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Show Spoirte "ParkRSSH. www.parkrecord.com O SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2002 SPORTS EDITOR: Shane McCammon 649-90 1 4 ext. 1 1 0 sportsparkrecord.com IN THE B SECTION Scene & Heard B-9 Professional Services B-12 Business B-13 Weather B-2 l Briefs 13 Wildlife Resources holds Bald Eagle Day The Division of Wildlife Resources is providing anyone interested an opportunity opportu-nity to view and leam about bald eagles on Saturday, Feb. 2. Admission is free to the division s annual Bald Eagle Day. ' Vlewings will take place at the following follow-ing sites: Compton's Knoll (about 10 miles northwest of Corinne), Willard Bay State Park's North Marina (located off I-15, I-15, about 10 miles north of Ogden), Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area (located on the west side of Farmington, off 1-15), Fountain Green State Fish Hatchery (just east of Nephi), the Green River north of Jensen (off S.R. 149 on the way to Dinosaur National Monument), Gordon Creek (between Helper and Price) and Rush Lake Ranch (located 13 miles north of Cedar City on the Minersville highway). Spotting scopes will be set up at each viewing site, and division biologists and volunteers will be available to help viewers view-ers spot eagles and to answer any questions. ques-tions. Displays will also be set up at each location, and pamphlets and other materials mate-rials about bald eagles will be available. Viewing times will be between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at most locations, with division biologists recommending mid to late afternoon as the best spotting times. ; For more information, call Bob Walters at the Division of Wildlife Resources at (801) 538-4771 or local division offices in Ogden, Springville, Vernal, Price and Cedar City. o : Ability Ski Challenge The National Sports Foundation is holding its annual Ability Ski Challenge at Deer Valley's Race Course run today, with the competition beginning at 9 am . The race, which pairs former Olympians and National Team members with disabled skiers, is open and free to the public. Women jumpers have to play with the boys For Jerome and Van, competing against males is usually the only option by Shane McCammon OF THE RECORD STAFF This weekend, dozens of boys will find out what it feels to be routed, trashed and downright beaten by a girl. But these unsuspecting hot shots jumping jump-ing at the Continental Cup is Westby, Wise, shouldn't feel too bad they're just the latest to lose to Park City's Lindsay Van and Jessica Jerome. The two teenagers Lindsay is 17, and Jessica proudly announces she'll be 15 in a couple of weeks compete against boys because they have no choice. Sure, they might grin when they fly past their male counterparts and even gain a measure of self-satisfaction when they see the boys' faces, but both Van and Jerome would much rather compete against an equal playing field. "If I had to compete against boys my whole life, it would be tough,", says Jerome, a freshman at Park City High School, "but I'd do it if I had to." . ' For love of the game - Jerome is an unassuming, if not extremely young, pioneer. While most girls her age fret about boys and high school dances, Jerome concentrates on training, beating boys and, when she has time, campaigning for the inclusion of women ski jumping in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. Because the International Olympic Committee doesn't recognize the sport the only winter event that doesn't have a female equivalent Jerome says it's easy for talented girls to give up. . "They think 'If it's not an Olympic sport, why should I do it?'" Jerome says. "But if Lindsay and I can go out there and show them . , . that we do it for the love of the sport, maybe they will stick with it." So far, if their teammates are paying attention to results, the two girls are making an impression. Competing against boys, they've become some of the top young jumpers in the country, regardless of gender, and are proving - h that women can succeed in the danger ous sport. , It hasn't come easy for either Jerome or Van, and the two have had to work at such a high level. Jerome says training hard i kfv nnH that "j - jf ' her extensive work ' i A during the summer has paid off in a sue- ' cessful season. , v. "'TtRtfC' us guing icauy t . well," she says. So well that even if the IOC never recognizes rec-ognizes women ski ' jumping, Jerome is " going to keep hurl- ; ine her self K120 just one, guys, - "I guess I'll have to keep suc ceeding as a guy, as an ath lete, if jumping tor women never makes it," she says: ' an t doesn't quite share the same-exuberance as her teammate Maybe it's because she has been jumping for longer or because she has had her hopes dashed before, but Van says she has stopped worrying about the sport's acceptance. "It's very frustrating. I just keep jumping," she says. "It's too much stress and it makes me too mad." One of the reasons Van sighs when U ;- I ft 1 .11 IK ft ... l ;i i w b ir oi tne. - w i i i c t Vw I f f at m w n i t Mil 1 f I " i w w m T a!. . i ' 1 fiS 1 .? M 1 the topic of recognition is broached is because she sees a double standard. "Every other sport has male and female events," she says. "It's frustrating frustrat-ing to know we have a field and it's not recognized." Even though that field is growing. t Through domestic programs like the National Sports Foundation a local 'y club that both Van and Jerome joined to get their introduction to ski jumping and the sport's growing popularity in Europe, more women jumpers are starting to pop up. ' In fact. Van and Jerome travel this week to ; Germany and Austria to compete in a women-only tournament. But still, the it tournament iU is ;u Olympics. no It's not even a World Cup, and as tar as the International Ski Federation is con cerned, it's an exhi bition, a sort of souped-up version of the Utah Winter Games' jumping competition. Both Van and Jerome say that they're stuck in an Olympic-sized Catch-22 the IOC and the International Ski Federation f (FIS) say women s ski jumping doesn t have enough competitors and therefore don't deserve recogni tion, but because there isn't recogni- tion or, more importantly a future, girls shy away. "We're actually getting more numbers," num-bers," Van says. "But girls don't do it because they can't go anywhere with it. But if you're a male jumper, you can get money. For females, there's nothing left, no Olympics." Training partners But Van and Jerome are lucky they Despite being a 14-year-old girl, Jessica Jerome has risen to the top levels of male-dominated ski jumping. Due to a lack of women jumpers, Jerome, a freshman at Park City High School, usually has to compete against boys. at least have each other. While other U.S. women jumpers have to take to the road with a van full of obnoxious teenage boys, the two Park City athletes can at least commiserate together on long trips to Steamboat Springs and Westby. And having a teammate of the same gender usually a luxury helps Van and Jerome push each other while also giving them a measuring stick by which they gauge themselves. "We push each other and it helps to have someone jumping at the same level." says Van, who has struggled this year as she recovers from a knee injury. "It's pretty cool to have someone else to train with." But Van, who started jumping when she was 7, admits it's sometimes odd to be on one of those long trips, sitting next to someone who understands what it's like to be a girl. "It's kind of fun," she says, "but it's different. I'm not used to traveling with girls." For Jerome, the stresses of traveling and being a 14 year old away from her family are eased by having Van around. "It helps a lot because we keep each other in check," she says. "It's hard for a girl to travel all the time. Coaches can't help in the same way a teammate can." More than sharing a gender and a room on the road, Jerome and Van also share a similar attitude when it comes to competing against the guys. "I don't really see it as a guy-girl thing," Jerome says. Van agrees, adding that competing against males is just an means to the end of a K120 hill. And while she says she doesn't think about the gender of her opponents, Van acknowledges she gets reminded when she walks away with another impressive jump. "It's really funny because they get real mad," she says. "They say, 'I got beat by a girl!' and I laugh." 'It isnt going to stop us1 Jerome and Van won't be hearing quite the same laments and compliments while in Germany and Austria, but they will still leave their fellow jumpers with Please see Jumping, B-6 k 1 . I H TO T.HI.N...AIR JUMP AT THE CHANCE TO GET TICKETS TO HOMETOWN EVENTS BEFORE THEY VANISH. :.4 SftV CO I 7 Olympic t:ckets to park city area, cvtnrs art sni i avam 6i i AT YOU a LOCAL SMlTtfSTiX H K!MBAtl. HIWMON U M'.ol-H CUY Date Single Event Tickets 29 Cross-Country $50125 ' M30km(9:0O-10:00)W15km(12:3O-14:00)5oldiefHollow 29 Nordic Combined S95J45 K90 Individual (Jump Portion, 9:00-1 2: 15)Utah Olympic Park 210 Nordic Combined $50125 ' 15 km Individual (9:00-10:00)Soldier Hollow 210 Ski Jumping S150S90 K90 Finals (8:30-1 1:00)Utah Olympic Park 211 Biathlon . J50J25 " W 15 km (1 1:00-13:00) M 20 km (1 3:30-1 5:30)Soldiet Hollow 211 Luge S55S35 M Luge Runs 3 and 4 (9:00-1 2:30)Utah Olympic Park 212 Cross-Country J50J25 W 10 km (9:00-10:30) M 15 km (12:00-13:30)Soldier Hollow 212 Ski Jumping $95145 K120 Individual Qualify (8:30-1 1:00)Utah Olympic Park 214 : Cross-Country . $5Q$25 l t . : it M 10 km Classical (9:15-10:30) M 10 km Free (12:0012:45)Soldier Hollow 214 Nordic Combined $95$45 K90 Team (Jump Portion, 8:30-1 1:30)Utah Olympic Park 221 Cross-Country jjjj-' W 4x5 km relay (12:30-13:45)Soldiet Hollow 221 Nordic Combined $95$45 K120 Sprint (Jump Portion, 10:30-12:30)Utah Olympic Park Visit saltlake2002.com for a complete listing of available tickets and accommodations. In recognition of Visa's sponsorship, Visa is the only card accepted at the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. For tickets, visit saltlake2002.com call 1-S00-TICKETS or visit any Smith'sTix. 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