ANNUAL TOURNAMENT
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
6pm

Meet Coach Zak!

Zak Hammill is from Kingsford/Iron Mountain, Michigan. He has been involved in ski jumping for 13 years and it has been a huge part of his life, shaping him into becoming a great athlete and human being. Zak started ski jumping in Iron Mountain and then moved around to different areas of the U.S. once he grew into the sport. He has been coached by several different coaches including Kip Kopelke, Martin Bayer, Scott Smith, Chris Broz, Casey Colby, and Clint Jones--all of them very helpful throughout the years. The last couple of years Zak spent a lot of time in Lake Placid, New York; Park City, Utah; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and all over Europe training and competing for the USA.

In January Zak started school at Northern Michigan University and began skiing for the Ishpeming Ski Club. Now as the ISC coach, Zak is looking forward to working with all the kids and the parents to make ski jumping as fun as he knows it can be. He would like to shape the kids into being both great athletes and great people on and off the ski hill.

Zak would like to thank everyone who supported him throughout his years of ski jumping and now his coaching career. He would really like to thank everyone at the Ishpeming Ski Club for giving him the opportunity to coach. Coach Zak is looking forward to the great times to come!


Coach Zak jumping on the K120 in Lake Placid, New York
 

Hit Counter

Fall 2011 Update:
The ISC is really going through an exciting time. We have changed our fee requirement, have hosted two successful outdoor events, and are completing work on the 25 meter hill. We are improving our facilities to be able to involve more kids throughout the year. Jumping is available year round on the 10 and 40 meter hills during the summer on plastic and all hills in the winter on snow. 

Skiing is free this year. We have eliminated fees so anyone can come and use our ski equipment, coaching, hills, and facilities without cost. We want to encourage the area youth to participate in healthy outdoor activities—and adults as well. We go beyond ski jumping in our programs, now offering mountain biking, running and cross country skiing training also. We are able to offer these programs free to the public because of the tremendous support we get from individuals and businesses in the community who donate their time, products and money for this effort.

Range Bank is the major sponsor for our 125th Annual Tournament. Range Bank is also having their 125th anniversary and we are joining forces to celebrate together. We are really excited about our tournament this year. It will take place on Wednesday, February 8th at 6 p.m. We will have four foreign teams along with the US Ski team. We are having fireworks along with the bonfires and tailgating this year.

This past August the ski club hosted the first annual Suicide Bowl Mud Plunge, which was organized by the Ishpeming-Negaunee Chamber of Commerce. The organizers did a fantastic job, and it was attended by over 740 participants, surpassing all expectations!! The ISC was awarded a portion of the proceeds to help support our programs.

In October we held our third annual Cliffs Autumn Classic, which consists of 5k and 10k races. Participation continues to increase—this year we had 79 registered runners. This event is organized by the ISC, so all proceeds go toward supporting our programs.

Our major project this fall is the modernization of the old 20 meter hill into a brand new 25 meter hill. In order to keep the hill in the same spot next to the 13 meter hill, a significant landscaping job had to be accomplished. Thanks to Lindberg and Sons, Sogergren Septic Service, Cliffs Natural Resources, Holli Forest Products, U.P. Fabricating, and all of the HARDWORKING ski club members!

Lindberg and Sons came in with a large excavator and front end loader and accomplished the profile work in two days. Then we began to build the scaffold. The old hill was all natural, but the new hill needed a complete wooden scaffold because it needed to rise 35 feet above the top of the landscape. Cliffs donated used power poles for the tower and with the help of Sodergren’s backhoe and Holli’s logging trucks, the poles were set, allowing construction to begin. All the carpentry and construction work was accomplished by ski club members. The final step was to install a steel stairway to access the scaffold. U.P. Fabricating took the old steps we salvaged from the demolition of Ishpeming’s Penny store and reconditioned and restructured them.

Apart from the reprofiling and construction on the 25 meter hill, other projects have also been accomplished. U.P. Fabricating is making and donating a snow sled that will be used to snow the scaffolds of the 25 and 60 meter hills. Holli Forest Products came in with their excavator, dozer and truck and increased the counter slope on the outruns of the 13 and 25 meter hills to help the skiers stop.

The 25 meter hill is prepared for the installation of plastic. This decision will be made in the future. It could happen as soon as next summer, and is dependent upon finances.

To donate or for more information, contact ISC President Tom Petersen at president@ishskiclub.com.

You can learn more online by visiting us on Facebook: Ishpeming Ski Club

Photo galleries can be viewed online at our web gallery.  

 

About the Coach's Club

 


<< Click here for information on the Ishpeming Ski Club Book >>

Local Lodging

www.bestwesterncountryinn.com