Ski jumping is a pretty easy concept to grasp. You strap on some skis and go down a big hill with a ramp at the end and fly into the air. If you’ve ever seen the Wide World of Sports “agony of defeat,” you’ve seen ski jumping (poorly executed ski jumping, but ski jumping, nonetheless).

This is a sport that I have a hard time picturing how it got started. Who decided that flying through the air with skis on was a good idea? However it started, as an Olympic sport ski jumping has been around since the first Winter Olympics in 1924. There are three ski jumping events in the Olympics: individual normal hill, individual large hill, and team event.

The main difference between the individual events is the size of the hill. Large hill has a k-point of over 100 meters. In both events, there are two jumps (first and final round), and the athlete with the highest total score is declared the winner. After a qualification round, there are 50 athletes participating in the first round. In the final round the field is reduced to 30 athletes.

The team event usually competes on the large hill. There are four members on each team, and there are two jumps (first and final round). In the first round all teams start. In the final round the field is reduced on the eight best teams. The team with the highest total score over the eight jumps is declared the winner.