Travis Gerrits (born October 19, 1991, in Milton, Ontario) is a former Canadian freestyle skier.[1] Gerrits was the silver medalist from the 2013 FIS World Championships and was named the FIS Rookie of the Year in 2011.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 19, 1991 Milton, Ontario, Canada |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg; 11 st) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Sport | Freestyle skiing |
Medal record | |
Early life edit
Gerrits attended W.I. Dick Public Middle School and Milton District High School, both located in the Town of Milton.[2][3] He described missing half his classes in his school years due to his training and competitions.[2][3]
With an initial background in gymnastics and trampoline, the latter which Gerrits had competed at the provincial level,[3] he had begun skiing at the age of 6.[3][4] When he was 10, he competed at provincial skiing championships, where he had gained mentorship and support from fellow skier Nicolas Fontaine.[2][5] Gerrits had spent his initial ski training sessions abroad in Lake Placid, New York, before the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association built a Quebec facility in 2004.[3]
Career edit
By the time when Gerrits was 15, he had gained a position on the Canadian National Development Team for aerials.[5][6] He was invited to the 2010 Winter Olympics as a forerunner for the men's aerials.[4][6] He was named the international rookie of the year following the 2010 season.[4]
Gerrits spent the end of his 2011–2012 season recovering from a MCL tear.[4][6]
During the 2012–13 FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup season, Gerrits won two silver medals.[7][8]
Gerrits' next breakthrough came when he won silver at the 2013 World Championships in Norway,[9] which meant his qualification for the 2014 Winter Olympics as a representative for Canada. After he commented on his success saying, "To me, second place is a victory in my eyes (because) I qualified for the Olympics. To be honest, I couldn't be happier. I did everything I wanted to do today and this whole season. It's awesome."[10]
At the end of 2013, Gerrits won the World Cup aerials in Beijing, China.[11][12][13]
In the 2014 Winter Olympics, Gerrits had come in 7th place for the Olympic men's aerials final.[14]
Gerrits withdrew from the 2018 Winter Olympics qualifying to enter rehabilition for sustained inquires.[15]
According to a 2019 interview, Gerrits had retired from his skiing career after 14 years on the Canadian national team.[16]
Personal life edit
In 2017, Gerrits opened up about his experience living as an athlete with bipolar I disorder.[17] Diagnosed in 2014, he commented on his treatment management, and how his career results "came in spurts and peaks" due to his illness.[18]
In 2020, Gerrits was inducted into the Milton Sports Hall of Fame.[19]
Results edit
Top Five Finishes
- Nor-Am Cup: 8
- World Cup: 7
- World Championships: 1
| Season | Date | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 1 top five |
January 28, 2007 | Mont Gabriel, Canada Nor-Am Cup |
5th[20] |
| 2007-08 1 top five |
February 16, 2008 | Apex, Canada Nor-Am Cup |
3rd[20] |
| 2008-09 2 top five |
January 11, 2009 | Apex, Canada Nor-Am Cup |
3rd[20] |
| February 21, 2009 | Canada Olympic Park, Canada Nor-Am Cup |
2nd[20] | |
| 2009-10 2 top five |
December 21, 2010 |  Utah Olympic Park, USA Nor-Am Cup |
2nd[20] |
| March 2, 2010 | Apex, Canada Nor-Am Cup |
3rd[20] | |
| 2010-11 3 top five |
December 18, 2010 | Apex, Canada Nor-Am Cup |
2nd[20] |
| December 19, 2010 | Apex, Canada Nor-Am Cup |
1st[20] | |
| January 8, 2011 | Mont Gabriel, Canada Nor-Am Cup |
3rd[20] | |
| 2011-12 1 top five |
January 15, 2012 | Mont Gabriel, Canada Nor-Am Cup |
3rd[20] |
| 2012-13 4 top five's |
January 12, 2013 | Val Saint Come, Canada World Cup |
2nd[21] |
| February 1, 2013 | Deer Valley, USA World Cup |
2nd[21] | |
| February 23, 2013 |  Bukovel, Ukraine World Cup |
5th[21] | |
| March 7, 2013 |  Voss-Myrkdalen, Norway World Championship |
2nd[22] | |
| 2013-14 2 top five's |
December 15, 2013 |  Beida Lake, China World Cup |
4th[21] |
| December 22, 2013 | Beijing, China World Cup |
1st[21] | |
| 2014-15 1 top five |
February 21, 2015 |  Moscow, Russia World Cup |
4th[21] |
| 2015-16 1 top five |
February 5, 2016 | Deer Valley, USA World Cup |
4th[21] |
References edit
- ^ "Travis Gerrits profile". Freestyle Skiing Canada. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
- ^ a b c Slack, Julie (June 5, 2015). "Travis Gerrits encourages Milton students to remember they're never alone". Inside Halton. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Canadian Champion (Milton, ON), 9 Feb 2007, p. 15". news.milton.halinet.on.ca. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Sochi 2014: Canada's Gerrits looking to put aerials on the map". thestar.com. January 16, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "Travis Gerrits Shares his Olympic Story and Living with Bipolar Disorder". Freestyle Ontario. January 31, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Canadian Champion (Milton, ON), 13 Feb 2014, p. 30". news.milton.halinet.on.ca. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Canada's Travis Gerrits wins World Cup freestyle aerials silver". CBC Sports. February 2, 2013.
- ^ "Canadian Champion (Milton, ON), 7 Feb 2013, p. 42". news.milton.halinet.on.ca. February 7, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Canadian Champion (Milton, ON), 6 Feb 2014, p. 1". news.milton.halinet.on.ca. February 6, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Canada's Travis Gerrits wins silver at freestyle aerials world championships". CBC Sports. March 7, 2013.
- ^ "Sochi 2014: Canadian Travis Gerrits wins World Cup aerials". thestar.com. December 22, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ LeBlanc, Steve (February 13, 2014). "Canadian Champion (Milton, ON), 13 Feb 2014, p. 1". news.milton.halinet.on.ca. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Canadian Gerrits Upsets Chinese Trio at Bird's Nest". www.eurosport.com. December 22, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Canada's Travis Gerrits rebounds from fall to finish seventh in men's aerials". thestar.com. February 17, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Travis Gerrits withdraws from Olympic qualifying to focus on injury rehab". CBC Sports. January 17, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ Chazonoff, Sami (September 11, 2019). "Olympic Skier Travis Gerrits on Shredding Mental Health Stigma, His Retirement, and His Next Adventure". Sharp Magazine. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ Dionne, Deidra (August 11, 2017). "Freestyler Travis Gerrits strikes a blow at stigma of mental illness". CBC Sports. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ Blum, Benjamin (December 14, 2017). "Learning to fly: Aerials skier Travis Gerrits embraces challenge of bipolar disorder". CBC Sports. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ LeBlanc, Steve (November 3, 2021). "Milton Sports Hall of Fame inducts 2020 class". Inside Halton. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b c d e f g "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
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