Big weekend for US Nordic Combined at Springer Tournee
Bryan Fletcher wins Nordic Combined competition
Taylor Fletcher coaching a group of young athletes - Private
It was a big weekend for Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined in the USA as the annual Springer Tournee took place in Park City. The best jumpers from all over North America compete for the wins in Nordic Combined and the national large hill titles in Ski Jumping. The tournee also featured competitions in all junior classes as well as training and testing days when the big names in the American Nordic disciplines worked with tomorrow’s athletes.
Michael Ward was impressed with the experience as he wrote on his website: „Each national team athlete got 4-6 kids that they coach. In the morning I coached my kids on the HS68 and HS100. In the afternoon, we took the kids to the gym for testing. We tested there agility, speed, vertical jump, and broad jumps. I was really happy with my group. Each athlete put 100% into every test and their results were phenomenal. I cannot wait to see the progress that each of the kids make in the next four years.“
When the time came for the Nordic Combined competition on Friday, it was Bryan Fletcher who took the win in the senior category which featured a jump on the HS 100 normal hill and a 10 kilmetre roller-ski climb. With the intermediate lead and 202 points from jumping, Fletcher managed to put enough time between him and his fast brother Taylor and Brett Denney who finished 23 seconds and 40 seconds behind the winner. Taylor Fletcher, who had started one minute and 28 seconds after his brother set the fastest cross-country time with 18:56.0 for the 10 kilometres.
„I am very happy to take the Nordic Combined Springer Tournee Title for the second year in a row. I had a strong competition jump followed by a really hard race. Thankfully I had enough of a lead that I could hold off Taylor and Brett Denney“, the winner stated on his website.
In the open large hill nationals which took place on the final day of the Tournee, the Nordic Combined athletes were also well represented with Bryan Fletcher and Ben Berend claiming ranks five and six in the national ranking. (six and seven in the overall ranking)