Kaitlyn Farrington facts for kids
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| Birth name | Kaitlyn Brooke Farrington | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | December 18, 1989 Hailey, Idaho, U.S. |
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| Residence | Whitefish, Montana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Coached by | Elijah Teter | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Kaitlyn Brooke Farrington, born on December 18, 1989, is an American former professional snowboarder. She grew up on a cattle ranch in Idaho. Kaitlyn became famous for winning a gold medal in the women's half-pipe event. This big win happened at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Before the Olympics, she also won gold at the 2010 European Winter X Games. Kaitlyn was also chosen as a backup crew member for the dearMoon project, a space mission that was later canceled.
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Early Life and Horse Riding
Kaitlyn Farrington was born to Gary and Suz Farrington. She also has an older sister. The Farrington family owned a ranch near Sun Valley, Idaho. Kaitlyn spent her childhood riding horses. Her mom, Suz, believes that riding horses helped Kaitlyn develop her smooth style and good balance in snowboarding.
Kaitlyn started skiing when she was only three years old. By age five, she was already competing in barrel racing with horses. Her dad, Mr. Farrington, remembers that she quickly moved from skiing with help to doing it on her own. When Kaitlyn was in high school, she started competing in snowboarding. Her parents even sold their cows to help pay for her snowboarding costs.
Kaitlyn's Snowboarding Career
Kaitlyn Farrington is left-handed and uses a "goofy stance" when she snowboards. This means her right foot is forward on the board. She was the first woman to successfully land a "backside 1080" trick. This trick involves three full rotations in the air.
Kaitlyn can jump about 9 feet high above the edge of the half-pipe. However, she sees herself as a more technical rider. This means she focuses on difficult tricks and smooth landings. Throughout her career, Kaitlyn had five surgeries on her wrist.
Major Achievements in Snowboarding
Kaitlyn Farrington achieved many great things in her snowboarding career:
- 2014 Sochi Olympic Games: She won the gold medal in the women's half-pipe.
- 2013 FIS Snowboarding World Championships: She placed 4th in the women's half-pipe.
- 2013 World Cup Sochi: She finished in 5th place.
- 2013 World Cup Park City: She earned a bronze medal.
- 2013 World Cup Copper Mountain: She placed 5th.
- 2012 U.S. Grand Prix: She was the overall champion.
- 2012 Dew Tour Breckenridge: She won a gold medal.
- 2011 X Games Aspen: She earned a silver medal.
- 2011 Dew Tour: She won a silver medal.
- 2010 X Games Europe: She won a gold medal.
- 2010 Dew Tour: She was the overall champion.
- 2008 Junior World Championships: She earned a silver medal.
Retirement from Snowboarding
On January 16, 2015, Kaitlyn Farrington announced her retirement from professional snowboarding. She was only 25 years old at the time. In October 2014, she had a fall in Austria while trying a trick. After returning home, an MRI scan showed she had a condition called congenital cervical stenosis. This is a spine condition she was born with.
Doctors told her that continuing competitive snowboarding would be very risky. It could lead to serious injury because of her condition. Kaitlyn shared that she can still walk and snowboard, but she has to keep her feet on the ground.
She was later accepted as a backup crew member for the dearMoon project. However, this mission was canceled in 2024 due to delays with the rocket.
Kaitlyn's Personal Life
Kaitlyn Farrington has a cat named Zilla, which is short for Godzilla. She enjoys collecting refrigerator magnets from all the places she visits. Kaitlyn also loves running and listening to music. She mentioned that she was listening to a song called "Give Me The Beat" by Ghostland Observatory when she competed in the 2014 Winter Olympics.
More recently, she has started playing Frisbee golf. She also tries to surf, which she jokingly calls "drowning." A ski run on Sun Valley's Bald Mountain was renamed "Kaitlyn's Bowl" to honor her achievements.
See also
In Spanish: Kaitlyn Farrington para niños
