January 3, 2009 (Baiersbronn, Germany) – Lady Luck wasn’t on the side of the Visa U.S. Women’s Ski Jumping Team this weekend, but it didn’t stop the squad from placing two in the top six in the first Ladies Continental Cup (COC) of 2010. Alissa Johnson’s and Abby Hughes’ equipment bags full of boots and helmets got lost in the flight from Salt Lake City to Germany and both athletes went into Saturday’s training rounds in Baiersbronn sporting borrowed gear.

Right before comps were to start later that day, their bags finally showed up. And, Jessica Jerome, who stayed in Europe during the two-week COC break, has been without her jumping skis, bindings and comp suits since Dec. 21 after the airline lost her baggage in Munich.

“What do you do? It’s one of those things that is completely out of your control,” said Jerome, 22. “I can’t let it get to me because I can’t stress about skis that I don’t have.”

Apparently, she didn’t let it faze her. The veteran jumper placed 10th on Saturday and 5th on Sunday on the K-85 hill. Jerome ended up borrowing a pair of summer competition skis from a German jumper, which were 3 centimeters shorter than her skis. Johnson placed 6th on Saturday and 13th on Sunday. Abby Hughes placed 14th and 19th respectively and Karin Friberg, making her winter COC debut, placed 31st and 39th.

The weather wasn’t so cooperative either. On Saturday morning five teams, including the Visa Team, were stuck at their hotel trying to get up a hill that was “sheer ice” from a previous night’s storm. COC coordinators delayed the start of the trial rounds for a half-hour and ended up canceling the second trial jump because hill conditions were not prepared well enough and several jumpers experienced hard falls.

“The hill was in much better shape (Sunday). It was still a little rutted out, but it’s an outdoor sport and you deal with that type of stuff sometimes,” Jerome said.

This was the best overall two-day competition so far for Jerome. While she didn’t jump during the two-week break, she did train and got “a good mental break.” “There wasn’t a lot from before that I needed to change. Having time away from the hill helps mentally,” she said. “A lot of times, if you keep trying to fix and fix it’s more deconstructive.”

Jerome was one of 14 women ski jumpers from across the world who sued the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) to be part of the 2010 Games. Ski jumping is the only sport in the Winter or Summer Games that does not allow women to compete. On Dec. 23, the jumpers learned that their fight to be in the Games had come to a legal end — the Supreme Court of Canada denied their request to hear an appeal on their case.

For Jerome, she said she’s hugely disappointed in not being able to jump in the 2010 Games, but is ready to move on and have a successful COC season. Advocates for women’s ski jumping already are making plans to push for inclusion in the Sochi 2014 Games. “Our team is doing really well right now. Alissa and Abby are right there, and for Karin these are her first comps of the season,” Jerome said. “The potential is there for all of us.”

The Visa Team heads to Schonach, Germany, on Jan. 6 for one comp and then on to Braunlage, Germany, Jan. 9-10 for a two-day event. American Sarah Hendrickson, 15, who was ranked fourth in the world at the end of 2009, is taking a break in January in order to keep up with her studies at Park City High School. She’ll head to the Junior World Championships in Hinterzarten, Germany, on Jan. 29.

Results

1. Daniela Iraschko, Austria, 253.5
2. Anette Sagen, Norway, 244.0
3. Ulrike Graessler, Germany, 243.5
4. Line Jahr, Norway, 233.0
5. Jessica Jerome, Park City, UT, 217.5

13. Alissa Johnson, Park City, UT, 198.5
19. Abby Hughes, Park City, UT, 192.0
39. Karin Friberg, Roseville, MN, 78.0