Jeret Peterson is competing in the Winter Olympics 2010 in Vancouver in freestyle skiing.
Peterson started skiing at age 7, before taking up freestyle at age 11 as part of an after-school program in Boise, Idaho. He went to his first ski camp in Lake Placid with 1995 aerials world champion Trace Worthington and 1994 Olympian Kris "Fuzz" Feddersen when he was 11 (his mother changed the year of his birth on an application saying he was 12, the minimum age to participate at the camp). There, he picked
Peterson's signature jump is a quintuple-twisting triple flip (five twists, three flips) that he has named the "Hurricane" (he calls it that because it feels like you're in a hurricane when you perform the jump). The jump's technical name is full triple full full (one twist in the first flip, three twists in the second flip and one twist in the third flip). Peterson attempted the trick in Torino, but failed to land it cleanly and finished seventh. And though he didn't win a medal, he has no regrets about his approach. "Could you imagine if I decided to go step down to an easier trick and I was only giving 90 percent and I ended up second? I couldn't live with that," Peterson says. "I would definitely have to know that when I'm done, medal around my neck or not, that I gave everything I had. If everything clicks, I'd just beat everybody by a mile, and that's what I'm looking for."
In November 2008, after investing a significant amount of money into real estate, Peterson was forced to declare bankruptcy. "I lost both of my houses and lost all of my toys," he says. "I lost my truck. I'm back to zero. I don't even have a car. So it comes and goes." However, despite the financial struggles, Peterson has found perspective. "It's really difficult from having the lifestyle that you really wanted to not having all of the toys and being able to go on vacation," he says, "but honestly, I'm happier now than I was a couple of years ago. I've definitely realized what makes me happy and why I am the way I am."
Peterson has said that he has two speeds: stop and go. He also says that he's interested in "pretty much everything that has to do with adrenaline." He has worked on getting his pilot's license, flying single and twin engine Cessnas, but switched over to jumping out of planes rather than staying in them, a reference to his penchant for skydiving. He says he likes skydiving because "It still scares the hell out of me." When he's on "stop" speed, Peterson likes activities such as fly fishing, playing the harmonica and sleeping.
By his own estimation, Peterson has been pretty lucky as far as injuries are concerned. However, he has suffered a number of fairly serious injuries because of his reckless nature. "All of my injuries seem to be from being stupid," he says. Among the more severe calamities: In 1997, jumping off a cliff on skis onto snow, he cracked his skull from his right eye down to his teeth. He noticed that his vision was slightly off-line in his right eye, because it had sunken back into his head somewhat as a result of the injury. Though he recalls intolerable pain ("It killed," he says), Peterson closed his bad eye and skied down the rest of the mountain. In 1999, he was flown down from Bogus Basin in a helicopter when he took a ski pole to the ribs, bruising his kidney and nearly rupturing his spleen. This, he says, occurred "back when I was young and stupid. Now I guess I'm old and stupid."
In 2002, when teammate and close friend Emily Cook suffered severe injuries to both of her feet and was knocked out of the Salt Lake Games, Peterson was awarded her spot on the 2002 Olympic team. During those Games, Peterson paid frequently visits to Cook to provide moral support, and wrote "Hi Emily" on his hands, which he showed to the NBC cameras during the Olympic broadcast.
Peterson started skiing at age 7, before taking up freestyle at age 11 as part of an after-school program in Boise, Idaho. He went to his first ski camp in Lake Placid with 1995 aerials world champion Trace Worthington and 1994 Olympian Kris "Fuzz" Feddersen when he was 11 (his mother changed the year of his birth on an application saying he was 12, the minimum age to participate at the camp). There, he picked
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up his nickname of "Speedy," because he wouldn't wait in line and kept rushing past the other skiers to get to the top of the hill. The nickname is also a nod to the young Peterson's resemblance to the cartoon character "Speed Racer" with his checkered life jacket and oversized racing helmet.Peterson's signature jump is a quintuple-twisting triple flip (five twists, three flips) that he has named the "Hurricane" (he calls it that because it feels like you're in a hurricane when you perform the jump). The jump's technical name is full triple full full (one twist in the first flip, three twists in the second flip and one twist in the third flip). Peterson attempted the trick in Torino, but failed to land it cleanly and finished seventh. And though he didn't win a medal, he has no regrets about his approach. "Could you imagine if I decided to go step down to an easier trick and I was only giving 90 percent and I ended up second? I couldn't live with that," Peterson says. "I would definitely have to know that when I'm done, medal around my neck or not, that I gave everything I had. If everything clicks, I'd just beat everybody by a mile, and that's what I'm looking for."
In November 2008, after investing a significant amount of money into real estate, Peterson was forced to declare bankruptcy. "I lost both of my houses and lost all of my toys," he says. "I lost my truck. I'm back to zero. I don't even have a car. So it comes and goes." However, despite the financial struggles, Peterson has found perspective. "It's really difficult from having the lifestyle that you really wanted to not having all of the toys and being able to go on vacation," he says, "but honestly, I'm happier now than I was a couple of years ago. I've definitely realized what makes me happy and why I am the way I am."
Peterson has said that he has two speeds: stop and go. He also says that he's interested in "pretty much everything that has to do with adrenaline." He has worked on getting his pilot's license, flying single and twin engine Cessnas, but switched over to jumping out of planes rather than staying in them, a reference to his penchant for skydiving. He says he likes skydiving because "It still scares the hell out of me." When he's on "stop" speed, Peterson likes activities such as fly fishing, playing the harmonica and sleeping.
By his own estimation, Peterson has been pretty lucky as far as injuries are concerned. However, he has suffered a number of fairly serious injuries because of his reckless nature. "All of my injuries seem to be from being stupid," he says. Among the more severe calamities: In 1997, jumping off a cliff on skis onto snow, he cracked his skull from his right eye down to his teeth. He noticed that his vision was slightly off-line in his right eye, because it had sunken back into his head somewhat as a result of the injury. Though he recalls intolerable pain ("It killed," he says), Peterson closed his bad eye and skied down the rest of the mountain. In 1999, he was flown down from Bogus Basin in a helicopter when he took a ski pole to the ribs, bruising his kidney and nearly rupturing his spleen. This, he says, occurred "back when I was young and stupid. Now I guess I'm old and stupid."
In 2002, when teammate and close friend Emily Cook suffered severe injuries to both of her feet and was knocked out of the Salt Lake Games, Peterson was awarded her spot on the 2002 Olympic team. During those Games, Peterson paid frequently visits to Cook to provide moral support, and wrote "Hi Emily" on his hands, which he showed to the NBC cameras during the Olympic broadcast.
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