Going for the Gold: Jeret "Speedy" Peterson

While many families in America shared meals and exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve, two-time Olympian Jeret “Speedy” Peterson was securing his spot on the freestyle skiing 2010 U.S. Olympic Team.

Peterson won the aerials event at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Steamboat Springs, Colo. At the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the aerialist will make his third Olympic appearance at the men’s first qualification jump on Feb. 22.

Now that he has an Olympic nomination settled, the question everyone is asking is: Will he throw his signature “Hurricane’’ jump?

Speedy, who’s been a member of the national ski team since he was 16, dubbed the five-twist, three-flip move the “Hurricane” because it feels like a hurricane as he flies through the air. So far, he’s the only aerialist to successfully land the most difficult jump in the sport more than once during the World Cup.

At the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Peterson went all out and executed the Hurricane in the final round. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the landing, and the mistake moved him from third to seventh place. While it was an improvement from his ninth-place finish at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games, it wasn’t good enough for the skier.

After Torino, Speedy honed his jump, which lasts a whopping 3.2 seconds. He performed it perfectly at the Chevrolet Freestyle International on Jan. 12, 2007, at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, and has reached world-record scores with it ever since.

The Boise, Idaho, native hasn’t had it easy. Peterson’s childhood wasn’t picture perfect, and he’s had to overcome more in his 28 years of life than most people will encounter in a lifetime. He suffered from child abuse, the loss of his sister to an accident caused by a drunk driver and witnessed the suicide of a close friend.

Freestyle skiing became his release. Everything he bottled up, he let out as he flipped and twisted 55 feet in the air at speeds of more than 40 mph.

As if skiing down a mountain and completing five twists and three flips in midair isn’t enough, the self-described “adrenaline junkie” also flies planes — and jumps out of them.

Currently Speedy is the only athlete to carry out the “Hurricane.’’ If he throws it and nails his landing at the Vancouver Games next month, there’ll be no question: The long-elusive gold will be his.