Jeret "Speedy" Peterson (December 12, 1981 – July 25, 2011) was an American World Cup aerial skier from Boise, Idaho, skiing out of Bogus Basin. A three-time Olympian, he won the silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
A member of three Olympic teams, he participated in the 2002 Games in Salt Lake (placing 9th) and the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy. In the finals of the 2006 aerial competitions, Peterson was in third place after the first round, but fell to seventh place after the second jump, when he failed to solidly land the difficult "Hurricane" maneuver, which involves five spins and three somersaults.
After a tumultuous four years on and off the snow following the 2006 Olympics, Peterson made a career comeback and in January 2010 was named to the U.S. Olympic freestyle team for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Entering the Olympic finals in fifth place, he successfully landed his signature "Hurricane" maneuver (5 twists, 3 flips) to win the silver medal.
As a child growing up in Idaho, Peterson was sexually abused by someone he would not name. In 2002, the magazine wrote, he spoke about the experience at a fundraiser for an organization aimed at child abuse prevention, telling a young audience, "If you think you deserved it, I promise it wasn't your fault. I know because I've lived that feeling for a long time."
Peterson's sister was killed by a drunk driver at the age of 5 in 1987, and a close friend committed suicide in 2005 in front of him, shooting himself in the head as Peterson was walking in the door.
Peterson was 29 at the time of his death.
(Sources: Sports Illustrated, Wiki, CNN)
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