Jeret "Speedy" Peterson


A three-time Olympian, Jeret “Speedy” Peterson grew up in Boise, ID, skiing at nearby Bogus Basin. As an athlete, he was successful at the highest level of his sport, winning an Olympic silver medal at Vancouver in 2010 and capturing the hearts of fans worldwide with his trademark quintuple twisting triple flip, “The Hurricane.”

As a person, he was always known as someone who looked out for others and cared deeply for his family and friends. In his athletic career he won a U.S. Junior Championship as well as the 2005 season-long FIS World Cup title. In 2007 he set a world record score of 268.70 at Deer Valley Resort, which is not likely to ever be broken. As a young athlete, coaches gave him the nickname Speedy for the cartoon character Speed Racer with his big helmet and his flair for moving around quickly. While a loving, caring outgoing young man, Jeret also battled depression and substance abuse and took his life in July 2011 at the age of 29.

2010 Vancouver Olympics - Jeret "Speedy" Peterson - "Make it Happen" - Dir: Neno DelGiudice


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WORLD ACROBATICS SOCIETY

Gallery of Legends - Extreme Sport

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012

 

-2010 Biography-

JERET "SPEEDY" PETERSON

2010 Olympic silver medalist, aerials

Hometown: Boise, ID

Birthplace: Boise, ID

Birthdate:12/12/1981

Team Years: 9

Height: 5-9

Weight: 165

Club: Bogus Basin Ski Racing Alliance

School: University of Utah, Westminster College

Equipment: Volkl, Bolle

Sponsors: Sprint, H2O Overdrive

Olympics: 2002, 2006, 2010

BIOGRAPHY
Three-time Olympian Jeret "Speedy" Peterson has been in a hurry for most of his competitive career, starting with an aerials camp in the mid-'90s. Coaches said the Idaho native resembled cartoon character "Speed Racer" because of his checkered life vest, large helmet and incorrigible attitude to waiting his turn! His enthusiasm paid off: He won Junior Worlds medals then World Cup podiums ... and in 2005 he captured the overall World Cup aerials title.

UPDATE
After returning from a year off, Speedy won the first World Cup in North America at Lake Placid and found his desire to be on top again. Speedy's focus this summer has been on his strength and conditioning program as well as perfection on all jumps. This includes his signature "Hurricane" quint-twisting, triple back-flip. To date, Speedy is the only athlete to have successfully landed this trick consistently on the World Cup circuit. Like teammate Emily Cook, Speedy also spent much of his time off the water ramps and in the gym focusing on his physical and mental fitness to assure success in Vancouver.

OLYMPIC SEASON
Peterson had a consistent season 2009-2010 season, which lead to his silver-medal performance in Vancouver. He secured his spot on the 2010 Olympic team with a win at U.S. Olympic Trials in Steamboat, Colo., and posted several top-10 finishes while working on sticking on his famous "Hurricane" trick.

FIRST TRACKS
Peterson started skiing at his hometown area, Bogus Basin, at age 7 and began focusing at aerials by 14. "It's been freestyle all the way," he said. He picked up his nickname while attending a summer ski camp at Lake Placid, N.Y. His manners were still a little rough, and he kept cutting in line to get more jumps into the splash pool. Because of his big helmet and checkered PFD, coaches decided he looked like the fabled "Speed Racer" character, and his nickname was born. He won the '99 national junior aerials title, collected aerials bronze at the 2000 and '01 Junior Worlds Championships and was 2001 Freestyle Junior Skier of the Year selected by Ski Racing magazine.

FIRST WORLD CUP
Jan. 22, 1999 at Deer Valley, UT (19th in aerials)

WINTER OLYMPICS GAMES RESULTS
2010 Olympics – Silver
2006 Olympics – 7th place
2002 Olympics – 9th place

FIS FRESSTYLE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
2009 – 8th place
2007 – 7th place
2005 – 12th place
2003 – 6th place

I AM
Learning to play golf, but not gaining (yet) on teammate Nate Roberts ("He's too good, but I'm getting the hang of it ... I think," says the aerialis with a big grin). In 2006, he organized a golfing fundraiser for fellow Boise skier Dane Spencer, a teammate on the 2002 Olympic Team who was seriously injured in a downhill racing crash....He also loves fly-fishing ("You can never do enough.") ... After the 2002 Olympics, he bought teammate Joe Pack's motorcycle (Honda Shadow 750) ... Long term, after college, he'd like to open a restaurant...

COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS

·      Olympics: 2010 (silver), '06 (7th), 02 (9th); Worlds: 2003, '05, '07, '09

·      2009: World Cup win in Lake Placid

·      2007: Set world records for one jump and an event

·      2007: Two more wins, overall World Cup aerials runner-up

·      2005: World Cup aerials champion

·      2005: three World Cup victories, three second-place finishes

·      Three-time U.S. aerials champion

·      '01, '00 aerials bronze at World Juniors

FIS TOP - 3 RESULTS HISTORY


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Music

The songs below were either songs that Jeret played frequently or songs that reminded his friends and family of him. If you have a song to add to the collection, please send it along to: info@thespeedyfoundation. We'd love to grow this musical compilation.