Local ski jumper Van leading fight to be allowed in Olympics

When Lindsey Van took up ski jumping at age 7, she never dreamed she'd end up being an activist.

She simply loved flying.

"I entered a racing program, but I didn't last long," said the 24-year-old Park City resident. "I tried the ski jumps and I was pretty much hooked after the first day."

She worked hard and eventually earned herself a spot on the U.S. Ski Team as a member of the ski jumping squad. She competed around the world in Continental Cups and fostered a dream of representing her country in the Winter Olympics.

Then she found out that wasn't possible.

"I had no idea," she said. "I wish somebody would have told me. I just loved jumping."

Ski jumping is the only Winter Olympic sport that doesn't allow women to participate. Leaders in the sport have been trying to gain access to the Olympics for several years, but on Tuesday they resorted to filing a lawsuit against the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, the group overseeing the 2010 Winter Games, in hopes a Canadian Court will do what the International Olympic Committee refuses to do.

The University of Utah student reluctantly took on the role of activist when she agreed to be one of 10 plaintiffs from 10 countries who hope their efforts will drag their sport into the 21st century.

"Because I'm still trying to compete in the sport at the same time, it took me a while to decide to join the lawsuit," said Van. "I think it was the best decision for the sport. It may not necessarily be what's best for me."

She said the political issues surrounding the decision to bar women from jumping are difficult to balance while trying to train and compete.

Women's Ski Jumping-USA President Deedee Corradini, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, said the group would rather not take the issue to court. But after the IOC rejected the addition of women, they had no choice. They are getting free help from a high-profile Canadian attorney, Ross Clark, and Wednesday received a court date of April 20, when they hope the matter will be resolved in their favor.

"There are certainly more than enough qualified women jumping from more than enough countries," Corradini pointed out. "The women are ready and we have tried to communicate that to the International Olympic Committee, but to no avail.

"We were forced to conclude it is a matter of discrimination and decided we had no choice but to launch a lawsuit. As an organization, we represent women ski jumpers in the United States, but in this case a discrimination suit in the jurisdiction of the next Olympic Winter Games had to be filed. In spirit, the action represents women ski jumpers worldwide and we are determined to fight for their equal rights."