Gretchen Bleiler facts for kids
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| Birth name | Gretchen Elisabeth Bleiler | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | April 10, 1981 Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 5 in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 126 lb | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  United States |
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| Sport | Snowboarding | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Gretchen Elisabeth Bleiler (born April 10, 1981) is an American former professional snowboarder. She was famous for competing in the halfpipe event. Gretchen won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Contents
Gretchen Bleiler: Snowboarding Star
Gretchen Bleiler was born in Toledo, Ohio. From a young age, she dreamed of competing in the Winter X Games. She discovered her love for snowboarding when she was 11 years old in 1992.
Early Life and Snowboarding Journey
Gretchen has been snowboarding ever since she first tried it. She became a professional snowboarder in 1996. She was one of the first female riders to land a difficult trick called a Crippler 540 in a competition. This helped other female snowboarders try new and exciting moves.
Amazing Achievements in Snowboarding
Gretchen won more halfpipe competitions than any other female snowboarder in 2003, 2005, and 2006. Before the 2006 Olympics, she won four out of five US Olympic halfpipe qualifying events. She is also a four-time X Games gold medalist. Her most recent X Games win was in the superpipe at Winter X Games XIV in 2010.
In 2003, she was a U.S. snowboard Grand Prix champion. She also won the U.S. Open of snowboarding and the Triple Crown of Snowboarding championship that year.
Olympic and X Games Success
Gretchen just missed qualifying for the 2002 Winter Olympics because of a tie. However, she went on to win a silver medal in the women's halfpipe at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
She was considered a favorite to win a gold medal at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Unfortunately, she fell on both of her final runs and finished in 11th place.
Beyond the Snowboard: Design and Coaching
Starting in 2007, Gretchen began designing snowboards and outerwear. She worked with companies like Oakley and K2 Snowboarding. She created her own signature clothing line for Oakley. She also helped develop and test women's products for K2.
In 2008, she helped create a new competition just for female snowboarders. It was called the Snow Angels Invitational and took place at Snowmass. During the summer, Gretchen also coached and mentored young snowboarders at High Cascade Snowboard Camp.
Life After Competition
Gretchen Bleiler announced her retirement from professional snowboarding in January 2014. This decision came after she was injured in a training accident in 2012. She also did not make the team for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Since retiring, Gretchen has been busy with many new activities. She gives speeches, writes, teaches, and works as an activist. She is also an entrepreneur. She and her husband, Chris Hotell, own a company called ALEX Bottle. ALEX stands for "Always Live EXtraordinarily."
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
- 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 the 2003 Arctic Challenge
- 2002 and 2003 Vans Triple Crown Overall Title Winner
- Won 2003 World SuperPipe Championships
Awards and Recognition
- Voted 2006 Female Snowboarder of the Year at FUEL TV's Action Sports Awards
- Nominated for 2006 ESPY Award
- Won 2004 Colorado Female Athlete of the Year Award
- Earned Transworld Snowboarding's Reader's Choice Award in 2004
- Nominated for 2004 Laureus "Female Action Sports Athlete" Award
- Named Snowboarder and Transworld Snowboarding 2003 "Female Rider of the Year"
- Nominated for 2009 Teen Choice Awards "Other Action Sports Athlete – Female"
Personal Interests
Gretchen Bleiler enjoys many hobbies outside of snowboarding. She likes surfing, mountain biking, and interior design. She also has an interest in fashion.
Gretchen is very involved in protecting the environment. She supports organizations like the Aspen Snowmass Save Snow campaign and stopglobalwarming.org. She lives in Aspen, Colorado with her husband, Chris Hotell.
See also
In Spanish: Gretchen Bleiler para niños
