The highs and lows of an Olympian jumper

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Olympic ski jumper and world cup winner Steven Collins didn't have to look very far to find a mountain when he was growing up in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The record-breaking Native champ could see Mount McKay from his kitchen window.

The mountain houses "one of the best ski jumping facilities in central Canada," explains Slaveomir 'Slav' Kardas, who coached Collins on the Canada National Ski Jumping Team.

When Collins first challenged the mountain at age 10 and started hurling his body off 70 and 90 metre ramps at speeds reaching nearly 100 km an hour, he had no idea it would lead to much bigger heights.

Collins was ranked 12th in the World Cup Circuit when he pulled off a stunning victory, winning the World Cup and World Junior Championships in 1980.

The winter Olympics in Lake Placid then set the stage for his best performance. At 17 years of age, Collins earned Olympic glory with an impressive 11th place finish in the 90m jump and 28th in the 70m.

For the next four years, the Native athlete reached record heights, and while waiting for his next crack at Olympic history, Collins broke records in Thunder Bay and Finland before recording the longest jump a Canadian has ever made ? 172 metres. At that time he was only four metres off the world record, which stands at 191 metres today.

The Sairavo winter Olympics in 1984, however, were not so kind to him. Dropping several places, Collins finished in a disappointed 21th position in the 70m event and 32th in the 90m.

But, he suffered the most punishing blow in his young amateur ski jumping career from national team organizers who sent Collins and five other team member instructions to move from their Thunder Bay homes to a training facility in Ottawa or be cut from the team.

"It wasn't very good judgement in my mind for them (national team officials) to force us to move and tell us to do it or else," remarks Collins, who decided to quit the team.

It was a difficult decision but, he says, there was no other choice because he couldn't leave his family and house mortgage payments behind.

Collins also felt it was time for a rest after his showing in Sairavo. In a soft spoken voice, he explains: "sometimes when you're involved in a sport, you compete with your head more than anything else... You get frustrated and don't perform well."

But, Collins says he's ready for competition after being out for a year. He's training independently in Thunder Bay, working closely with his former coach, Kardas.

"Slav is a big help to me. We analyze my jumps together and try figure out what I'm doing right or wrong when we view the videos," explains Collins.

Kardas believes Collins has an "excellent and realistic bid" for the national team. He notes that Collins is "a 23-year old athlete who's very talented and determined. I think he can do it and go all the way."

In December Collins will enter the World Cup Circuit which will decide whether he makes the team.

National team officials have refused to sponsor Collins' bid for a spot on the team. However, through an Olympic poster fund raising drive, former Olympians Bruce Kidd and Abby Hoffman have given the Fort William band member $1,200 and the city of Thunder Bay has raised $1,000.

Readers wishing to give their support to Collins can send cheques or money orders made out to the Canadian Ski Jumping Association to Windspeaker.