Women's Ski Jumping USA records, 2006-2011

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Women's Ski Jumping USA
Title
Women's Ski Jumping USA records
Dates
2006-2011 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.75 linear feet, (2 boxes)
Collection Number
ACCN 2679
Summary
The Women's Ski Jumping USA records (2006-2011) consist of correspondence, fundraising materials, posters, stickers and other promotional materials. WSJ-USA is a non-profit organization incorporated in 2003 in Park City, Utah. It was created to support the rising number of elite U.S. women ski jumpers who needed financial support and strong leadership to get them into the international fold and on sport's biggest stage, the Olympic Games.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Women's Ski Jumping USA runs the U.S. women's ski jumping program and is the primary support organization for the U.S. national team, officially called the Visa Women's Ski Jumping Team. The organization administers and finances the team's coaching, travel, training, equipment, and a junior development program.

WSJ-USA is a 501c3 non-profit organization incorporated in 2003 in Park City, Utah. It was created to support the rising number of elite U.S. women ski jumpers who needed financial support and strong leadership to get them into the international fold and on sport's biggest stage, the Olympic Games.

For 10 years, female ski jumpers were continually denied inclusion in the Games despite pushing their sport through the system and greatly increasing participation.

Feeling as if they had exhausted every avenue, Americans Lindsey Van, Jessica Jerome, and retired jumper Karla Keck, risked their careers and teamed up with 12 women jumpers from five countries to sue the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) in 2008 for their right to compete in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The lawyers for the jumpers, Ross Clark and Jeff Horswill of Davis LLP, took on the case pro bono.

The historic human rights legal battle resulted in the British Columbia Supreme Court declaring in 2009 that the IOC exhibited gender discrimination by excluding women's ski jumping from the Vancouver Games, but stopped short of forcing VANOC and the IOC to hold an event for women.

Ironically, before the Winter Games in 2010, Lindsey Van held the K95 Vancouver hill record of 105.5 meters, for both men and women. That distance would have earned her a podium spot in the men's competition in the Vancouver Games.

(This historical note was taken from the Women's Ski Jumping USA webiste.)

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Women's Ski Jumping USA records consist of correspondence, fundraising materials, posters, stickers and other promotional materials.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Donated by Victor Method in 2012.

Processing Note

Processed by Betsey Welland in 2014.

Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.

Separated Materials

Photographs were transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

Related Materials

Forms part of the Utah Ski Archive.

Forms part of the Aileen H. Clyde 20th Century Women's Legacy Archives.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

General materialsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1
Correspondence
2006; 2010
1 2
Sponsorship agreement
1 3
Promotional stickers
1 4
Pamphlets, brochures and a program
2009-2011
1 5
Linda Gerber, The Finnish Line
Fictional novel about a female Nordic ski jumper who travels to Finland for a chance to jump in the Lahti Ski Games.
2007
1 6
News clippings
2010-2011

OversizeReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
oversize-box
2
Event posters and fundraising item
2007-2010

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Ski jumping for women--United States
  • Ski jumping--United States
  • Sports for women--Law and legislation--United States
  • Winter Olympics--Rules
  • Women Olympic athletes--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States
  • Women skiers--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States
  • Women skiers--United States--Archives

Corporate Names

  • Women's Ski Jumping USA--Archives

Form or Genre Terms

  • Brochures
  • Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
  • Correspondence
  • Posters
  • Programs (Publications)
  • Promotional materials