BIOGRAPHY:
Caldwell was a competitive gymnast for 11 years at Apex Gymnastics in Virginia. She watched Olympic skiing on TV and thought that it would be “totally awesome” to do aerials. After only three years of aerials training, Caldwell made the U.S. Ski Team at a Selection Event at the beginning of the 2010 season and went on to have what can only be described as a stellar rookie season. At 16 years of age, Caldwell put the world of aerials on notice as she claimed top-15 results in each of her first three World Cup competitions, finished 10th at the Olympics and claimed a silver medal at U.S. Championships, a feat she repeated last season. With all of four World Cup competitions under her belt she earned her first two podiums in 2011, including a victory at her beloved Lake Placid.

ASHLEY SAYS:
I thought it was going to be hard to beat the excitement of my first year on the Ski Team, with making the Olympic Team and World Cup team as a rookie. But, my second season on the U.S. Ski Team was even better than my super-exciting first year. The highlight of the year would be winning my first World Cup in Lake Placid and going over seas for the first time to compete in Moscow and Minsk. For me, this upcoming season is all about new tricks. I'm hoping to do my first triples on snow this winter and that is definitely a big step and the main focus for the year. This summer will be full of getting strong and working on my jumps on water, getting ready for snow. Other than training, I'll be doing lots of schoolwork and enjoying the summer with my teammates and friends.

FIRST TRACKS:
After 11 years of gymnastics training, Caldwell picked up aerials quick. “The strength and acrobatic skills I acquired as a gymnast really translated well into my skiing career,” she says. When, at 13, watching the 2006 Winter Games on TV inspired her, she decided to go from recreational skier to freestyle competitor. A trip to the Lake Placid water ramps in the summer of 2007 to train alongside the U.S. Ski Team proved fateful. After a summer at the pool with Waterville Valley Ski Academy’s Wes Preston, she took it to the snow and was invited to join Dmitriy Kavunov's Elite Aerial Program. Two years later she joined the U.S. Ski Team, became and Olympian and was named the FIS Rookie of The Year.

OFF THE SNOW:
Ashley describes herself as "kind of a math and science geek." She loves school more than any other sixteen year old around, but that might be because online school allows her to go whenever she wants. She also loves going to the beach with her family.