Mixed Ski Jumping proves to be Success

 Podium of the Mixed Relay Ski Jumping

PREDAZZO – At the 2013 Winter Universiade, mixed ski jumping made its debut in international sports.

And it certainly landed on both feet.

“I liked it very much because it’s new,” said Daniel Huber. “The girls can show their talent, I enjoyed it, so yes, I love it.”

Austrian ski jumpier Daniel Huber says that the recently added mixed ski jumping event has been a successThe 20-year-old Austrian teamed up with Katharina Heil in the inaugural mixed team competition final and finished 11^th.

The Universiade in Trentino marks the first time that mixed ski jumping has occurred at an international event, and Huber believes that it has a chance to become a regular feature moving forward.

Huber, who studies engineering at the University of Salzburg, added that the mixed competition gave fans an opportunity to see both male and females compete at once rather than having to watch them at separate competitions.

“I think that the spectators really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun in seeing the differences between the jumping of girls and boys.”

While they work as a team, Huber says that the mindset doesn’t particularly change when sitting atop the take-off ramp.

“There’s no fear, but you must respect what you’re doing and I think that’s healthy,” he said.

From the outside looking in, ski jumping looks like a daunting sport. But Huber dismisses that, saying everyone is gradually brought up to tackle the uneasiness it brings.

“It’s not that bad because you start on the small hills… if your jumps improve, get better and safer, then you move to bigger hills. You get use to it.”

Matt Tidcombe, FISU Young Reporter