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 amazing American former professional snowboarder. She was known for her skills in the halfpipe, a U-shaped ramp used for snowboarding tricks. Gretchen won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics, showing the world her incredible talent.
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Gretchen Bleiler's Snowboarding Journey
Gretchen Bleiler was born in Toledo, Ohio. From a young age, she dreamed of competing in big events like the Winter X Games. She discovered her love for snowboarding when she was 11 years old, in 1992. Gretchen has been riding ever since and became a professional snowboarder in 1996.
She made a big impact in women's snowboarding. Gretchen was the first female rider to land a Crippler 540 in a competition. This is a difficult trick where a snowboarder flips upside down while spinning 540 degrees. She won more halfpipe competitions in 2003, 2005, and 2006 than any other female snowboarder.
Before the 2006 Olympics, Gretchen 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 had a fantastic year. She became a U.S. snowboard Grand Prix champion. She also won the U.S. Open of snowboarding and the Triple Crown of Snowboarding championship.
Gretchen nearly qualified for the 2002 Winter Olympics but missed out due to a tiebreaker. However, she went on to win a silver medal in the women's halfpipe event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
Starting in 2007, Gretchen also 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 K2 develop and test products for women. In 2008, she helped create a new competition just for female snowboarders. It was called the Snow Angels Invitational and took place at Snowmass.
Many people thought Gretchen would win a gold medal at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. However, she had falls on both of her final runs and finished in 11th place.
During the summer, Gretchen helps young snowboarders. She coaches and guides them at High Cascade Snowboard Camp. She was honored with a special "Signature Session" at the camp in 2008, 2010, and 2014.
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 was unable to make the 2014 Winter Olympics team. Today, she focuses on speaking, writing, teaching, and being an activist. She is also an entrepreneur and co-owns ALEX Bottle with her husband, Chris. ALEX stands for "Always Live EXtraordinarily."
Major Achievements and Awards
Gretchen Bleiler has achieved many great things in her career:
- 2010 X Games Superpipe Gold Medalist
- 2008 Winter Dew Tour Superpipe Champion
- 2008 X Games Halfpipe Gold Medalist
- 2006 Olympic silver medalist
- 2005 X Games and Gravity Games Gold Medalist
- 2005 US Open Halfpipe Champion
- 2003 X Games Halfpipe Gold Medalist
- 2003 US Open Champion
- Won the 2003 Overall Grand Prix Title
She has also received several awards:
- Voted 2006 Female Snowboarder of the Year at the Action Sports Awards.
- Nominated for an ESPY Award in 2006.
- Won the 2004 Colorado Female Athlete of the Year Award.
- Named "Female Rider of the Year" by Snowboarder and Transworld Snowboarding in 2003.
- Nominated for a 2009 Teen Choice Awards for "Other Action Sports Athlete – Female."
Gretchen's Life Outside Snowboarding
When she's not snowboarding, Gretchen Bleiler enjoys other activities. She likes surfing, mountain biking, and is interested in interior design and fashion.
She is also very active in protecting the environment. She supports organizations like the Aspen Snowmass Save Snow campaign and stopglobalwarming.org.
Gretchen lives in Aspen, Colorado, and is married to Chris Hotell.
See also
In Spanish: Gretchen Bleiler para niños
