WINTER OLYMPICS : 70-Meter Ski Jumping : Nykanen and the Crowd Put on Show of Their Own

CALGARY, Canada —  You can’t beat fun at the old ski hill.

Ask any of the more than 50,000 folks who took in the 70-meter jump at the Winter Olympics here Sunday and they’ll tell you they had a ball. Even if the competition was as one-sided as one of Mike Tyson’s outings against another of today’s fearsome crop of heavyweights.

They were properly appreciative of the gold medalist’s stirring leaps into space, but they were equally appreciative of the last-place jumper, England’s Michael (Fast Eddie) Edwards.

Finland’s Matti Nykanen, a brooding athlete with a bit of a past, leader in the overall World Cup jumping standings, gold medalist four years ago in the 90-meter event and silver medalist in the 70, blew away the rest of the 58-man field with identical jumps of 89.5 meters, about 294 feet, and 2.5 meters longer than anyone else.

Nykanen, still on probation in Suomi, as the Finns call their country, because of a break-in he committed a year ago last summer in a alcohol-intoxicated search for cigarettes, also scored 229.1 style-distance points.

Pavel Ploc of Czechoslovakia won the silver medal with jumps of 84.5 and 87 meters and 212.1 points, and his countryman, Jiri Malec, won the bronze. His jumps of 88 and 85.5 were stronger than Ploc’s, but his technique was not quite as impressive and he totaled fewer points, 211.8.

Ski jumping not having one of the stronger U.S. contingents, it was no surprise that Mark Konopacke’s 18th place was the best among four American jumpers. Konopacke, of Kingsford in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, had jumps of 83.5 and 79 meters, and 188.2 points.

Mike Holland of Norwich, Vt., was 33rd, Dennis McGrane of Littleton, Colo., 43rd, and Rick Mewborn of Steamboat Springs, Colo., was 54th.

Canada’s best finish was Steve Collins’ 13th, but that certainly put no damper on the local folks. They were here to enjoy themselves, and enjoy themselves they did, to the point of surprising some of the athletes.

“We didn’t expect all the noise,” McGrane said. “We don’t usually have it. Now we know what the crowds are like here. It makes a difference. Next time (in the 90-meter team jumping Wednesday), we’ll have to approach it as just another training run, even though everybody knows it’s not.”

So what did this largely Canadian crowd do that was so unusual?

It chanted a lot, for one thing. Before the festivities were even under way, the folks on one side of the outrun, the landing area, chanted, “Ski!” and those on the other side answered, “Jump!”

Their yelling accompanied many a jumper down the inrun, the ramp, and when Fast Eddie leaped a glorious 55 meters on his first ungainly jump, they erupted into chants of, “Ed-die! Ed-die!” They later accorded that same treatment to Nykanen, greeting his long jumps with, “Mat-ti! Mat-ti!”

In the best of Olympic traditions, there were flags to be waved, including one that seemed to indicate U.S.-Canadian solidarity, since it was really two flags sewn together, a copy of the Stars and Stripes and another of the Canadian Maple Leaf.

And at intermission, there were challenge chants: “We’ve got spirit, yes we do. We’ve got spirit, how about you?” accompanied by appropriate finger-pointing on either side, and, of course, the traditional, “Great taste! Less filling!” proclamations.

If it was Nykanen’s show, and indeed it was, he had to share the fun. In fact, except for his initial reaction after each jump--upraised arms--if he was having any at all, he kept it well-concealed. Other jumpers talked freely with reporters after their jumps. Nykanen blew them off the way he had blown off the competition. Except that he glared at the reporters.

Later he said: “I wasn’t really surprised because I have had a series of very good results this year, and I was confident.”

Lest anyone get the idea, however, that his star might have a bit of a personality problem, Finnish Coach Matti Pulli hastened to set the record straight. “He’s a very nice guy, at this moment,” he said. “Now, he’s older (24), he’s married, he has a wonderful boy.”

He also has a way with heavy jumping skis, and the respect of his opponents.

Said McGrane: “The way we started out today, I thought we were going to have a lot of long jumps. I thought he was going to go 93 or 94.”

Added Holland: “I wasn’t surprised at his jumping. Nykanen’s a freak. He’s got helium in his bones. He’s been taking too many bird hormones.”

Now, if only he could learn how much fun ski jumping can be.

Others had no such problem. Konopacke said: “I’m happy with my finish. Technically, I had a sound day. (On the first jump,) the wind was blowing up the hill a little and it was ideal for jumping.” The updraft tends to keep the skier aloft longer.

“On the second jump, the wind was behind and with a tail wind, you have to be more technically correct,” Konopacke said. “I was a little hard on my skis (at takeoff), and they fell away (from in front of his face). I lost a lot of style points because of that.

“But it’s exciting just to participate. I was nervous after my first jump, knowing that I was not that far behind. There’s a little riding on this.”

Holland, too, was glad to be here. “I felt good with my jumps,” he said. “I did my job, but the help wasn’t there (from the wind).”

McGrane said: “My jumps were good. I was hoping my last jump would be a little better . . . But, hey, it’s the Olympics. You’ve got to like it.”

Even Fast Eddie, whose second jump was not appreciably better than his first, had no problem with that. “I’m feeling marvelous,” he said. “It’s great to be an Olympian.”