Local Athletes Flying High

By Mimi Wacholder

I am on a plane heading to Engelberg, Switzerland to see my 19-year-old son, Tate Frantz, compete as he embarks in his second season as a World Cup ski jumper. I’ll then follow him to the Four Hills Tournament, in Germany and Austria. These events attract over 30,000 people to the stadiums, attracting loyal fans – like football in the US – with millions tuning in on TV. It fascinates me how ski jumping is so valued in Central Europe, that Tate signs autographs and has become a household name.

When my seat neighbors asked, “What brings you to Europe, work or holiday?” I mentioned my son’s ski jumping and they were in awe. “How can you let him do that?” they plead. My response is always the same, “How can I not, it is what he loves.”

Ski jumping is undoubtedly a spectacular sport, where athletes fly like eagles, sometimes hundreds of meters (two football fields), off looming towers, trying to defy gravity and stay in the air as long as possible. For years, ABC’s Wide World of Sports ran the infamous “agony of defeat” clip of a ski jumper crashing and tumbling down the landing hill as part of their promotional package, indelibly imprinting the risk factors and consequences into viewers’ minds. 

Yes, since starting at 8 years old, Tate has crashed, been injured, concussed, and back on the proverbial “horse” to do it again and again. Although there are crashes, and an EMT is required at the hill for any training or competition, the injury rates are surprisingly low compared to other winter Olympic sports. 

Another question I often field is “How in the world do you start something like that?” Well, when someone comes from an athletic family (I was on the US Figure Skating team, and his father, a climber, skier, mountaineer) and you live in Lake Placid, a two-time Winter Olympic village, it’s somewhat inevitable.

Tate, like his two brothers, played lacrosse, soccer, skied cross-country and downhill, hiked and biked, it was only natural that when a flyer came home about the “Learn to Fly” afterschool program, he was ready to go. 

Luckily, beginners do not start with the looming 100m and 128m towers that punctuate the skyline in Lake Placid, but they learn the basics on 10- and 20-meter hills and graduate incrementally as their skills develop. Because the progression of hill size is gradual, your fears also get acclimated as a parent. However, I was holding my breath, the first time Tate launched off the 90-meter tower at age 11. 

Of the questions I field, the most common is, “Do you think he’ll go to the Olympics one day?” The Olympics are the most notable measuring stick of success, the pinnacle achievement. Reason being, it’s the most publicized and visible of winter sports, especially in America. A common misunderstanding is that the Olympics are a level beyond all other competitions. As it happens, the Olympic field of athletes (the top athletes of each country) compete every week for 30-plus consecutive World Cup competitions annually. If they were now, Tate would likely be representing the USA. However, when an Olympic year comes up, athletes need to continue to be at the top of their field, healthy mentally and physically, and ready for the competition. The team will officially be named within a month of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics taking place from February 6-22, 2026.

Larry Stone, one of Tate’s first coaches, recently said, “From a very young age, I knew Tate was going to be successful, I just didn’t think it would be this soon.” Larry was a competitive ski jumper from 1956 to 1976. After coaching the US Team, and several years in retirement, he is back at the hill in micro-spikes and puffy parka, flagging young jumpers down the hill. 

Larry coaches the younger athletes alongside Jay Rand, his former jumping teammate. Jay ski jumped in the Grenoble 1968 Olympics and settled in his training grounds of Lake Placid. Today, they train youth athletes in the New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF’s) Learn to Fly – Ski Jumping for Beginners program: nysef.org. This includes Jay’s granddaughter, Adalina, whose father is local legend alpine skier and Olympic medalist, Andrew Weibrecht.

At the Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex, you will also find NYSEF Head Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Coach, Colin Delaney, lifting jumpers over his head. These lifts simulate the take-off and air position and are called “immos” or imitation jumps.

Colin was a world-class Nordic combined competitor – a sport that includes a cumulative score of both ski jumping and skate skiing. In May 2024, he was honored with the US Ski & Snowboard Gold Award for Development Coach of the Year (across all skiing disciplines): usskiandsnowboard.org. Colin coached Tate from age 11-16 and guided him to be crowned U16 National Champion at the age of 12, and again at 13. He now has an amazing group of up-and-coming ski jumpers and Nordic combined competitors. 

“We have a great base of talent here, and across the smaller clubs in the Northeast, that regularly train in Lake Placid. These athletes have helped push each other to higher levels,” Colin commented.

The athletes include local natives: Henry Loher of Wilmington, 16, a 2024-25 National Development Team Member and U16 Ski Jumping National Champion; Kai McKinnon of Lake Placid, 16, a Nordic Combined World Junior Championship Silver Medalist; Max Fey of Lake Placid, 14, U16 Nordic Combined National Champion; Jack Kroll of Delmar, 17, Nordic Combined athlete; and ski jumpers Eli Larkin, 15, of Plattsburgh; Will Coffin, 16, of Lake Placid; and Duncan Van Dorn, 16, of Lake Placid.

Henry Loher won the US Junior Championship in Alaska last March and won both Junior World Championship qualifiers in Steamboat Springs, Colo. in December. Northwood School in Lake Placid works in cooperation with NYSEF and offers boarding and day student options for many of these athletes.

When touring the Olympic Jumping Complex, you’re likely to catch a training session. I love watching guests in complete awe with jaws dropped, eyes wide, witnessing jumping in person for the first time. They say it is nothing like TV because of the daunting scale of the jumps, the audible acceleration as they hurl down the inrun, the height as they soar overhead, and most notably, the whirring sound of their bodies cutting through the air – this is mastery of sport and an example of what is humanly possible, to fly 75 miles per hour!

Tate remarked, “The best way I can describe what it feels like to fly, is it is similar to the feeling when you stick your arm out the window driving down the highway, but this pressure is up against your whole body.” 

After renovations to host the 2023 FISU World University Games, the Olympic Jumping Complex in Lake Placid is the most up-to-date facility in North America for winter and summer training and competition with the jump surfaces (inruns) revamped, landing hills (outruns) regraded and resurfaced, and the official jump heights changed to hill size (HS) 100 and 128 meters.

As a result, Lake Placid is now on the map to host FIS (International Ski Federation) competitions like the World Cup. The World Cup will return for the third year on February 6-9, welcoming the best ski jumpers in the world – the same field as the Olympics. This will mark the first-year hosting both the men’s and women’s events. The roster of athletes will include Tate Frantz, who is the reigning US Champion and was able to secure his first World Cup podium in the September Grand Prix – a huge achievement for the US. The Olympic Authority will be hosting the event in Lake Placid, which they know is important for the sport to have a World Cup in America – in person and worldwide via TV. 

Immediately following, Lake Placid will also host the high-profile World Junior Championships from February 11-16. This event will feature the world’s best ski jumping and Nordic combined athletes under age 20. Tate Frantz has qualified, and Henry Loher and Kai McKinnon are hoping to qualify at the Junior World Championship Qualifier in Lake Placid, on January 4-5. 

These events are worth a trip to Lake Placid. I say this not just because my son is competing, but they are awesome to witness. For event info, visit: olympicjumpingcomplex.com.

Viewers Guide to Ski Jumping

Suits – Among the most critical, the suit is made of three-layer foam fabric and are highly regulated to fit guidelines and air permeability to attempt to even the playing field. There are strict fitting margins, as the suits are custom to the body of each jumper, and they’re microchipped and scanned to ensure they are not swapped out. World Cup teams travel with a suit tailor, who often gets less sleep as they’re sewing custom suits and traveling almost 200 days a year. 

Skis – Ski length is relative to athlete height and weight. The skis are wide straight, and edgeless – more like a XC than an alpine ski in construction, made to be “wings” of the jumper in a V air position and to track straight on the inrun and landing. The boot and binding system is a free-heel design. 

Track – In winter months, the track is ice; Lake Placid and other World Cup venues have a refrigerated track for consistent conditions. In summer and fall, the track is plastic and porcelain with water to reduce friction and simulate the ice. Some jumpers prefer these conditions as they are more consistent. There are competitions in summer and fall including US Nationals and the World Circuit called Grand Prix. 

Landing Hill – Packed snow in the winter, both loose and sticky snow can pose a great risk. You’ll see both painted lines and pine boughs on the landing hill, all ways the jumper can gain perspective from the air. In the non-snow months, it’s watered plastic matting. Distance traveled is now done digitally to decrease the margin of error. 

Judges and Scoring – There are five judges with the high and low score is disregarded, leaving three judges’ scores to be factored. They’re looking for a quiet flight, good form, and a telemark landing (one knee dropped with a free-heel). The overall ranking is the sum total of judges, plus distance, wind and gate compensation. 

Wind – A headwind is desired, as it helps to propel the jumper over the air current to sustain flight. A tailwind will knock the jumper down from the air. Monitors track the wind and compensation points are calculated into the score.

Start Gate – This is the bar where the jumpers start. The higher the gate, the more speed, therefore, the lower the gate, the more challenging it is to go far. It is not safe to land past the hill size (HS), as this is when the pitch of the landing hill levels out and can greatly increase impact. Officials can adjust starting gate according to conditions or competition level. 

Disqualification (DSQ) – Jumpers are called into random equipment control checks of their ski length and suit size and permeability. All teams are pushing the limits and it’s common to see regular DSQs at high-level competitions.

You can follow Tate on Instagram (@Tate_Frantzz) or his website: tatefrantz.com

Mimi Wacholder (mimjuniper@gmail.com) is a writer, producer, and entrepreneur with a passion for travel. She is a proud mom to three young men and an outdoor adventurer, based in Lake Placid.