Gretchen Bleiler American snowboarder Date of Birth: 10.04.1981 Country: USA

1. Biography of Gretchen Bleiler
2. Discovering a Passion
3. Early Success
4. Continued Achievements
5. Beyond Snowboarding
6. Ambassador for Women in Sports

Biography of Gretchen Bleiler

Gretchen Bleiler (April 10, 1981) was born in Toledo, Ohio, USA. She is an American professional snowboarder specializing in halfpipe. She currently resides in Aspen, Colorado.

Discovering a Passion

At the age of eleven, Gretchen found her calling. Since then, she has been snowboarding and began serious training in the sport in 1996. "From the very beginning, I was very interested in what I could achieve in snowboarding," confesses Bleiler. "While some just want to ride, I had a goal to achieve something greater."

Early Success

Gretchen quickly began achieving success, winning halfpipe competitions in 2003, 2005, and 2006. During the Olympic qualifying races in the United States, she won four times in the halfpipe category and secured four gold medals in extreme competitions. She recently became the first in the superpipe during the XIV Winter Extreme Sports Competition.

Continued Achievements

In 2003, Gretchen became the champion in the American Grand Prix for snowboarding at the US Open and also won the Triple Crown Championship. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, she won a silver medal in the women's halfpipe competition. Since 2007, Bleiler has been involved in designing upper outerwear for the brands 'Oakley' and 'K2 Snowboarding'.

Beyond Snowboarding

During the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, while other athletes were dedicating all their time and energy to preparing for the competition, Bleiler was preparing for an interview with BBC. "I believe the busier I am, the more I can accomplish. Why should I stop just because the Olympics are happening?" she wondered. In her free time, Gretchen enjoys surfing, mountain biking, and designing outerwear. She is also a member of several environmental organizations, including the 'Aspen Snomass Save Snow' movement and the 'Stopglobalwarming.org' team.

Ambassador for Women in Sports

During an interview with BBC, Bleiler spoke about the significant development of women's snowboarding in the four years since the Turin Games and how snowboarding encourages young girls. When asked if she considered herself a feminist, she replied, "The word 'feminist' has such a negative connotation. I would say I'm a woman who likes to push the limits and go beyond boundaries. And of course, look good doing it."