The Norwegian Role Models Study Wonderboy Tate Frantz (19): – They Will Of Course Want Him

American Tate Frantz (19) speaks fluent Norwegian, and is called a genius. Now, "everyone" wants to learn from him.

Tate Frantz achieved his breakthrough during the opening weekend in Lillehammer with two tenth-place finishes individually, marking a career best for the Norwegian-speaking American. The only Norwegian who outperformed Frantz during that weekend was Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal.

Frantz says, “I notice that the Norwegians are looking at how I do things, how I execute techniques and such, and that’s quite interesting.”

Three years ago, Frantz left his home in the USA to pursue his ski jumping dreams in Norway at NTG Lillehammer. At 16, he felt it was necessary to learn Norwegian in order to fully commit to becoming a ski jumper.

Frantz is described as a genius by those who know him, having quickly mastered the Norwegian language. Growing up in an athletic family in Lake Placid, he studied Norwegian jumpers like Johann André Forfang and Daniel André Tande. Now, his idols are studying him.

“It’s really cool that they’re paying attention to me now. For me, it’s just super cool to be on the same team as them, while also managing to beat them,” he says.

In 2022, Norwegian ski jumpers entered into a collaboration with the USA, training together, attending gatherings, and sharing knowledge to elevate the American ski jumping scene. This partnership is starting to show results, largely thanks to Norwegian Tore Sneli, who coaches the American team.

“Yes, it’ll come a day when they are better than any of the Norwegians. And now that day has come,” Sneli notes.

Frantz, who has now lived in Norway for three and a half years, is already considered Norwegian by his teammates. In a year, he is considering applying for Norwegian citizenship.

“There’s a great chance for me to do that. Getting a Norwegian passport would make traveling in Europe much easier.”