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What Is Ski Jumping?

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What is Ski Jumping?
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which skiers go down a ramp, jump, and attempt to fly as far as possible. Points are awarded to the jumpers for both style and the distance of the jump. (n.a., Ski Jumping, 2014) Ski jumping originated in Norway. The first known ski jumper was Norwegian Lieutenant Olaf Rye. In 1809, he completed a 9.5 metre jump to show courage to his fellow soldiers. By 1862, ski jumping was becoming more popular and skiers were jumping larger and longer jumps. The first ski jumping competition was held in Trysil, Norway on January 22nd, 1867. The Olympic Winter Games has held a ski jumping event since the 1st games in Chamonix Mont-Blanc in 1924. The Large Hill Competition joined the Olympics in 1964. (n.a., 2013)
In the Olympics and FIS (International Ski Federation), style points are divided into three phases, the flight, landing and outrun. A perfect jump is awarded a maximum of 20 points. During the stages, five judges deduct points based on theoretical perfect style for each phase. For fight and landing, judges can deduct no more than 5 points, and for the outrun the judges can deduct no more than 7 points. Deductions can be in half point increments. The highest and lowest judge’s scores are discarded and the remaining 3 scores are totaled for a jumpers style points. This is to ensure that the judges don’t cheat by scoring a competitor higher or lower than they should be actually scored. (Doyle, 2014)
In the Olympics and FIS

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