Weekend Recap: USA Ski Jumping
USA Thrives In Willingen: Bickner and Frantz With Top-10’s
The Mixed Team Event kicked off the weekend in Willingen, Germany, with Josie Johnson, Kevin Bickner, Annika Belshaw, and Tate Frantz representing the USA on the HS147 hill. Facing a highly competitive international field, the team delivered a strong performance, advancing to the second round and securing a 7th-place finish. Bickner led the way with a standout 134-meter jump, while Frantz displayed impressive consistency, landing jumps of 131 and 130.5 meters. Belshaw and Johnson also contributed key jumps over 100 meters, helping propel the team to their strong finish.
On Saturday, the women took to the hill for their sole individual competition. Sam Macuga, Paige Jones, Annika Belshaw, and Josie Johnson were ready to compete. With fewer than 40 athletes in the field, the qualification round was skipped, and the event went straight into the main competition. Johnson, Belshaw, and Jones soared into the final round, earning a second jump. Belshaw led the charge, securing an impressive 22nd-place finish, followed by Johnson in 26th and Jones in 28th—a strong showing for the team.
The men followed the women’s competition, with all four U.S. athletes—Casey Larson, Erik Belshaw, Tate Frantz, and Kevin Bickner—successfully advancing through the qualification round. In the first round of competition, Belshaw, Frantz, and Bickner delivered strong performances, earning spots in the final round. Bickner led the U.S. contingent, sitting comfortably in 8th place after an impressive first jump. The competition wrapped up with Bickner securing a new personal best, finishing 10th overall. His teammates weren’t far behind, with Frantz in 16th and Belshaw in 18th, marking his best finish of the season. Read more.
The men returned to the hill on Sunday, with all four athletes successfully qualifying once again. Erik Belshaw and Tate Frantz advanced to the second round, sitting in 23rd and 19th after their first jumps. Both athletes showed impressive improvement in the final round. Belshaw climbed two spots to finish 21st, while Frantz delivered a standout second jump that not only turned heads but also propelled him nine places up the leaderboard, securing 10th place. This marks Frantz’s third top-10 finish of the season. Read more.
The team is heading back to the U.S. for the Lake Placid World Cup next weekend—an exciting opportunity for our athletes to compete on home soil in front of friends, family, and maybe even you! This year marks the third time Lake Placid will host the Men’s World Cup, and for the first time ever, the Women’s World Cup will be held in the United States. It’s a historic moment you won’t want to miss as USA Ski Jumping takes flight in front of a home crowd!
Continental Cup Lillehammer, Norway:
Andrew Urlaub, Decker Dean, Maxim Glyvka, and Jason Colby represented Team USA at the Continental Cup this weekend, competing on the HS139 hill in Lillehammer.
On day one, Urlaub, Dean, and Colby advanced to the second round. Urlaub led the U.S. contingent, finishing as the top American in 17th place. Colby, making an impressive return to competition after shoulder surgery, showcased a strong comeback with a 23rd-place finish. Dean rounded out the day in 30th place, contributing to a solid team effort.
But on day two, Colby wasn’t done making his comeback known. He soared to 134.5 meters in the first round, launching himself into 4th place heading into the final jump. Staying cool under pressure, Colby delivered another consistent performance with a second jump of 134 meters, securing an impressive 4th-place finish—an achievement that firmly reestablished him as a top contender.
Dean finished the day in 38th, followed by Urlaub in 45th, and Glyvka in 50th.
