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Gretchen Bleiler

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Gretchen Bleiler
Personal information
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight126 lb (57 kg)
Sport
Country United States
SportSnowboarding
Gretchen Bleiler
Medal record
Women's Snowboarding
Silver medal – second place 2006 Turin Women's Halfpipe
X Games Medal Record
Women's Snowboarding
Gold medal – first place 2003 Aspen Superpipe
Gold medal – first place 2005 Aspen Superpipe
Gold medal – first place 2008 Aspen Superpipe
Gold medal – first place 2010 Aspen Superpipe
Silver medal – second place 2007 Aspen Superpipe


Gretchen Bleiler (born on April 10, 1981 in Toledo, Ohio [1]) is a professional halfpipe snowboarder. She currently resides in Aspen, Colorado and is 5’5”.[2]

Career

Bleiler aspired to compete in the Winter X Games from a very young age, and found her passion in snowboarding at age 11 (1992).[3] She has been riding ever since and became professional in 1996. Among her accomplishments, she jump-started the invert revolution for female riders as the first to land a Crippler 540 in competition, and won more halfpipe competitions in 2003, 2005 and 2006 than any other female snowboarder.[4] In the pre-Olympic season she won four of the five US Olympic halfpipe qualifiers and is also a four-time X Games gold medalist, most recently winning the superpipe at Winter X Games XIV.[4]

In 2003, she was a U.S. snowboard Grand Prix champion, a U.S. Open of snowboarding champion, and a Triple Crown of Snowboarding champion.[3][5][6].

Bleiler, who missed qualifying for the 2002 Winter Olympics due to a tiebreaker, won a silver medal in the women's halfpipe at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.[7]

Starting in 2007, Bleiler expanded her career into snowboard and outerwear design, through Oakley and K2 Snowboarding, designing her own signature outerwear line for Oakley, and participating in the K2 Alliance, which develops and tests women's products, as well as working on the graphics for several K2 Boards. In 2008, she helped to create a new all-female invitational superpipe competition at Snowmass called the Snow Angels Invitational.[8]

While competing in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, many considered Bleiler a gold medal favorite. However, she fell on both of her final runs, and took a disappointing 11th place.

When she is not competing, Bleiler enjoys surfing, mountain biking, interior design, Daryl and fashion.[9] She is also active in several environmental organizations, including the Aspen Snomass Save Snow campaign, and stopglobalwarming.org.[8]

Career highlights

  • 2010 X Games Superpipe Gold Medalist
  • 2008 Winter Dew Tour Superpipe Champion (Breckenridge, Co)
  • 2008 X Games Halfpipe Gold Medalist
  • 2006 FIS World Cup 1st Place, Saas Fe, Switzerland
  • 2006 Olympic silver medalist
  • 2006 Overall Grand Prix Champion; won four of the five Grand Prix events determining Olympic team
  • 2005 X Games and Gravity Games Gold Medalist
  • 2005 US Open Halfpipe Champion
  • FIS World Cup 1st Place, Bardonecchia, Italy
  • Eight straight wins in 2003
  • 2003 X Games Halfpipe Gold Medalist
  • 2003 US Open Champion
  • Won 2003 Overall Grand Prix Title
  • One of only four females invited to coveted 2003 Arctic Challenge
  • 2002 and 2003 Vans Triple Crown Overall Title Winner
  • Won 2003 World SuperPipe Championships

Awards

Media Exposure

Speaking Engagements

  • 2005 World Congress of Sports panel
  • 2006 Adweek “What teens want” Conference Special Guest
  • Invited as honorary speaker for 2005 Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club, Snowboard Club Annual Banquet, Aspen High School Honors Graduation Banquet
  • Speaks to local middle and high school students about importance of mountain safety

==Other==Has had many wild orgies with Alex Hyde

  • Married to Daryl Klingaman, who can be reached at 920-728-4537 :)
  • Teacher and mentor at her Signature Session of High Cascade Snowboard Camp, summers ’06, '07, '08, and 2010
  • Contributor and editor of “The Innocents” graphic novel project to launch Q1 ’07
  • Covered in Neil Beidleman's book about local Aspen personalities
  • One of featured Aspen locals in new documentary about Aspen, CO produced by AspenSkiCo
  • Impassioned spokesperson and activist in the fight against global warming; working with stopglobalwarming.org and other environmental groups
  • Honored guest and athlete representative for the Women’s Sports Foundation
  • Threw first pitch at Colorado Rockies home-opener, 2006
  • NASCAR honorary starter, ‘06

Trivia

References

  1. ^ Profile, nbcolympics.com
  2. ^ Profile, offthepodium.com
  3. ^ a b whatever it takes to bring home something shiny, 24hourfitness.com
  4. ^ a b Gretchen Bleiler, aspensnowmass.com
  5. ^ 2003 US Open Halfpipe Finals, expn.go.com
  6. ^ Vans Triple Crown of snowboarding, expn.go.com
  7. ^ Silver medal for the American Gretchen Bleiler, oakleybuzz.com
  8. ^ a b Gretchen Bleiler Interview, shredbetties.com
  9. ^ She's got the cake, scholastic.com
  10. ^ (swim suite)FHM Cover, transworldsnowboarding.com
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