But, the 2008 jump, scheduled for Feb. 9-10, could be the last. The Snowflake Ski Club, which has put on the event, is financially strapped for several reasons and could pull the plug on the event after its 85th annual staging. Just a couple weeks ago, there had been rumors that the 2008 event might not even be held.
The ski jump is just one example of events — especially winter events — throughout the Western Wisconsin region and the state put on by community groups, often as fund-raisers or benefits, that face financial challenges.
The financial problems in the ski jump case have several causes. First, attendance has dropped in recent years and volunteers to help groom the hill and staff the event are becoming harder to find.
A Snowflake golf course, which has made money in the past and helped support the ski jump, had to close for part of this past summer because of the August floods. Revenue was lost which could have been used for the ski event. The club did not quality for FEMA or Small Business Administration aid.
These are primarily local factors, somewhat unique to Westby and the Snowflake club. But, other factors are faced by other communities and have their roots in regional, state or even national and international causes.
First, sponsorships have become harder to find. Local and regional businesses are asked to sponsor so many events that they have had to choose, based on both community concerns and business sense.
Second, travel and energy costs have skyrocketed. In the case of the Westby ski jump, transporting international ski jumpers, who compete in the Continental Cup, has become more expensive. Community members have opened their homes to the jumpers for housing and often have forged long term friendships through these contacts, but the travel to Westby costs more.
Many other community groups are facing energy costs problems, whether it be because of heat costs or travel costs. Spectators and participants in these events also are less likely to drive long distances to events because of gas costs.
For the past several winters, Snowflake also has had to make snow for the jump. Other communities that put on winter events, including the famous Birkie, have faced similar problems, arguably caused by climate change on a global scale. Winter events just aren’t the same without the white stuff, and making it costs money.
Some of these events are destined to become history. Their time might have passed. But, some of the events, including the ski jump for Westby, have helped give communities an identity and provide economic boosts during an overall down business time of the year. It has helped put otherwise small towns on the map.
It would seem in the interest of the region and state to help keep these events alive. Perhaps state Department of Tourism and Department of Development funds could be made available for volunteer groups that put on such events. You can almost hear the cries of “no money through state taxes now,” but perhaps the funding could be raised by user fees at state parks and other facilities in the regions where the events are staged, or some other creative financing tool.
State business groups, especially those that benefit from tourism, also could start a fund, which could provide matching funds to a community group trying to put on an event. If such funds came from businesses statewide, it would not be as financially burdensome as it has become for some individual businesses, which are as tapped as “sugar daddies” for numerous events in a specific region.
Some of these events also could be staged more cost efficiently with the help of professional consulting. There might be a business opportunity for some company willing to provide professional event planning at reasonable costs. Or, again, perhaps the Department of Tourism or business groups might even want to provide such consulting for free, at least to non-profit groups.
If some of these events are winter sports events, perhaps the Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation could work with the local community groups in some ways.
The Westby ski jump would be a big loss for that area. Other winter events in other communities also would be losses for those areas. Every one of these events help us get through winter.
The Western Wisconsin region and state as a whole can’t allow rural areas and small towns to go into hibernation over winter. If that happens, the ill effects will be felt year around.
