Cook County News Herald

Brother and sister ski jumpers gunning for Olympics





 

 

Siblings Brian and Elizabeth Wallace of Woodbury, grandchildren of Delores Saethre of Grand Marais, have had another successful ski jumping season and continue to have high hopes for the future.

Brian, a 2012 graduate of Woodbury High School, won a gold medal in the Class 1 17-19-year-old team ski jumping division at the 2013 Junior National Championships held March 2 in Bloomington. He came in second in the individual division.

Brian came in second–and top American–at the Canadian Nationals in Vancouver at the end of March.

Brian started ski jumping when he was 8 and began competing in the Junior Nationals when he was 12. This was his last season at the junior level.

Brian started international jumping at 15 and has competed in the World Junior Championships in Europe for the last four years. This year, he came in 25th at the competition, held in the Czech Republic. His mother, Kathy Wallace, considers this outstanding. “It’s really hard for Americans to compete against the Europeans,” she said.

Siblings Brian and Elizabeth Wallace, whose mother, Kathy (Saethre) Wallace, grew up in Grand Marais, achieved great success in ski jumping competitions this winter season. Top: Brian in mid-air.

Siblings Brian and Elizabeth Wallace, whose mother, Kathy (Saethre) Wallace, grew up in Grand Marais, achieved great success in ski jumping competitions this winter season. Top: Brian in mid-air.

Brian also placed seventh in an International Ski Federation competition in Poland last September.

For the last three years, Brian has been on the USA Ski Jumping Development Team. In a couple of months he will be moving to Park City, Utah to train and hopes to make it to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Elizabeth, a junior at Woodbury High School, won a gold medal in the Class 2 16-and-under team ski jumping division at the 2013 Junior National Championships in Bloomington this March. Like her brother, she came in second in the individual competition.

Elizabeth has been competing nationwide for the last couple of years. In October she was named to the USA Women’s Ski Jumping Development Team. Last year at the 2012 Junior Nationals she received a gold individual medal. Next season she will compete in Class 1.

Elizabeth will also be training in Park City, Utah this summer.

“The 2014 Olympics in Sochi will be the first time women will be allowed to compete,” Kathy said. “The women jumpers all over the world have fought long and hard to be able to compete in the Olympics. Elizabeth’s dream is to go to the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea.

“The road to the Olympics for my kids is incredible and we are so proud,” said Kathy. The family is hoping to find sponsors to help the kids work toward their dreams of representing the United States at the Olympics.

Both Brian and Elizabeth are members of the St. Paul Ski Club.


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