EDITOR’S NOTE: Superiorland Yesterdays is prepared by the reference staff at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette.

30 years ago

ISHPEMING — Ski jumping in Ishpeming has gone through many changes in 102 years, including a slight twist this year that few but the most avid jumping fans will detect. Suicide Hill in Ishpeming is now designated a 90-meter hill rather than 70 meters as in the past. Mike Tonkin, president of the Ishpeming Ski Club, said he isn’t sure why the change was initiated by the U.S. Ski Association, except perhaps to make the event appear more “impressive.” Hills previously were measured from the end of the ramp to the “P point,” the spot where the landing hill began to get steep. This was considered an average jump, said Ishpeming jumper Dale Fredette. Hills now are measured from the ramp to the “K point,” or the danger point at the bottom of the hill, where the vertical landing begins to flatten out. The change will not affect jumps or the way they are scored, Tonkin said. A Much bigger change in jumping competition came a decade ago, when the Austrians began testing technological advances in jumpsuits, boots, skis, and helmets. “The boots have made good skiers out of bad skiers,” Fredette said. And the helmets, he added, were not added for protection, but for increased airflow. All this means jumpers are outjumping the hills. To allow the hills to handle the higher speeds, jumps have had to be altered. Most jumps require skiers to start further down the run to keep the speed down, Fredette said. The Ishpeming Ski Club, however, redesigned Suicide Hill to handle the higher speeds and it is now one of few hills that use the original starting gates.

90 years ago

HANCOCK — Arraigned before Justice Charles R. Little to face a charge of keeping a slot machine, Banti Grosseschi, of Pewabic, entered a plea of guilty and was assessed a fine and costs totaling $19.50 and his machine was confiscated and by order of the court will be destroyed.