He pays homage to late 'Speedy' Peterson with aerial tricks but hasn't landed spot in Sochi yet

By Lisa Dillman, Chicago Tribune

Regardless of who makes the team, there's little doubt that the members of the men's and women's aerial teams in Sochi will be asked about the impact and legacy of Peterson, the man behind the Hurricane.

In 2011, Peterson took his own life in a remote canyon in Utah. He had battled depression and spoke openly in Vancouver and before the Olympics about his long struggle with drinking and two suicide attempts.

The tight freestyle ski community pulled together to honor Peterson, not only domestically but internationally. Ferguson had traveled the World Cup circuit with Peterson for at least five seasons.

"He was awesome, always having a blast, always having a smile on his face," Ferguson said.

Olympic athletes are unique in that for most, their sport is in the spotlight only once every four years, so the weight they carry into competition can feel magnified. A small stumble can feel like four years of training has been for naught and an entire nation has been let down. Mentally and emotionally, it can be a delicate balancing act.

14 Photographs of Peterson, an Olympic freestyle skier, committed suicide in 2011 after battling depression.

When Olympic medalist Jeret "Speedy" Peterson snapped on skis and took a jump, something extraordinary happened. He twisted his body in ways few have. Off the slope, the life of the freestyle skier had twists of its own.

By Devon O'Neil, Powder Magazine

The two worlds gradually merged, and in 1996 he met Speedy, a tough kid from a broken home who would become his “son de facto.” “To see all the hardships Speedy came from and how he came alive as a person, that made me be sure I did this more,” says Miller.

Two years later, Darla Hall was looking for a place for her son Tanner, then a promising teenage moguls skier, to live while he pursued a pro career in Park City. Speedy befriended Tanner, and Miller agreed to take him in. “Kerry was a father figure to Tanner,” says Darla. “He had a huge influence on him.”

During one stretch, Miller had eight kids living with him, including future pros Mike Wilson and Timy Dutton. He shuttled them to and from school in a van. He cooked for them, disciplined them. “Think of Kerry as an uncle, father, coach, policeman and mother—heavy on mother,” says Chris Goepper, Nick’s father. “And he likes the underdog because there’s a lot of people out there who come from means in the ski world, and he likes to try and help the underdog figure out a way to make it.”

Idaho is the only state that doesn’t have a suicide hotline. Right now, calls are directed to Oregon. But Judy Gabert, Suicide Prevention Action Network’s Resource Specialist, says that poses problems. The national hotline doesn’t know all the local resources available to Idahoans. This can lead to misinformation on where a person should go to get help.

A renewed sense of optimism filled the Museum of Modern Art in New York City on May 17, 2012 as AFSP’s Lifesavers Dinner raised close to $450,000 for suicide prevention research, education and advocacy. 

Melissa and over 250 guests were on hand to honor Peter Chiarelli, a retired Army general who has become a powerful voice for suicide prevention; Mariel Hemingway and Natalie Morales, two public figures who helped bring national attention to the problem of suicide while decreasing the stigma surrounding mental illness; and Dr. Gustavo Turecki, a researcher who has contributed to the understanding of brain genetics and their association to suicide.

Natalie Morales received the Public Education Award from Linda Peterson, who lost her son, Jeret, who was Natalie’s friend, to suicide. 

By Amy Donaldson, Deseret News

Her memories of 2002 are more emotional on this 10th anniversary because Peterson took his own life this summer. His mother gave Cook the gloves he wore, along with a picture of the two taken in 2006, which she has framed at her house.

She was at Deer Valley when USSA officials honored Peterson by naming the lift that takes aerialists to the top of the kickers "The Hurricane." It was the jump Peterson landed in the 2010 Games that earned him a silver medal.

And now she knows she must do for him what he did for her 10 years ago today. "I've never been at Deer Valley without him," said Cook of Peterson. "We all miss him a lot. … It's hard not having him on the hill, but at the same time, I feel a responsibility to pass on all of those amazing qualities to all of the athletes."

"I have done my fair share of mourning and grieving, but I will get it together on the hill. I know how to hear his voice in my head and use it to my advantage. I will do what he's always done for me," she said. "He was jumping for me."

By USSA

PARK CITY, UT (Feb. 1, 2012) – On the eve of the Visa Freestyle International World Cup, Deer Valley Resort has renamed its unique freestyle aerials tow lift “The Hurricane” in memory of the late Jeret “Speedy” Peterson. The tow is used to shuttle aerials athletes to the top of the jump for the annual International Ski Federation World Cup. The 2010 Olympic silver medalist in freestyle aerials, Peterson won two of his seven World Cups at Deer Valley including setting a world record two-jump score of 268.70 in January of 2007 landing his trademark Hurricane – three flips and five twists.

Deer Valley was the home aerials hill for three-time Olympian Jeret “Speedy” Peterson, a native of Boise, ID. Peterson won seven career World Cups, including back-to-back wins in January, 2007 with a world record two-jump score of 268.70. Peterson was one of the most popular athletes on the World Cup and know for his constant caring for his friends and fellow competitors.

Intrepid on skis and in life, the inventor of the Hurricane cut his own path

When Jeret “Speedy” Peterson took flight, you didn’t have to know a full-triple-full-full from a triple-venti-mocha-latte to know you were witnessing something spectacular. For the past six years, Peterson was the only aerials skier in the world who could nail a quintuple-twisting triple backflip. Unlike other quints, Peterson ripped out three twists on his second flip, a most improbable sequence.

Not long ago, one of my more gifted acquaintances met his maker after a tumultuous bout with demons that many of us could never comprehend. Jeret Petersen was much more than a talented skier, and his legacy is quickly becoming something that he probably couldn't have ever fathomed.

Coaches, teammates, friends, and family of Jeret "Speedy" Peterson came out in force to represent Team Speedy at the UT NAMI Walk this weekend. Here are highlights from the event as well as information on how you can get involved with The Speedy Foundation.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A charitable foundation established in the name of Olympic silver medalist Jeret "Speedy" Peterson plans to donate $10,000 toward the creation of a statewide suicide prevention hotline in Idaho.

"Speedy was an amazing athlete," [Cook] said Tuesday night through a U.S. Ski Team spokesman. "I will always remember jumping alongside him as he pushed the sport, himself and his teammates to be the best. In addition to being the incredible athlete that we all knew, Speedy was a true friend. His loyalty and commitment to each of his teammates was unwavering and he will be missed by all who knew and loved him."

"Today is a sad day,'' U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun said in a statement. True enough. It is never supposed to happen this way, to the happy athlete we might remember seeing standing on the podium. Not when he is 29.

“Speedy was an amazing athlete,” added teammate Emily Cook. “I will always remember jumping alongside him as he pushed the sport, himself and his teammates to be the best. In addition to being the incredible athlete that we all knew, Speedy was a true friend…

Peterson's long-time coach and friend Matt Christensen said: 'Regardless of the amazing stuff he did skiing, it was the stuff he did for other people that was incredible to me. 'A lot of people saw his story and said he must be a wild jackass and a cowboy. He was just the opposite.'

"He spoke about battling depression and even had thoughts of suicide. That was always the hardest part for him, just living life. It wasn’t competing. It was living that was hard." Natalie said.

The skiing community reacted with shock to his death. A true innovator in the sport, Peterson landed the silver in Vancouver with a daring five-twist and three-flip aerial maneuver called the "Hurricane."