Launchpad

Isthmus, February 8, 2018

Eleven-year-old Estella Hassrick stands at the top of the 15-meter ski jump waiting for the signal. But down at the 5-meter jump, Estella’s 6-year-old sister, Lucia, is getting restless.

“Can I go?” Lucia yells. “Wait, Lucia,” coach Nick Schott shouts back from a wooden platform halfway up the steep ski jumping hill. It’s a frigid Tuesday night in January and ski jump practice is underway at Blackhawk Ski Club.

Earlier in the evening Estella wiped out trying to land a 30-meter jump. After getting checked over, she is back at the 15-meter jump looking to regain her confidence. But her sister is impatient for her own turn. “Now can I go?” Lucia yells again. “Wait for your sister,” Schott shouts.

Estella stands still for a moment while she stares down at the jump in front of her and the landing, which seems a long way down the hill.