Central Ski Jumping

The upper midwest region, with it's Scandinavian and European heritage created the perfect hotbed for the sport of ski jumping. Local clubs were formed in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some of these played host to the first ski jump competitions in the United States.

Today the Central Division unites and promotes cooperation among 13 different winter sports clubs located in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Headquartered in Wisconsin, the division is in the process of acquiring 5013c status. This will enable the board to fundraise and provide even more resources and support to our clubs and athletes. As the saying goes, "It's all for the kids".

The Central Division board exists to support the development and advancement of all athletes, coaches and clubs in the sport of ski jumping and Nordic combined. Our key contributions include:

  • Promoting and supporting local, national and international level competitions, skills and training camps for all ages.

  • Providing hands on training and educational opportunities for club and divisional coaches.

  • Providing hands on training and education opportunities for officials within it's division. Many (judges, tournament directors, etc.) are qualified to work at some of the highest levels of international competitions.

  • Ensuring each club can obtain access to electronic apparatuses for communication, advertisement, event registration, tracking memberships and calculating results.

  • Assisting clubs with resources for volunteers, equipment and facility upgrades or repairs.

Meet Our Coaches

Central Division includes some talented coaches at the club and divisional level. Our divisional coaches are typically former jumpers who have expert knowledge and experience coaching athletes on the larger hills where skill is paramount to a jumpers safety. Our Central Head Coaches for Jumping and Nordic Combined often travel with our advanced jumpers to regional and national competitions. These include our US Cup series tournaments (several are held in the Midwest) Junior Nationals and US Nationals. Within the division, they will also travel and coach at qualifying tournaments for Junior Nationals and are happy to coach developing athletes on the smaller hills if clubs request their services. Coaches are paid for through divisional fees each club pays according to the divisional tournaments they host.

Central Jumping Head Coach

Scott Smith

Central NC Head Coach

Ken Ripp

Central Jumping Coach

Nick Mattoon

Central Jumping Coach

Brian Wallace

Central Jumping Coach

Nate Mattoon

Central Panel Officers:

Chairman: Chad Giese (Norge Ski Club)
Vice Chairwoman: Kim Larson (Ishpeming Ski Club)
Secretary: Lyle Boucher (Ishpeming Ski Club)
Treasurer: Christine Gessner (Blackhawk Ski Club)
Communications Director: Sue Swanson (St. Paul Ski Club)
Officials Committee Chair: Matt Keuler (Snowflake Ski Club)
Central Head Coach: Scott Smith (Norge Ski Club)
Nordic Combined Head Coach: Ken Ripp (Cloquet Ski Club

Voting Panel Committee Members:

  • Chris Broz (Minneapolis Ski Club)

  • Peter Copenhaver (Ishpeming Ski Club)

  • Brian Wallace (Flying Eagles Ski Club)

  • Whitney Siegers (Norge Ski Club)

  • Dan Mattoon (Flying Eagles Ski Club)

  • Jennifer Hassrick (Blackhawk Ski Club)

  • Paul Jastrow (Flying Eagles Ski Club)

  • Matt ? Z (?)

  • Guy Larson (Norge Ski Club)

  • Billy Trimble (Norge Ski Club)

Divisional Meetings

The Central Division meets annually each spring. Every parent and club member is invited to attend. Invitations go out several weeks in advance to all the clubs via Team Snap. During this meeting, elections for officers and voting committee members are held. Each member of the Panel Committee and one appointed representative from each club is eligible to vote. The ten committee members are elected to two year terms with half being up for re-election each year for the sake of congruence. Officers are elected to one or two year terms, depending on the position. All this is spelled out in the Division's Bylaws located in our resources section.

This meeting also determines changes in our summer, fall and winter calendars, including training camps, out-of-division competitions, changes in policies that affect our athletes and venues, including safety and fair competition. Clubs may petition for financial assistance and any new points of business or previously tabled items are discussed and voted on as needed. This is also where we nominate and vote on our Athletes of the Year (Divisional, Junior Male, Junior Female, and Male and Female Nordic Combined) and our Most Improved Junior Male and Female athletes. These awards have a significant history, being named after iconic members of our Central Division Community, and are a great honor for the athletes and the clubs they represent.

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