15-year-old bet sends USA Nordic coaches to World Masters

Coach Tomas Matura (far right) and Coach Nick Hendrickson (next to him) with the USA Nordic Nordic Combined Team at the Utah Olympic Park, where the USA Nordic headquarters are located. Photo: USA Nordic

PARK CITY, Utah – USA Nordic coach, Gregor Linsig will make good on a 15-year-old bet with Canadian Ski Jumper Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes in September. The bet also provides the perfect opportunity for a USA Nordic fundraiser.

Linsig, who coached Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes at the time, made a fateful bet in 2007 with his 16-year-old athlete: Should Boyd-Clowes ever make a World Cup, World Championships or Olympic Winter Games podium in his career, Linsig would compete in the World Master Ski Jumping Championships that same year.

In 2022, Linsig was still certain that he would never have to cash in on that bet until the Canadian Mixed Team won a bronze medal at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Linsig was ecstatic for Boyd-Clowes, but knew that this victory would mean he would have to strap on jump skis and boots for the first time in 20 years.

The World Master Ski Jumping Championships takes place in Planica, Slovenia from September 8 – 10. Linsig, who is now 45-years-old,  just started his training over the summer.

“As Gregor was making preparations for his jumping competitions in Planica, Tomas Matura (Head Coach, U.S. Women’s Nordic Combined) and myself were discussing the story of the bet and how excited our surrounding Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined community is to see Gregor jump again,” Nick Hendrickson, Park City native and U.S. Men’s Nordic Combined Team Director said in a statement.

“Because Gregor is a bit nervous to jump again, Tomas and I offered him our support and told him that if we can turn this event into a fundraiser, we would jump with him for the team competition on September 9 on the HS80.”

Keeping in mind that Linsig hasn’t jumped in more than 20 years, Hendrickson in eight years and Matura in several years as well, the challenge is now particularly great for everyone involved.

“Most of our young athletes are covering all of their own costs for both training and competition trips, and all the money raised in this fundraiser will go directly to the Nordic Combined team to help support the team and keep the good momentum that we have going,” Hendrickson continued.

Currently, nine men and three women are part of USA’s Nordic Combined National Team, who are looking forward to seeing their coaches jump again.

“Our USA Nordic Combined team is made up of great staff and athletes that support each other. It’s for this reason that we as coaches want to show our support to the athletes and raise some money in the process,” says Hendrickson.

Directly support the United States Nordic Combined National Team with the following link: “Jumping for the Athletes”.

Gregor Linsig’s photo included below in the International Ski Federation (FIS) post.