There’s a lot more to this aerialist than his airspace

Life is all about the Hurricane for Jeret “Speedy” Peterson.

Doing one.

And living in one.

First, there is his highly acclaimed signature Hurricane, an aerial trick featuring three flips and five twists. The men’s aerials qualifications will be Monday night at Cypress Mountain.

“I plan on doing the Hurricane,” he said at the pre-Olympics news conference here. “I want to be able to do that trick. I want to be prepared to throw it. . . . We won’t know until game day.”

Peterson will be joined in qualifying by American teammates Ryan St. Onge, Matt DePeters and Scott Bahrke. Bahrke was named Wednesday as a replacement for Dylan Ferguson, who had appendicitis and needed surgery in early February.

Bahrke is the younger brother of Shannon Bahrke, who won a bronze medal in the women’s moguls on the opening day of competition at Cypress.

Peterson, however, is the focal point of the American team for reasons beyond the Hurricane. He was sent home from the Olympics four years ago after punching out a buddy in a bar fight after the aerials competition.

He quit drinking, sought treatment for depression and is working on a book about his turbulent life. Peterson spoke with two reporters after the pre-Olympics news conference and, in keeping with his personality, didn’t hold back.

“I have had an insane amount of things happen to me and I’ve been through a crazy whirlwind of a life,” Peterson said. “I’m only 28 years old and I feel like I’ve had enough turmoil and drama for three lifetimes. It’s made me grow up and it’s really made me figure out what is important to me.

“All the other things I used to think were important -- going out and partying and drinking, that kind of stuff -- that’s not even a thought in my mind anymore. A lot of it has to do with maturity. A lot of it has to do with just taking care of myself the way I need to and being honest with myself and true to myself.”

There was, it seemed, no middle ground in terms of public reaction to his Turin experience.

“I’ve gotten all the hate mail from people that I could possibly get and I’ve gotten all encouragement from people I could possibly get,” said Peterson, adding that he responded to some nasty messages with a few choice words.

But this openness is designed for a larger purpose.

“The reason I came public with my story is because I wanted to help people,” he said. “With me coming on camera and talking about all the things that have happened to me and all the dumb stuff I’ve done, if it helps somebody else figure their stuff out, it’s worth it to me.”

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

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