But he’s matured since then — or at least as much as someone who’s still a teenager can.

The 19-year-old ski jumper from Lake Placid is currently the highest ranking American ski jumper on the FIS World Cup circuit in 21st place. It’s an impressive feat, considering the last American to finish inside the top-25 — Alan Jacob Alborn in 2002 — was before Frantz was born.

“I’ve grown not only as a person, but as a jumper,” Frantz said on Tuesday. “Not only in technical aspect, but I think the mental aspect as well and just kind of getting the experience competing at the World Cup and learning so much from others.”

As the ski jumping World Cup returns this weekend to the Olympic Jumping Complex, Frantz has higher expectations for himself and so do most of the U.S. athletes.

“Being in and fighting in the top-10 guys in the world is such a kind of incredible experience in a very different way than the first time I was here,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to the weekend.”

This year’s event, which kicked off on Thursday and will wrap up on Sunday on the HS 128 large hill, will include both men’s and women’s competitions, marking the first time a women’s World Cup has taken place in the United States.

Women’s ski jumping has historically been limited in the highest levels of international competition. While men’s ski jumping was part of the inaugural 1924 Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix, France, women did not compete on the Olympic stage until the 2014 Sochi Games. Women first competed on the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup tour during the 2011-12 season.

Paige Jones, a women’s ski jumper from Park City, Utah, who has been a part of some historical women’s ski jumping events, including becoming the first woman to jump a big hill in a World Championship event said it’s exciting to have the World Cup on U.S. soil.

“It means a lot for the development of our sport, especially for our country to have a World Cup here. I remember the national team presence in Park City and just having those World Cup jumpers nearby and it really kind of drove my ambition for the sport. I think that more that girls in the U.S. can see this high level of sport the more they are going to strive toward that.”

The men’s ski jumping World Cup returned to Lake Placid in 2023 after a 33-year hiatus. This year, the addition of women’s events and mixed-team competition will bring together top male and female athletes, including Olympic medalists, Crystal Globe winners and rising stars. They competed for World Cup points and podium finishes at the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games sites.

The Lake Placid World Cup is part of the 2024-2025 FIS tour, which spans Europe, Asia and North America.

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