The Hurricane

As many of you already know a couple of weeks ago a teammate and friend of mine Jeret Speedy Peterson passed away.  His death has pretty much shaken the world of winter sports and especially those of us based in Salt Lake/Park City area.  Speedy was an aerialist, his career was on the snow and in the air, while mine was going around in circles on the ice, yet because winter sports are so small our paths continually crossed and we became friends over our many years of competitive athletics. 

The Speedy I knew and will always remember was the guy with the huge heart and tons of guts.  He was never one to play it safe on the snow and would rather put everything on the line with the potential to lose than rather to play it safe.  That is something about him that I have always admired and a lesson that I will always carry with me. 

In Vancouver, I couldn't make it to his final event because I as racing, but I remember the buzz around the village that he was in contention for a medal.  I remember watching him do the Hurricane and I remember him landing it.  Most importantly I remember and will never forget seeing the joy, shock, relief, and smile on his face.  His smile that night is something that I'll never forget and the image that I choose to remember him by.  A day later I saw him at the USA House celebrating his success and I got to pull him aside for just a few minutes to tell him how proud I was of him. It was just one of many moments that I got to share with Speedy, and one I am even more thankful for now. 

To share a quote from Speedy after the games he said the following, "Life is not
“Life is not about what you do wrong. It's about having fun and enjoying the things you do right.'' A great motto to live by....thanks Speedy for all the memories.