LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (Oct. 9) - Clint Jones (Steamboat Springs, CO) clinched second place in the standings for the first period of Continental Cup ski jumping Sunday, finishing sixth in a normal hill (HS100) contest as part of the annual Falling Leaves Festival. Women's points leader Anette Sagen of Norway won the women's competition with Jessica Jerome and Lindsey Van (both Park City, UT) fifth and sixth.

Anders Bardal won the men’s contest at the MacKenzie-Intervale Jumping Complex, the 1980 Olympic jumping hill, going 94.5 and 95.5 meters for 251.0 points, edging Continental Cup leader (and first-round leader) Marcin Bachleda of Poland by a point. Jones, a 2002 Olympian, went 93.5 and 86.5 meters, good for 227.0 points as he led five U.S. skiers into the top 20, seven into the top 25. Two-time Olympian Alan Alborn (Anchorage, AK), rebounding from knee surgery last spring, was 13th.

“It was an odd day,” U.S. Head Coach Corby Fisher said. “We didn’t get anyone on the podium or into the top five, but the good news is we met a lot of team goals with Clint clinching second place, which was a huge goal for our program…and he was top-20 in the two Grand Prix events he was in, so I’m pleased with where he is.

“Clint’s had a good summer and into fall, and we got Al back today, finishing 13th…and we finished with 11 guys scoring Continental Cup points [i.e., top 30], so that’ll help them with some confidence and it will help us for quota start spots this winter. It’s also going to be important as we head into the objective criteria for the Olympic Team.”

Other U.S. men in the top 20 besides Jones and Alborn included Tommy Schwall (also Steamboat) 16th, Brian Welch (Scarborough, ME) 17th and Anders Johnson (Park City, UT) in 20th place in the overcast weather, which followed cold and rainy conditions Saturday.

“It’s been a long summer of competition – having the Continental Cup extended into the summer really ups things for us, but it’s good to get that opportunity,” Fisher said. “Now we’ll go home, recharge our batteries and be set to go next month.”

The e.on ruhrgas World Cup season opens Nov. 25-26 in Kuusamo, Finland.

In the women’s competition, Sagen collected her fourth win in eight Continental Cup events, her second in 24 hours in Lake Placid. She took the first round lead with a jump of 98.5 meters and held on to win with 235.5 points. Jerome jumped 90.5 and 83.5, good for 214.0 points while Van had 211.0 on jumps of 87 and 86 meters.

After eight contests, Sagen leads with 670 points and three women are bunched within 29 points for second place - teammate Line Jahr, who was second Sunday, is second at 451, Van has 429 and Jerome stands fourth with 422.

The women’s Continental Cup schedule resumes Jan. 14 in Ljubno, Slovenia.

CONTINENTAL CUP SKI JUMPING
Flaming Leaves Festival
MacKenzie-Intervale Ski Jumping Complex
Lake Placid, NY – Oct. 9, 2005
HS 100 (jump distances in meters)
Men
1. Anders Bardahl, Norway, (94.5-95.5 meters) 251.0 points
2. Marcin Bachleda, Poland, (96-93) 250.0
3. Morten Solem, Norway, (95-91.5) 244.0
4. Wojciech Skupien, Poland, (92-92.5) 239.0
5. Julien Musiol, Germany, (93-90) 233.5
 -
U.S. in the top 20:
6. Clint Jones, Steamboat Springs, Colo., (93.5-86.5) 227.0
13. Alan Alborn, Anchorage, Alaska, (83.5-86.5) 209.0
16. Tommy Schwall, Steamboat Springs, Colo., (86.5-81) 199.0
17. Brian Welch, Scarborough, Maine, (84.5-76.5) 187.5
20. Anders Johnson, Park City, Utah, (79-76.5) 171.5
 --
Women
1. Anette Sagen, Norway, (98.5-88.5) 235.5
2. Line Jahr, Norway, (93-88) 231.5
3. Atsuko Tanaka, Canada, (82-96.5) 217.5
4. Izumi Yamada, Japan, (86.5-88) 216.0
5. Jessica Jerome, Park City, Utah, (90.5-83.5) 171.5
 -
Other U.S. in the top 20:
6. Lindsey Van, Park City, Utah, (87-86) 211.0
9. Alissa Johnson, Park City, Utah, (86-84) 203.5
10. Abby Hughes, Park City, Utah, (85-84) 200.0
20. Brenna Ellis, Park City, Utah, (71-68.5) 134.5

For complete results:
http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/1228.html?event_id=17173&cal_suchsector=JP