Norwegian World Series

For a moment after the takeoff, soaring through the air at 50 m.p.h., Ski-Jumper Arne Hoel could hear nothing but the wind in his ears. Then he caught the roar of the crowd: 100,000 Norwegian heias (hurrahs) swelling up from the packed slopes of Holmenkollen jump, on the edge of Oslo Fjord. A Norwegian ski crowd can tell a fine leap long before the landing.

For the space of a few heartbeats, Hoel's broad skis floated him against the press of the air. Then, at the last moment, his skis came gracefully down, smacked crisply into the packed snow, 226 ft. from the takeoff. The style judges thought it was a fine jump too. They gave Hoel (rhymes with pool) a score of 55.5 out of an "impossible" 60.

The Biggest. One after another, an international field of 130 of the world's best jumpers soared off Holmenkollen before the critical gaze of the style-conscious crowd. After the first jumps, Norway's George Thrane was only a point behind Arne Hoel in form, Austria's Joseph Bradl only 18 in. behind him in distance. But nobody, including World Champion Hans Bjornstad, matched Arne in both style and distance. Bjornstad, winner of the title at Lake Placid last winter, expressed the Norwegian feeling about Holmenkollen. "This is the biggest," he said. "This is the one I'd like to win."

For Norwegians, who ski-jump in droves of thousands on winter Sundays, the Holmenkollen is the World Series, and stars such as Hoel and Bjornstad are Norway's DiMaggios and Musials. Even the arrival of King Haakon last week produced no such resounding heias as did a formful jump. Norwegians get no more chance to practice on the famous slope than anybody else. Tradition and Norwegian sportsmanship keep the hill closed except at championship time, so that local boys will get no undue advantage. This year's event carried more weight than usual. It was the last chance jumpers will get at Holmenkollen before next winter's Olympic games.

The Best. As an Olympic preview,* this year's Holmenkollen again proved one thing: the Norwegians are still the world's best. On his second jump, Hoel was a marvel of consistency. He matched his first effort to the foot (226) in distance, to the decimal point in style. Neither Thrane nor Bradl came close. Hoel's winning score: 225, nine more than Thrane, for the biggest margin in Hol-menkollen history. Champion Bjornstad was seventh.

Arne Hoel, 25, a sporting-goods salesman on week days, was not good enough to make Norway's eight-man championship team a year ago. But after last week's performance, Norwegians had extra reason to expect another Olympic victory. Tradition is on their side: Norway hasn't lost an Olympic jump yet.

* Without U.S. participation. At Holmenkollen time, U.S. jumpers were holding their own Olympic trials at Iron Mountain, Mich. The winner: Norwegian-born Art Tokle.

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