15-year old Sarah Hendrickson named Ski Jumper of the Year

Mon, May  17, 2010 - By Whitney Childers

Sarah Hendrickson has been named this year’s U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s Ski Jumping Athlete of the Year. She received the honor Friday at the USSA Chairman’s Awards Dinner in Park City, Utah.

At just 15, Hendrickson, of the Visa U.S. Women’s Ski Jumping Team, won the bronze medal at the 2010 Junior World Championships in Hinterzarten, Germany — the first medal ever for an American ski jumper at the Junior Worlds. She posted 15 top 10 results on the International Ski Federation’s Continental Cup circuit, including three times making the podium. Hendrickson finished the season ranked sixth, up from 19th the season before. The U.S. Women’s Team finished second overall.

“To win this award, it’s great and it just makes me feel like I have accomplished things that no other ski jumper from the U.S. has,” Hendrickson said. “I am not sure what clicked this year. I just took each competition one at a time and had fun with it.”

Hendrickson follows last year's Ski Jumping Athlete of the Year winner, Lindsey Van  - the reigning world champion. Hendrickson’s is one of more than two-dozen top awards being presented. This year’s overall USSA Beck International award will go to alpine racer Lindsey Vonn.

John Farra, U.S. Ski Team Nordic Program director, said Hendrickson took her jumping to another level this year with consistent results. “Sarah is an impressive young talent who is leading the way for the U.S. Women as we approach the 2011 World Championships in Oslo, Norway, this coming season.”

Hendrickson is looking forward to this COC season and said she believes the U.S. women’s team will be ready for Worlds in 2011. “It is good to have people pushing you so that you can be the best in the world. It is a bummer that we do not have a team event (at Worlds) to show the other nations that we are one of the best. But we have to push that behind us and jump well in the individual comp.”