Maëlle Ricker
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Maëlle Danica Ricker (; born December 2, 1978) is a
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
retired
snowboarder Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic ...
, who specialised in
snowboard cross Snowboard cross, also known as boardercross, is a snowboard competition in which four to six competitors race down a course. Snowboard cross courses are typically quite narrow and include cambered turns, various types of jumps, berms, rollers, ...
. She won an Olympic gold medal in the
snowboard cross Snowboard cross, also known as boardercross, is a snowboard competition in which four to six competitors race down a course. Snowboard cross courses are typically quite narrow and include cambered turns, various types of jumps, berms, rollers, ...
event at the
2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...
in
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, to become the first Canadian woman to win a gold medal on home soil at the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...
. She is also the 2013 World Champion and two-time Winter X Games Champion (1999, 2006).


Career

Ricker was born in North Vancouver,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, and resides in
Squamish, British Columbia Squamish (; , ; 2021 census population 23,819) is a community and a district municipality in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the British Columbia Highway 99 ...
. As a young girl Ricker had two dreams: to compete competitively in snowboarding, and to compete in snowboarding at the Winter Olympics, despite the fact that Snowboarding was not an Olympic sport at the time. She first competed in the
FIS Snowboard World Cup The FIS Snowboard World Cup is an annual snowboarding competition, arranged by the International Ski Federation (FIS) since 1994. Since its inauguration, different disciplines have been added and removed, along with categories used to group them ...
during the 1996–97 season, twice standing on the podium in her rookie season. She competed at her first Olympics in 1998 in Nagano where only parallel giant slalom and halfpipe were Olympic snowboard events. Ricker competed in the halfpipe event placing fifth. After Nagano, Ricker began competing in multiple snowboard disciplines, competing in both the halfpipe and in the newer sport of boarder cross. She won her first World Cup gold in the discipline of snowboard cross later that year in 1998. She was forced to skip the
2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...
because of injury. At the
2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter O ...
she placed 23rd in Women's halfpipe and 4th in the Women's Snowboard Cross event. She crashed hard in the race, and was hospitalized with a minor
concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...
. Ricker later said that she did not remember her crash, and that finishing fourth in 2006 was like "seeing the love of your life on the subway but never getting to meet them." Ricker won a bronze medal in the same event at
Winter X Games XI Winter X Games XI were held from January 25, 2007 to January 28, 2007 in Aspen, Colorado. They were the 6th consecutive Winter X Games to be held in Aspen. Television coverage of Winter X Games XI was broadcast on ESPN and ABC, primarily hosted ...
. She was the overall world cup champion during the 07/08 season. She also previously competed in the halfpipe world championships, with her highest finish being 7th in 2003. She is a two time X Games gold medalist in
snowboard cross Snowboard cross, also known as boardercross, is a snowboard competition in which four to six competitors race down a course. Snowboard cross courses are typically quite narrow and include cambered turns, various types of jumps, berms, rollers, ...
winning the gold in both the 1999 Winter X Games and the Winter X-Games 10.


2010 Winter Olympics

Ricker did exceptionally well in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. She headed into the
2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...
in Vancouver as the overall leader in the
2009–10 FIS Snowboard World Cup The 2009–10 FIS Snowboard World Cup was a multi race tournament over a season for snowboarding. The season started on 9 October 2009 and lasted until 17 March 2010. The World Cup was organised by the FIS who also run world cups and championships ...
. She skipped the
Winter X Games Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Diffe ...
in January to focus on the Olympics. The women's snowboard cross event began on February 16, and the event started out nervously enough for the Canadian contingent in women's snowboard cross. Both she and
Dominique Maltais Dominique Maltais (born 9 November 1980) is a Canadian snowboarder, specialising in snowboard cross. She is a two-time Olympic medallist, winning a bronze medal at the 2006 Torino Games and a silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Games. She also co ...
fell on the same berm on their first qualifying run. With fog and weather conditions threatening to cancel the second and final qualifying run, both Canadians would have been out of the finals if officials had canceled the run. However the decision was made to carry on with the qualifying, conditions improved, and Ricker would successfully qualify in third place. When asked about her fall after the race Ricker said that it "was heartbreaking after that first run. I had to go back up to the start, refocus and think about my lines. I had to visualize all the stuff we’ve been training all week, all year, the last few years." Ricker won her quarter-final with ease, but because of only finishing third in qualifying, was placed in a semi-final with gold medal contender
Lindsey Jacobellis Lindsey Jacobellis (born August 19, 1985) is an American snowboarder from Roxbury, Connecticut. The most decorated female snowboard cross athlete of all time, she dominated the sport for almost two decades as a five-time World Champion and ten- ...
. In the run, however, Jacobellis was disqualified for missing a gate and Ricker carried on, qualifying for the A-final. In the medal final Ricker again took a large lead out of the starting gate and won the gold medal with relative ease, becoming the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic gold medal on home soil. Ricker won the gold just minutes from her childhood home in North Vancouver and described the Olympic victory "like a crazy dream". For Ricker, the gold was redemption for her fall and concussion during the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin. She said that "Turin was such a motivator for me. It just made me work that much harder and just go for it today."


Present

Ricker followed her successful Olympics with a great start to the
2010–11 FIS Snowboard World Cup The 2010–11 FIS Snowboard World Cup was a multi race tournament over a season for snowboarding. The season started on 10 October 2010 and ended on 27 March 2011. The World Cup was organised by the FIS which also run world cups and championships ...
. She was second in the snowboard cross standings for the World Cup heading into the 2011 FIS Snowboarding World Championships. In the finals of the snowboard cross at the World Championships Ricker was closely following longtime nemesis Jacobellis. While trying to pass, she got too close to Jacobellis, caught an edge, and crashed, injuring her hand and finishing fourth. Ricker won a bronze medal at the XVI Winter X Games where fellow Canadian Maltais had won that year. She also managed several podiums through that part of the 2011–12 FIS Snowboard World Cup, though not achieving any victories. At the 2013 World Championships, Ricker struck gold again. She managed to beat compatriot Maltais, who had won most of the World Cup events, however Ricker pipped her to the line on the battle that occurred on home soil at these championships. This was Ricker's first gold medal at the World Championships, despite winning nearly every contest she has entered, this medal eluded her until this competition which she won at the age of 34. Ricker lightly made note of both her and Maltais' age versus their competitors when she said that "We’re the dinosaurs of the group. But experience plays a lot in these technical races. It’s definitely something I have to use to my advantage since I don’t have youth on my side anymore. I have to be smart with my training, smart with some of my landings". Just days before the 2014 Olympics were to begin Ricker suffered a wrist injury severe enough that it required surgery, in a training session. Despite this the
Canadian Olympic Committee The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC; ), also known as Team Canada, is a private nonprofit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee. It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization. History Cana ...
expected that she would be able to compete at the games. She was the second Canadian snowboarder to suffer an injury just before the games after
Mark McMorris Mark Lee McMorris (born December 9, 1993) is a Canadian professional snowboarder who specializes in slopestyle and big air events. A three-time Olympic bronze medallist, he placed third in each of the 2014 Winter Olympics, 2018 Winter Olympics, ...
, also a gold medal contender, was injured in his final run at the 2014 Winter X Games.


Personal

Ricker grew up in
West Vancouver West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is situated on the north shore of Burrard Inlet to the northwest of the city ...
, the daughter of Karl Ricker, now a retired geologist, and Nancy Ricker, now a retired biology professor from
Capilano University Capilano University (CapU) is a teaching-focused public university based in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, located on the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, with programming that also serves the Sea-to-Sky Corridor and the Sunshi ...
. When Ricker was a child her father had wanted her to take up skiing, but she chose snowboarding instead. She first learned to snowboard in her teens when she chased her brother Jörli Ricker down
Whistler Mountain Whistler Mountain ( Lillooet/Ucwalmícwts: Nsqwítsu) is a mountain in the Fitzsimmons Range of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains, located on the northwestern edge of Garibaldi Provincial Park. It is the location of the Whistler-Blac ...
and credits her brother for getting her into the sport of snowboarding. As a student, Ricker attended high school at
Sentinel Secondary School Sentinel Secondary School is a secondary school located in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of three public secondary schools in the West Vancouver district (SD #45) including West Vancouver Secondary School and Rockridge Sec ...
in West Vancouver. Ricker lists
Clara Hughes Clara Hughes (born September 27, 1972) is a Canadian cycle sport, cyclist and speed skating, speed skater who has won multiple Olympic Games, Olympic medals in both sports. Hughes won two bronze in the 1996 Summer Olympics and four medals (one g ...
, Canadian flag bearer at the opening ceremonies for the 2010 games, as her hero. Ricker is bilingual, speaking both French and English fluently.


References


External links

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Canada Snowboard ProfileESPN ProfileMaëlle Ricker Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricker, Maelle 1978 births Living people Canadian female snowboarders Sportspeople from North Vancouver Snowboarders at the 2006 Winter Olympics Snowboarders at the 2010 Winter Olympics Snowboarders at the 2014 Winter Olympics X Games competitors Olympic snowboarders for Canada Olympic gold medalists for Canada Olympic medalists in snowboarding Medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics People from Squamish, British Columbia Sportspeople from British Columbia Snowboarders at the 1998 Winter Olympics Canadian people of Swiss descent 20th-century Canadian sportswomen 21st-century Canadian sportswomen