Who’s Shaun White?

Who's That With Pamela?

If you don’t know then you might want to make sure you’re on the right website. When I first saw his magazine feature (can’t remember which exactly), I wasn’t too sure what to think. Actually, the first thought that crossed my mind was “carrot head” and nothing else (Shaun’s official nickname is Flying Tomato though, so I was close – they’re both kinds of vegetables). Ironically, it was that and not the massive bold headline that piqued my interest. I’m not going to re-write everything that’s already been written about Shaun White like a chazillion times by now. But since 95% of the people who know about Shaun, don’t really know Shaun, I’m going to help you out and give you the best bits.

When & Where (1990): Born on September 3, 1986, in Carlsbad, California, and started snowboarding at the age of 4 (the year is 1990). He has an older brother, Jesse, and an older sister, Kari.

How: Shaun’s mother thought he was a risk on skis so she put him on a snowboard thinking it’d be safer if he just followed his older brother Jesse (where was my mom when I rolled a few hundred meters down the run on my first skiing attempt?).

Surgery (1991): Shaun had to undergo open-heart surgery due to some malformations in his heart.

Post-surgery (1992): The kid starts to snowboard again, but clearly with more passion.
12-and-under Championships (1993): At the age of 7, Shaun entered his first snowboarding contest and won.

Going Pro (1999): By now Shaun had came out on top at every amateur snowboarding contest so at the age of 13, he turns pro.

X-Games (2003-2006): 17-year old Shaun White participates in the X-games and wins a bunch of gold medals in 2003 and in the few years following.
First Injury (2004): In ’04, Shaun suffered his first injury as a result of a torn meniscus in his Knee and had to go through 6 months of rehab.

Rolling Stones (2007): Shaun White gets featured on the Rolling Stone magazine.

More Medials (2007): In 2007, he only manages to grab the Bronze medal at the X-Games, but snatches the gold medal at the Torino Winter Games.

After his victory, Shaun flew back to the U.S. on NBC’s private jet to get an early jump on the star-making process that he knew would soon begin. His new-found stardom changed Shaun’s perspective and put serious coin in his pockets. But more importantly, it raised the bar for him. Shaun is also known for his athlete & gym joke: “I got gold medal. I’m an athlete now. I guess I have to go the gym”.

Some would say that he’s done it all, but I’m sure if he keeps his groove on, we’ll be seeing a lot more in the seasons to come!