Faye Gulini
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | GU |
| Born | March 24, 1992 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Alma mater | Westminster College |
| Height | 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) |
| Weight | 57 kg (126 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Sport | Snowboarding |
| Coached by | Mike Jankowski |
Faye Gulini (born March 24, 1992) is a professional American snowboarder born in Salt Lake City, Utah. She competes for the US Snowboarding Team in the disciplines of snowboard cross, slopestyle and halfpipe.
Early life
Gulini started riding at a ski resort at Snowbird, in her home state when she was nine years old. Her siblings Erin, Zachary and Nate were the ones that originally got her into snowboarding.[1] Her hobbies include rock climbing, skateboarding and camping.[2] She likes soccer, wakeboarding[1] and swimming in lakes and in the ocean.[3]
Career
At the age of 10, Gulini joined the Snowbird Snowboard Team.[4] Her first snowboard cross event was at age 10 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.[3] At age 14, she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a professional snowboarder. Gulini moved from her house and her family in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Vail, Colorado where she attended the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy.[4]
Gulini debuted on FIS races on December 15, 2006 in the halfpipe discipline at age 14. The race was located in Breckenridge, Colorado. After many good performances, Gulini won her first FIS event on January 27, 2008 in the slopestyle discipline. The race was held in Park City, Utah.[5]
2008 - 2010
Her first World Cup appearance was in Lake Placid, New York, where she competed in the snowboard cross discipline. The event was held on March 1, 2008 and she finished in the 30th position. Seven months later she ended in the 9th position in the World Cup held in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.[5] With several great performances in the years 2009 and 2010, Gulini landed the results needed for a spot in the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, Canada.[3]
2010 Winter Olympics
In her first experience in a Winter Olympic, Gulini made it through the qualification round ending in 12th place with a time of 1:30.75 that was scored on her first run. Later on she was eliminated in the quarterfinals and ended in the 12th place overall.
2011
After the Olympics, Gulini ended in 2nd place in the FIS Junior World Championship held in Cardrona, New Zealand in the snowboard cross discipline. She started 2011 on her right foot and riding well enough to take a spot in the FIS Snowboard World Championships in both snowboard cross and slopestyle. Gulini also finished 9th in 2011 Winter X Games.[3] Unfortunately, in March of that year, Gulini tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in her right knee which sidelined her for nine months.[6]
2012 - 2013
After recovering from her knee injury, Gulini returned in 2012 scoring a 2nd place at the Canyons Resort Sprint U.S. Grand Prix.[3] On March 25, 2012, she ended in 4th place in the FIS Junior World Championship held in Sierra Nevada, Spain. With several great performances in over six World Cups in 2013, she was able to qualify for the World Cup held in the olympic venue in Sochi, Russia where she finished in the 8th position. Three weeks later, Gulini won the 2013 Canyons Resort Sprint U.S. Grand Prix in snowboard cross with a time of 1:12.67. In the same year she was moved from the US Snowboarding Team B to the US Snowboarding Team A.[3]
2014 Winter Olympics
With her great performances, Gulini secured a place in the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia. She competed in the snowboard cross discipline on February 16, 2014. Her seeding time was 1:23.96. In the elimination round, Gulini made it through the quarterfinals by ending 3rd in her race. Later on she ended 3rd in the semifinals, which gave her the chance to participate in an olympic big final for the first time ever. Gulini ended in the 4th place overall making it her best appearance in a Winter Olympic.[6]
2014
Gulini's first 2014 event was the World Cup held in Andorra. A week after the 2014 Winter Olympics, she travelled to Ontario, Canada to help coach the Oakley Progression Sessions. The event was held in the Blue Mountain Ski Resort on the first weekend of March. On April 1, 2014, Gulini travelled to Washington to assist the U.S. Olympic Committee's Best of U.S. Awards Show held on the next day at the Warner Theatre.[7] Later that week she met President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama at The White House.
Career highlights
FIS Junior World Championships [6]
| Year | Location | Discipline | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 |  Cardrona, New Zealand
|
Snowboard Cross | 2nd |
| 2010 | Cardrona, New Zealand
|
Slopestyle | 10th |
| 2010 | Cardrona, New Zealand
|
Halfpipe | 18th |
| 2012 |  Sierra Nevada, Spain
|
Snowboard Cross | 4th |
Winter Olympics [6]
| Year | Location | Discipline | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 |  Vancouver, Canada
|
Snowboard Cross | 12th |
| 2014 |  Sochi, Russia
|
Snowboard Cross | 4th |
U.S. Grand Prix [5]
| Year | Location | Discipline | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 |  Canyons Resort, United States
|
Snowboard Cross | 2nd |
| 2013 | Canyons Resort, United States
|
Snowboard Cross | 1st |
Winter X Games [8]
| Season | Location | Discipline | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Aspen, United States
|
Snowboard Cross | 10th |
| 2009 | Aspen, United States
|
Halfpipe | 10th |
| 2010 | Aspen, United States
|
Snowboard Cross | 7th |
| 2011 | Aspen, United States
|
Snowboard Cross | 9th |
| 2012 | Aspen, United States
|
Snowboard Cross | 15th |
| 2014 | Aspen, United States
|
Snowboard Cross | 6th |
| 2015 | Aspen, United States
|
Snowboard Cross | 9th |
References
- ^ a b Faye Gulini U.S. Ski and Snowboard
- ^ Faye Gulini: US Snowboarding
- ^ a b c d e f Faye Gulini | U.S. Snowboarding
- ^ a b Oakley - The Official Site
- ^ a b c Snowboard - Cross - Athlete: Faye GULINI
- ^ a b c d Faye GULINI | Snowboard | United States - Sochi 2014 Olympics
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2014/04/02/sochi-olympic-stars-come-out-in-the-nations-capital/7233007/
- ^ Faye Gulini - X Games
