Yessssss!

Check it out! For the first time ever, women have been named to the US Ski Jumping Team!

This has been a long time coming, and well deserved. I had the opportunity to meet and visit with these athletes while researching for S.A.S.S. - The Finnish Line and I can tell you, they are a focused, personable and very talented group of women. Watching them jump is like watching poetry in motion, if you will excuse the cliche. I'm so pleased to see them get the nod.

For those of you who may not know the scoop, women's ski jumping as a sport has been fighting an uphill battle for recognition and equality. It is the only Olympic sport to exclude women competitors (a situation which will hopefully be remedied in 2010.) These five women, Lindsey Van, Jessica Jerome, Abby Hughes, Alissa Johnson and Brenna Ellis, along with their teammates and the good folks at Women's Ski Jumping, USA, have worked long and hard to jump all the hurdles keeping them from Olympic inclusion. It's good to see a recognition of their efforts by the International Federation of Skiing, who recently voted to give women a world-class event, and by US Ski and Snowboard Association with this action.

Congratulations, team! Go Vancouver 2010!!!!