Can a guy who is genuinely nice achieve global domination? Evidently, if the guy’s name is Shaun White, the answer is yes. Rolling Stone calls White “the coolest kid in America,” while Outside flat-out declares, “It’s Shaun White’s world.” A double threat with X Games medals in snowboarding and skateboarding, as well as shiny gold hardware from the Winter Olympics, White possesses insane skills and instantly recognizable looks. That serendipitous combination has made the freckled redhead a worldwide superstar; yet, with an unfailing sense of humor about the trappings of fame (and everything else), this three-time ESPY winner somehow manages to be a badass without being, well, an ass.
Snowboarding, Skateboarding, and the Olympics
Born in California in 1986, White endured two major surgeries to correct a heart defect before he was a year old. The growing youngster proved that he was far from frail, however, he charged into sports like surfing, soccer, and skateboarding. By age 6, he was learning to ride a snowboard on weekend excursions to Mammoth.
The family didn’t have much money, but White remembers those road trips in an ancient van as some of his best times. At seven, he entered his first amateur snowboard contest – and won, earning a wildcard entry into Nationals, where he placed just out of the top ten. His mom sent Burton a homemade video of young Shaun exactly at the moment when, coincidentally, the company happened to be developing a kid-sized snowboard. White promptly got his first sponsor.
After winning five national titles as an amateur, in 2001 White captured his first major win as a pro, the Arctic Challenge, by the unanimous vote of his fellow competitors. He took his first Winter X Games medal in 2002 and hasn’t failed to stand on the Winter X podium since, even throwing down an unprecedented four-peat in Slopestyle between 2003 and 2006.
Amazingly, while White was being lauded as a snowboard prodigy, he was simultaneously snapping heads on the skateboard scene. As a 9-year-old, he had befriended Tony Hawk at a skatepark. (The athletes live in close proximity to each other in Southern California.) The Birdman mentored the up-and-comer, and White became a skating pro in 2003. On the Dew Sports Tour in 2005, he captured his first pro skateboard win, and that same year he won a silver medal for his vert performance at the Summer X Games. He was the first athlete to compete – let alone podium – in both Summer and Winter X Games in different sports.
One of White’s rare disappointments had been failing to make the 2002 Olympic team, so in the 2005/06 contests leading up to Torino, he took no prisoners. White went undefeated with twelve victories that season, becoming the first athlete ever to sweep the five-event U.S. Grand Prix series (which served double-duty as the Olympic qualifier). At an Olympics where many American athletes couldn’t live up to their outrageous media hype, White came into the Games somewhat under the radar and finished not only atop the podium, but also atop the popularity polls. His come-from-behind win of Halfpipe gold was compelling enough, but his unscripted wit and casual charisma in interviews sealed the deal: Shaun White was a household name.
Comps, Movies, and More
While White acknowledges his Olympic victory to be the most emotional moment he’s ever experienced in competition, that doesn’t mean that he’s not out there looking for new adventures.
Now in his 20s, White shows no sign of letting up on his competitors, participating in major contests like the X Games, the U.S. Open, and the World Superpipe Contest. He’s also stoked about planning his own kind of event, a comp that is scheduled to debut in Park City sometime in 2008.
And then there’s video work. The recently released First Descent took White (with four other snowboard legends) to Alaska for his first taste of big-mountain riding. Soon to follow is a documentary now in production, and White is also the star of a new video game in development by Ubisoft, which will be in stores in time for the 2008 holidays. An avid gamer himself (it helps to pass the endless hours in airports), White is taking a hands-on approach to getting everything in his game just right – exactly as he does with his White Collection clothing line for Burton. White carries a sketchbook around to jot down ideas whenever and wherever creativity strikes; and when it comes to his clothes, he personally checks out fabric samples and takes satisfaction in details down to the tongue-in-cheek names of products like “Puff the Magic Jacket” and “Pant of the Gods.”
After all, if you’re going to dominate the world, you might as well have fun doing it.
