Hall of Famer
Meredith Gardner
Affiliated Discipline(s):
Freestyle
Hometown:
Toronto, ON
Active Career Period:
1981-1989
Induction CSHF:
1995
Induction Category:
Freestyle: Moguls, Ballet, Aerials, Combined Active
As a member of the Canadian women’s Freestyle Team from 1981 to 1988, Meredith Anne Gardner competed in all three disciplines of freestyle skiing, ballet, moguls and aerials. She was, arguably, the most successful freestyle skier of her time winning the world aerial championship in 1985 and 1988, selected as Canadian Athlete of the Month in December 1988 by the Sports Foundation of Canada, and in the same year, Freestyle Skiing Athlete of the Year by USA magazine Ski Racing, and won a total of 91 medals in national and international freestyle skiing.
Medals summary in National Championship competition:
| 1981 | Silver (combined) |
| 1982 | Silver (aerials, moguls, combined), Bronze (ballet) |
| 1984 | Silver (moguls) |
| 1985 | Gold (aerials, combined), Silver (moguls) |
| 1986 | Gold (combined), Silver (aerials, ballet, moguls) |
| 1989 | Silver (ballet) |
| 1990 | Silver (ballet) |
| Total: 15 medals (3 Gold, 11 Silver, 1 Bronze) |
Medals summary in World Cup and World Championship competition, 1981 through 1989:
World Cup
| Aerials | Gold 13, Silver 6, Bronze 7 | Total: 26 |
| Ballet | Bronze 1 | Total: 1 |
| Moguls | Bronze 1 | Total: 1 |
| Combined | Gold 6, Silver 16, Bronze 14 | Total: 36 |
| Total: 77 |
World Cup Grand Prix
| Aerials | Gold 2, Bronze 1 |
| Combined | Silver 2, Bronze 1 |
| Total Grand Prix | Silver 3, Bronze 2 |
Medals in World Championships
| 1986 | Aerial, Bronze |
| 1989 | Combined, Bronze |
| Total: 11 |
Following her retirement in 1989, she was a participant in the Ontario Government’s “Female Athlete Motivation for Excellence” program and made in excess of 100 presentations to schools throughout Ontario. From 1989 to 1992, she was a coaching coordinator for the Canadian Ski Association Freestyle and established and coached a freestyle high performance Christmas camp from 1988 to 1992. She also established the Owens Corning Freestyle League (OCFL), developing the concept and all materials including a guidebook for this entry-level program for children 6 to 13 years.
Please Note: The ski information gathered here is compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments.
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Meredith Gardner. Canadian Freestyle Ski Association.
National Freestyle Ski Team 1985 [L to R back]: Peter Judge (coach), Roch Otis, Murray Cluff, Alain LaRoche, Craig Young, Daniel Cote, Yves LaRoche, Pierre Poulin, Lloyd Langlois, Pat Henry, Roch Otis, Bill Keenan, Dave Walker, Chris Simboli [L to R front]: Anna Fraser, Lucie Barma, Meredith Gardner, Janice Cannon. Canadian Freestyle Ski Association.
National Freestyle Ski Team 1987 [top row]: Lucie Barma, Murray Cluff, Anna Fraser [middle row]: Meredith Gardner, Pat Henry, Peter Judge, Lloyd Langlois, Alain LaRoche [bottom row]: Lee Lee Morrison, Richard Peirce, Chris Simboli, Dave Walker, Craig Young. Canadian Freestyle Ski Association.
National Freestyle Ski Team 1988 Tignes, France [L to R]: Meredith Gardner, Janice Cannon, Sue Kirkwood, Shannon Carey, Lee Lee Morrison, Chris Hatton, Murray Cluff, Pat Henry, Jeff Violo, James Boyd, Peter Judge (coach). Canadian Freestyle Ski Association.
National Freestyle Ski Team 1988 [L to R top]: Jeff Violo, Rick Shwinghammer (manager), James Boyd, Peter Judge (coach), Chris Hatton [L to R middle]: Tanya Clarke, Murray Cluff, Dave Walker, Dominick Godon, Richard Peirce, Alain LaRoche, Pat Henry, Craig Young [L to R front]: Nancy Walkling, Sue Kirkwood, Meredith Gardner, Janice Cannon, Lee Lee Morrison, Shannon Carey. Canadian Freestyle Ski Association,
Meredith Gardner at 1995 Canadian Ski Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. CSHFM Collection.
Meredith Gardner (right) with Canadian Ski Museum Chair, Grant Boyd, at 1995 Canadian Ski Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. CSHFM Collection.
Meredith Gardner, inductee Nicolas Fontaine, Jeff Bean at the 2007 Canadian Ski Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Valberg Imaging / Andrea Cardin.
Meredith Gardner - Oakville Sports Hall of Fame
Video of 2010 Induction of Meredith Gardner into the Oakville Sports Hall of Fame recognizing athletic excellence. Includes athlete profile video and Athlete induction speech.
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