Ashley Caldwell was a competitive gymnast for 11 years at Apex Gymnastics in Virginia.
… The trampoline is familiar terrain for Caldwell, a former gymnast who was wooed to aerial skiing at age 13 as part of a campaign by the United States Ski Team to recruit gymnasts and divers into the sport. Although the program, known as the Elite Aerials Program, is only a few years old, Caldwell is its star alumna.
Caldwell had never seen aerial skiing until 2006, when, at 12, she watched Jeret Peterson perform his Hurricane jump at the Turin Olympics. By 14, she had moved out of her parents’ home in Virginia to train full time at Lake Placid. In 2010, she made the Olympics as the youngest American competing at the Vancouver Games.
Caldwell’s biggest victory came Jan. 21, when she won her first World Cup gold medal (VIDEO interview) after jumping on her home turf in Lake Placid. Last Friday, she barely missed the podium at the freestyle world championships in Park City, Utah, finishing fourth in aerials. …
read more on the NY Times – Landing the Jump From Gymnastics to Aerial Skiing
Click PLAY or watch her on YouTube.
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