Jeret Peterson

Peterson began skiing at age seven near his hometown of Boise, ID at Bogus Basin Ski Resort. At age eleven, he attended a summer aerials camp in Lake Placid, NY, where coaches noticed his oversized helmet and checkered life jacket and he earned the nickname “Speedy,” resembling the fabled “Speed Racer” character.

By 14, he focused solely on aerials, participating in various training camps across the US. At 16, he became the youngest aerialist in history named to the US Ski Team. In 1999, he won the US National Junior Aerials title, collected bronze at the 2000 and 2001 Junior World Championships, and in 2001 was named Junior Skier of the Year by Ski Racing Magazine.

His impressive lead up to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, his first competition on such a grand scale, helped propel him to a remarkable 9th place finish. The world took notice. At the 2006 Torino Olympics, Peterson was the only American to make finals in the men’s aerials competition, finishing 7th overall and competing in front of 10,000 live spectators and a prime time NBC audience of 25 million viewers. In 2007, he won back-to-back World Cups, setting unprecedented world records and finishing the year as US National Champion.

Rising international popularity has helped to establish Speedy as a fixture on and off the slopes. He has graced the pages of a number of the most popular magazines including Time, Sports Illustrated, Men’s Fitness, Men’s Journal, Esquire, ESPN Magazine, Powder and Ski Racing. His numerous television appearances include NBC’s Nightly News, The Today Show with Matt Lauer, NBC’s The Biggest Loser, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, MTV’s Carson Daly Show and Nitro Circus, and ESPN Sports Center.

Today, Jeret volunteers for the Special Olympics, speaks for various children’s organizations and donates his free time to ski for charities benefitting youth.

Possessing rugged determination, unwavering courage and enviable charm, Peterson is poised for stardom at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and beyond.