For as long as she could remember, Meredith Gardner was passionate about downhill skiing. From the tender age of eight, she demonstrated great talent at the sport, in which she began competing at the age of 12.
While Gardner was initially interested in ski racing, she found this discipline to be “ubercompetitive”—something which disinterested her. While skiing at Talisman, she was introduced to the world of freestyle skiing, which she took to immediately.
Following years of training, Gardner became a member of the Canadian Women’s National Freestyle Team in 1981, a position she held through 1988. She was a highly skilled, respected, and decorated competitor, achieving 77 World Cup Medals (21 gold, 27 silver, 29 bronze),15 Canadian Championship Medals (3 gold), and two World Cup Arial Championships. For these incredible feats, she was named the 1988 Freestyle Skiing Athlete of the Year by Ski Racing Magazine. Gardner was also the first (and only) Canadian woman to complete a triple flip on skis, and has received more medals than any other Canadian skier.
Following her retirement in 1989, Gardner was a participant in the Ontario Government’s “Female Athlete Motivation for Excellence” program, and made in excess of 100 presentations to schools across Ontario. She also became a journalist, working as an entertainment anchor, news reporter, and finally, a sports producer. She also proved to be a knowledgeable and insightful commentator for the CTV coverage of freestyle skiing at the 1994 Olympics in Norway. Furthermore, she acted as the Sport Development Director at the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association from 2005-2018.
Today, Gardner remains involved in the development of young skiers through coaching. As a longstanding master in the three disciplines of freestyle (ski ballet, mogul skiing, and aerial skiing), she continues to inspire the next generation of Canadian Olympians.
