday, it appeared that Mike Glasder was going to be the man to beat today, but the rest of the field seemed up to the challenge. Will was very happy to repeat his performance from the large hill championships earlier this summer and is continuing to build confidence heading into the winter.”

Casey Larson took third. (USSA)

The U.S. Ski Jumping Championships were a part of the Flaming Leaves Festival in Lake Placid. Jumpers are wrapping up fall training and hope to move on snow next month before the opening of the World Cup season.

“I am very excited with the level of our team heading into the winter,” added Jones. “The entire group has made some big improvements over the summer, and today’s competition was a great example of that. Our team is really looking forward to carrying this level into the winter season.”

RESULTS
U.S. Ski Jumping Championships, Normal Hill