Made with Xara This is what kids were doing back around 1950 if they lived near a ski jump and had big dreams of flying! This 20th Century Fox newsreel footage was filmed in Iron Mountain, Michigan, and one of the featured jumpers is 2009 ASJ HOF inductee Willie Erickson, age 9. Those old enough to remember newsreels at the movies will possibly recognize the voice of the narrator ... Mel Allen, famed as the voice of the New York Yankees. The equipment has changed, the facilities look much different today, but ski jumpers start young, on small hills, just like they did back then.  Your webmaster, and many of the folks involved with the American Ski Jumping Hall of Fame, will remember scenes just like these.  Younger athletes will have different pictures in their heads, but they will all remember one thing they have in common ... experiencing the thrill of flight and always wanting more! Learning to Ski Jump About 1950; 20th Century Fox Movie Newsreel Footage! SkiJumpingUSA.com Women’s Ski Jumping USA USA Ski Jumping  (men) US Ski Team Nordic Page click logos to visit websites      SkiJumpEast.com National Ski Hall of Fame          Ishptming MI  Skiing Heritage Magazine       International Skiing       History Association Gunstock NH History Book Includes Ski Jumping Legend Torger Tokle   Webmaster’s note:  Last year, Gunstock Ski Area in Gilford NH dedicated its jump complex to Torger Tokle, known in the early 1940s as “The Babe Ruth of American Ski Jumping.”  He died in action in the Italian Alps during the last days of WWII. The history book introduced below covers the recreational ski area, too, but it’s notable for inclusion of Torger, a legend who considered it “home.” The History of Gunstock: Skiing in the Belknap Mountains 978.1.60949.136.9 { 160 pp, $19.99 }       Click cover illustration to enlarge, click again to return to normal size Before it became home to generations of skiers, Gunstock Mountain began as a Works Progress Administration recreation project during the Great Depression that transformed the small farming community of Gilford into one of central New Hampshire’s most renowned skiing resorts. Join local ski historian Carol Anderson as she takes on the triumphs and defeats of four high-altitude jumps and the history of the snowy trails of the Gunstock Mountain Resort. Approaching its seventy-fifth anniversary, Gunstock has molded the careers of champion skiers and Olympians, including two-time silver medalist Penny Pitou, ski icon T. Gary Allen and the ski jumping sensation Torger Tokle.  Anderson pays tribute to those individuals who have worked, skied or played a part in this iconic mountain of the Lakes Region. The History Press 635 Rutledge Ave. Suite 107 Charleston, SC 29403 www.historypress.net Scenes From Our 2011 Induction Ceremony, Sunday Oct 30, Red Wing, MN If you weren’t at the St James Hotel for our fifth annual induction ceremony, you can have a look at some of the proceedings and the people who made it a terrific event.  We had standing room only by the time we got underway, and our guests heard introductory comments, a bit of the history of ski jumping in Red Wing, individual biographical information about each inductee, and comments from the inductees, or from friends or family members.  MUCH MORE INCLUDING VIDEOS ON OUR NEWS & NOTES PAGE! You can find the names of inductees on both our News page and our HOF page, where there are links to individual bios and / or websites related to our inductees.  We’ve requested additional photos from several people, and will add as we receive them.  We hope to see you at a future induction ceremony, and we’d like to receive nominations for others who should be considered for induction.  There’s a link to the nomination form on the lower left corner of the HOF page.  Help us preserve the history of our sport!