Lodwick, Jerome take U.S. Nordic Titles while Johnson, Frenette share one

By Published On: August 5th, 2012Comments Off on Lodwick, Jerome take U.S. Nordic Titles while Johnson, Frenette share one

Nordic combined skier Todd Lodwick and ski jumper Jessica Jerome added to their impressive U.S. Championship title totals in Park City, Utah Saturday (Aug. 4). Ski jumpers Peter Frenette and Anders Johnson also made history with the first ever nordic U.S. Championships tie.

Lodwick locked up his career 20th U.S. Championship title as he came from behind to take the win under blistering heat. After landing eighth in the jump, Lodwick made up a deficit of a minute and seven seconds to take the win while skiing the fastest cross country race. He was joined on the podium by teammates Johnny Spillane and Taylor Fletcher in second and third, respectively.

“This win is huge. For me it’s a benchmark,” said Lodwick. “I won my first U.S. Championship in 1994 and to be U.S. Champ 18 years later is humbling. I’m very fortunate to be doing what I’m doing and have the support system that I have through teammates and coaches and the people around me. I’ve got a lot of training still to do but this is a lot of motivation going into the winter.”

Jerome secured her ninth U.S. Championship crown as she led the U.S. women to defend her large hill title. Jerome landed 119.5 meters in her first jump, followed by 117.5 meters in the second round to take the title.

“It feels good to defend my title,” said Jerome. “My jumping this summer technically isn’t as good as it was last summer at this point technically. So I knew that I had to work a little harder and I’m definitely satisfied. The Canadian girls are giving me a run for my money, but it’s really good to see because it means the sport is growing as a whole. It’s nice to have competition out there. Conditions were great today and pretty consistent.”

Defending large hill champ Peter Frenette tied the competition with teammate Anders Johnson for a title-share, the first tie in nordic U.S. Championship history.

“I’ve never heard of a tie at U.S. Championships, but it’s pretty sweet that Peter and I can both take home the victory today, so I’m pleased,” said Johnson. “Having this on my home hill has allowed me to probably have the most amount of jumps on this hill than anyone has had in the competition today. I consider both here and Lake Placid my home hills and I feel like I can do well at each place and it’s definitely an advantage that I can go home after this and go eat a nice home meal.”

The day’s longest jumps belonged to competition winners Alexandra Pretorius and Maken Boyd-Clowes, both of Canada. U.S. Champions are determined based on the top American finish.

2012 World Cup champion Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT) and 2009 World Champion Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) both sat out the event recovering from planned off-season surgeries.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
U.S. Championships
Park City, UT – Aug 4, 2012
Nordic Combined – Large Hill (HS134)
(jump rank/XC rank) finish time

1. Todd Lodwick, Steamboat Springs, CO (8/1) 21.59
2. Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO (5/3) 22.12
3. Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO (6/2) 22.15

OFFICIAL RESULTS
U.S. Championships
Park City, UT – Aug 4, 2012
Ski Jumping – Large Hill (HS134)
(Jump distances in meters) total points
Men
1. Maken Boyd-Clowes, Canada (127.5m, 129.5m) 252.6
2. Mathew Rowley, Canada (123m, 129.5m) 242
T3. Anders Johnson, Park City, UT (119m, 123.5m) 229
T3. Peter Frenette, Saranac Lake, NY (212m, 121.5m) 229

Women
1. Alexandra Pretorius, Canada (125.5m, 125.5m) 218.8
2. Jessica Jerome, Park City, UT (119.5m, 117.5m) 217.1
3. Atsuko Tanaka, Canada (120m, 120.5m) 214.4

Click here for complete results.

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About the Author: Eric Williams