Park City, UT – On the eve of the Visa Freestyle International World Cup, Utah’s Deer Valley Resort on Wednesday renamed its unique freestyle aerials tow lift “The Hurricane” in memory of the late Jeret “Speedy” Peterson.
The tow is used to shuttle aerials athletes to the top of the jump for the annual International Ski Federation World Cup. The 2010 Olympic silver medalist in freestyle aerials, Peterson won two of his seven World Cups at Deer Valley including setting a world record two-jump score of 268.70 in January of 2007 landing his trademark Hurricane – three flips and five twists.
Peterson, originally of Boise, Idaho but living in Utah, committed suicide last July after of a lifetime of battles with alcohol and depression following a childhood that involved reports of sexual abuse. Deer Valley was Peterson’s home aerials hill. He was known for his constant caring for his friends and fellow competitors. Friends and family have started The Speedy Foundation in his memory as a non-profit organization dedicated to understanding mental illness, preventing suicide and fighting stigma through education, research, and advocacy.
“As anyone who met Speedy knows, you didn’t just know him you experienced him. It’s an honor to be a part of what the family has built – The Speedy Foundation,” said U.S. Snowboarding athlete Graham Watanabe. “This sign in his honor is an extension of what The Speedy Foundation hopes to achieve. We’re hoping to never forget Speedy and to extend his vision. He suffered from depression and wasn’t one to hide from it. He battled it head on and wasn’t afraid to let people know it was something that needed to be dealt with and understood. His goals of spreading awareness and advocating for mental illness is something we’re embodying with The Speedy Foundation.”
Immediately following the press conference in Deer Valley’s Snow Park Lodge, resort officials posted the sign at the bottom of the lift on the right side of the aerials jump.
“This week is about remembering Speedy and honoring him. We’ll unveil this sign today that will name our lift after him,” said U.S. aerialist Emily Cook. “For me, having it up there to remember him every round will be pretty nice.”
“In everyone’s life there’s a time when a person comes into your life and is truly memorable. For me personally, and for all of us at Deer Valley, Speedy was one of those people His charisma was unmistakeable, his energy was unmatched and what he did on the field of play was pretty darned incredible,” added Deer Valley President and General Manager, Bob Wheaton. “The Hurricane was his favorite trick, he landed it here, so we thought naming the lift that all of the aerialists take to get back up to the top of the inrun in his honor.”