Round Two of the Ski Jump

And we’re back to Elf Mountain and the Reindeer Games! It’s the second day of our second competition, the ski jump event. Yesterday all eight reindeer took a trip off the specially made ski jump tower, down the track and then in the air and down the mountain, landing safely on their skis. The top four jumpers were Donder, Blitzen, Prancer and Cupid, who are back today for the second round.

The ski jump is the second of our eight events of the Reindeer Games and will be followed by figure skating, the luge (really fast sleigh rides), the high jump, the around-the-world race, snowboarding and the last and final competition, just before Christmas, the cross-country skiing event.

Now, our fans are very smart and they follow the games very closely and have some very good comments and questions. One of our best fans, Johnny from Ithaca, New York, in the United States, has sent in a very good e-mail. Johnny asks: “Well, we know the reindeer can fly. So when they reach the bottom of the ski jumping track, and they take off, are they flying down the mountain or jumping?”

Johnny is on the ball with a very good question. Let’s bring in our famous host, Jim McSnowflake Elf. Jim?

“Thanks, Bob. I have Official Elf, Sammy, who will help us out. Sammy, what’s going on here? Are the deer flying or jumping?”

“Well, Jim, it’s the ski jump competition, so the deer must jump off the track and down the mountain and land safely. They cannot use their flying powers. That’s against the rules. Of course, the reindeer want to win and might be tempted to use their superb flying powers, just a little bit! But the deer are very honorable. They stay within the rules because it makes the games fair and fun, and it’s the right thing to do.”

“There you have it,” says Jim. “On to the competition!”

Ok here we go. Today it’s Donder, Blitzen, Prancer and Cupid. First up is Donder. Donder’s at the gate and off! Down the track, down, down and whoosh! It’s a nice jump for Donder, who’s soaring up in the air and down the mountainside. A beautiful jump for Donder. It’s 2 miles and 4,304 feet. Spectacular!

And now it’s Blitzen. Blitzen’s through the gate and down the track. And a nice leap at the end of the track. Blitzen is soaring down the mountainside. Yes, a superb jump! It’s 3 miles and 2,093 feet for Blitzen. Blitzen is in first place, Donder is in second.

And now Cupid. Cupid’s off! Down the track and in the air. A superb jump for Cupid. Cupid lands 3 miles, 1,145 feet. Cupid passes Donder, and is in second place! That leaves Prancer. Prancer must pass Cupid to reach the final round tomorrow.

Prancer’s at the gate. And Prancer is off! Down the track and whoosh! In the air. Prancer is soaring high above the mountainside, soaring up, up and up and then down toward the bottom of the mountain. It’s a beautiful jump, but will Prancer make the final round? Down, down and Prancer lands, very nice landing.

And the Official Elves are out with the measuring tape. How far? How far did Prancer go? It’s 3 miles and 1,146 feet. Oh my! Prancer beats Cupid by just one foot! That was close! Just one foot! And so tomorrow, it will be Prancer and Blitzen for the final round of the ski jump. Check back tomorrow to see who wins the second gold medal of the games. ONLY on The North Pole Times!